Robert HUTTON/ Catherine DOWNEY late 19th century

[yelkcub]

What was exciting about these extracts from the notebooks of James Page was the fact that he had obviously not lost touch with his siblings in England. I think you are absolutely right about the identity of the Mr and Mrs West who arrived with Julia Robinson in Adelaide 23 Oct 1876. Julia Robinson and Frances (West) were sisters, both actresses, their mother being Jane Page, the eldest child of Henry and Jane, born 1810. Julia married John Ferguson 30 Oct 1876, a week after she arrived in Australia (by Mr Pollitt at St Luke's).
Frances married Anthony Fred West in Downham, Norfolk. Since both parties were Londoners, I can't imagine what they were doing in the sticks, unless they had some kind of theatrical engagement. Hardly the west end!
I imagine that the Robinson girls would have been popular with James Page, as his papers show him to have been an enthusiastic member of local dramatic societies.
In James Page's notebook for the same year is the entry 'Attorney's certificate for Mrs West expires'. I have no idea whatsoever what that might mean.
Thanks again for enabling another small-but-important piece of the jigsaw to find its place in the bigger picture
Ian

[tropicalj]

Hello  there Ian

a very warm morning in tropical queensland, would love to swap a week  or two with  you, it would be very nice to experience some cold weather.

I  couldn't locate  the Robinson family on  the 1871  census, so glad you allready  had  that.

Do you  think  that Julia/Julie Robinson knew her husband prior to her arrival in South Australia?

kind thoughts Jenn

[yelkcub]

Hello Jenn,
I know that complaining about the weather is a British thing, but I genuinely enjoy the seasonal changes ... if only we could be guaranteed two or three months of proper summer - that's the season over her that disappoints.

It's odd, with this family, how patterns seem to repeat themselves. Here are the Robinson girls going out to Australia, where Uncle James is a witness at one wedding, just as he had done twenty years earlier with two more nieces, the Downey girls. And just as James Page's wife travelled over and married within a week, so too with Julia. At the moment I don't know anything about the man she married, or whether they had known each other before she left England. I can't find Julia in the 1861 census - or her father, who was still alive in 1871. Perhaps they had already had a spell overseas.

I would love to know whether Anthony Frederick West continued being a comedian when he landed in Australia, or whether he found himself a 'proper' job.

It's a night here for one more log in the woodburner, and a little liquid something to keep out the cold!
Best wishes
Ian

[tropicalj]

Hello  there Ian and All

I  noticed  on  the Probate listings etc on ProVic that there is a will  for Catherine H Connor.
Pre-Release Index to Wills, Probate and Administration Records 1841-1925
http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/index_search.asp?searchid=54



It  would be rather a fitting  end  to see what the will said after we have journeyed with her over  the years from one century into the next.

I  will send Genni  a Pm  and see if she is going to ProVic and if she is able to get a copy

kind  thoughts to you all  Jenn

[Siouxsie]

Wow.......would love to see this too.

Cheers
Susie

[cando]

I have tried to see if any of my ancestors wills have been digitised...have registered as a public user, logged on, gone to Wills and Probate, searched using the reference numbers from the new index and the website just stalls....   I wouldn't have thought the 'trial' Probate Index would prevent a search on a different database....perhaps they are working on the website....and it is so slow.

On the upside, found a few more family names on the index...thought I was going to have a real session looking for digitised wills now I have some more numbers but it seems that 's not going to happen today.

Cheers
Cando

PS I do love the Christmas smiley    a lot more expression..looks a lot angrier  than the usual one.

[Siouxsie]

Dear Cando,
I tried too, and it seemed to just hang for about 5  minutes.......they may not have fully anticipated how many people would be interested!

Love the spinning, popping eyes!!!!

[gennig]

Hi

It looks like everyone had the same idea, probably like everyone else who received the email from the PROV.
Maybe, when the first initial rush on the index, will die down soon and we'll be able to check the record online.

The will is probably digitised, so you will be able to view it online, most of the early ones are, but you have always needed the reference to see it.  If it isn't I can get a copy when I go to the PROV but it won't be until January. 
There is only 1 more Saturday opening before Christmas, and I'm too busy organising my Christmas holidays.   

Regards

Genni

[anneman]

Hello, I am a descendent of Catherine Downey and Robert Hutton when they settled in Australia.  Catherine's youngest daughter, Mary Victoria, was my great grandmother. As you probably know Catherine married Robert Hutton in Adelaide and they settled in Victoria for some years before moving to Tasmania.  My great grandmother was born on 17th Sept 1873 in Blackwood, Vic the youngest of 7. Catherine was 41 at the time of her birth.  We have no real information on why they went to Tassie, except that some of the older boys went mining there. We have traced the fact that Catherine remarried when my great grandmother was still a young girl, and it appears that my great grandmother was raised in Melbourne, not Tasmania, perhaps by her older sisters. We do know that Catherine was never spoken about by my great grandmother, although she was very close to her immediate sisters - Jane and Teresa. We cannot find any information on where or how Catherine died although we have been trying across the different states in Australia.
Hoping this will be of some assistance in your own family journey. If you have any further info we would love to hear.
Anne