Which of your ancestors have disappeared?

[MarieC]

Thanks for the link, Shanreagh!

It's just an index, though, and unless a person has access to the NZ archives there is no way of telling whether a person found on the list is one of your ancestors. 

In my case, I think probably not, since my man was lame and I doubt that gold mining would have been an option for him.

The link may help others, though...

MarieC

[JonathanC]

My ggg-grandfather, Donald Sutherland.  No record of his birth, he married Helen SINCLAIR 15 Apr 1846 in Wick, Caithness.  On the 1851 census (age 25, working as a Cooper, born Wick), in Wick, with Helen, daughter Isabella (age 4) and Helen's brother, John.  Can't find any of Donald, Helen or Isabella on the 1861 census anywhere in UK (John has married and moved to Inverness).  In 1864 Isabella marries in Glasgow, both parents are named on the marriage record, neither shown as deceased.  Isabella has (at least) 13 children, uses the Scottish naming pattern except that she does not use Donald (or Donaldina etc.).  On 1871 and 1881 census Helen is living with Isabella and her family, her marital status is Widowed.  When Helen dies in 1887 her death record states 'married to Donald Sutherland' (ie not 'widow of').  I can't find any record of Donald's death.

[Ringoroses]

My 2x great grandfather's three older brothers - Hugh, William and Duncan Carrick.

Hugh (b1840, Glasgow) last officially seen on the 1851 census aged 11 in Rothesay, although his mother mentions him being a seaman c1861 in a parochial aid application in the 1870s (she hadn't heard from him in 11 years either, apparently  ).

William, (b1842 Balfron, Stirlingshire), last offically seen in the Chelsea pensioner records having retired from the Cameron Highlanders/79th regiment in 1882 after long stints in India/Pakistan/Gibraltar. 

Duncan, b1848 Glasgow - although he sometimes lists his birth place as Rothesay, Bute where the family later moved to)  last seen in Kelly's/Gores direcory in Liverpool c1894, staying with my 2x great grandmother 10 years after the death of his brother/my 2x great grandfather.  He was a mariner, and the one the family think "went to America" and came back intermittently trying to convince others to go back with him - can't find him anywhere in the US or anywhere else for that matter though!

I have other missing relatives, but these are the ones that get me - right there...!

Ann

[akanex2]

My most frustrating lost relative is my gt gt grandmother's brother James Collins, about whom I have absolutely no confirmed facts whatsoever!  According to family lore he was the son of John Collins and Eliza Crawford and born in Knockaduff, Co Londonderry in Northern Ireland around 1850 (could be 10-15 years out and parents names not confirmed as birth pre civil registration in Ireland).  The family belonged to a presbyterian congregation (Ballylintagh - near Coleraine) which went out of existence in C19th and has few surviving records (no baptisms).

He is reputed to have travelled to Australia (although it could have been USA!) and made some money in the gold fields before dying there intestate.  A legal notice seeking claimants to his estate apparently appeared in the Coleraine papers sometime in the 1930s or 1940s, but despite several hours on the microfilm machines in Coleraine library I cannot find it.  Like most family stories you have to allow a certain amount of poetic license, but I'm sure it must have some element of truth - however without a single solid fact I can't work out what element that is

I had great hopes of finding him in the wonderfully detailed Australian records to get more information on him and his parents but the combination of a common name and little certain information on him to help keeps that possibility tantalizingly out of reach. I've even started to doubt the story has his first name right

[MarieC]

Isn't it frustrating?    One minute they are there, and the next - pouf!  Beamed up!  You all do realise that they are in a celestial pub somewhere, drinking beer/Guinness/whatever, and laughing at us?     (Just wait till I get there - there's going to be Trouble with a capital T!)

For anyone who thinks their ancestor may have come to Australia, the shipping records are often horribly uninformative, alas.  They may just give "Mr and Mrs Smith" and not name the children, or if people travelled steerage, they may not be named at all.  So you may not find any evidence of their travel.  Even if you know your ancestor came here, you may not find him/her in the shipping records.  Trust me - I've spent hours/days/weeks looking for one particular family, who must have paddled their own canoe!

MarieC

[coombs]

I wonder if anyone could help me find a shipping website for people to Australia as it lists place of origin in England if stated. I went on it once but cannot remember the site and have tried on Google.

I have a William taylor who was in Canewdon in Essex in 1871 and 1885. He is nowhere to be seen in 1881 anywhere. Yet he is back in Canewdon in 1885 as he is on the electoral registers. I wonder if he emigrated temporarily.

[stonechat]

I think this is the wrong question for me

It should be which of your ancestors just suddenly appeared

[meles]

Great uncle Charles. There in 1851 and 1861, then zilch. No marriage or death. Nothing. Nada. Rien.

I even posted the mystery here and lots of friendly Rootschatters did a search and came up with all sorts of suggestions, but despite all our efforts, still nothing.

Abducted by aliens, maybe?

meles

[youngtug]

William Wilson, baptised 8-nov-1829 at South Marston. And then, nothing, no burial, no marriage, nothing on the census, nothing, he's gone.