Little cable and I are now (finally) back home after 'interesting' trip to Wiltshire RO
It looks like the chap who started the Female Emigration Fund at the end of 1849, Sidney Herbert, had seriously lost interest by the end of 1850. Perhaps, as an MP, there was an election coming up in 1850 and he wanted to make a splash..........
Anyway - lots of interesting detail and some case histories about girls who went out on the early ships in 1850 - in fact complete lists of them but nothing much for 1851.
HOWEVER, I did find a mention of Elizabeth in a Visitor's Book they used at the 'Home' where the girls collected prior to departure. Someone wrote brief notes about each girl, just recording Name, Religion, character/skills and the ship they left on. The item was -
Catalogue 2057/F8/IX/1 "Notes on Prospective Emigrants"
ELizth Davis, Independant. Has gained her livelihood as a dressmaker. Outfit partly supplied. New Zealand. Age 21 Ship "Stately" Jan 28 1851
The term "Independant" refers to religious affiliation. Most of the others were Church of England or Baptist. If the age is correct then she was born 1830 (can't remember -was her birthday Jan or Feb? If Feb then born 1829?)
I know this isn't a lot of information but it does mean that, if she was baptised, it was non-conformist.
I looked at the entries for all the other girls on the ship because some of the entries mentioned friends, but there was nothing to link her with anyone.
In terms of looking in the census for 1841, the London parishes that were feeding girls into the system were Westminster, Holborn & Bloomsbury, Whitechapel, Southwark & Lambeth, St Georges in the East, Shadwell.
The report published covering ships going out in 1851 omitted the "Stately" altogether. Very puzzling as to why - all the other ships got a mention....
There was a very frustrating (blank) application form required to be filled in by all the girls and needing parents' names occupations, whether deceased, other family, loads of really good stuff - but where are they? Possibly archived with the feeder parishes records? Checked the Metropolitan Archives catalogue but nothing jumps out.
That's it for now....
