Author Topic: Native of Australia  (Read 6564 times)

Offline sarlush

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Native of Australia
« on: Thursday 07 July 11 06:37 BST (UK) »
I've got a birth certificate for a family member in QLD born in the early 1800's with 'native of australia' printed on it. Not sure what this means as i've never seen it before on any other birth certificate i've got. This particular person i have been able to track only 1 parent but not the other.  I've had someone once tell me it means they are Aboriginal or at the very least part Aboriginal. It's been bugging me and i'd like to know for sure what it means?

Just wondering if anyone might know what it means?

Thanks!
England/Ireland - Cooper, Nason, Padget, Dunnill, Sheahan, Taylor, Halfpenny, Carpenter, Parkes, Hilton, Seabrook, Thompson, Young, Vincent, Bradford, Dumphy, Burke, Rouse, Tindall, Giles, Gibson, Clapham, Farrer, Hutchby, Moss, McMenemin and Lynch.
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USA - Sheahan/Sheen.

Offline Billyblue

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 07 July 11 07:35 BST (UK) »
Hi Sarlush
'Native of' most countries means that is where they were born.
However, when you have an indigenous population, it confuses things a bit.

In the early 1800s it probably means just that, born in Australia, particularly if the person has both a forename and a surname.  Aboriginal people in those times and even up to the mid 1900s, did not have surnames.

Where was the birth, in Qld?  That might also give a clue (some places have higher indigenous population than others).

You say you have been 'able to track' one parent but not the other.  Were both parents named?


Dawn M
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Offline sarlush

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 07 July 11 07:48 BST (UK) »
Hi Dawn

They were born in the Dowling Downs area of QLD. My Grandfather (that side of the tree) actually did tell me there was a large Aboriginal population known to be around the area of the property and they are a couple of off shoots from my line who were half Aboriginal (cousins of the birth i'm looking at). But because there are little records i'm frustrated trying to find any information.

I've only been able to track one parent as that is all the detail that was given. The mother was from England.

Thanks for the info about names and such. I didn't know that.
England/Ireland - Cooper, Nason, Padget, Dunnill, Sheahan, Taylor, Halfpenny, Carpenter, Parkes, Hilton, Seabrook, Thompson, Young, Vincent, Bradford, Dumphy, Burke, Rouse, Tindall, Giles, Gibson, Clapham, Farrer, Hutchby, Moss, McMenemin and Lynch.
German - Weidemeyer, Reinhard, Lull, Apolonia and Moser.
Denmark - Jenson.
New Zealand/Australia - Padget, Cooper, Clapham, Parkes, Seabrook, Young, Jenson, Hilton, Sheen, Hutchby, Nason, Weidemeyer, Ross, and Halfpenny.
USA - Sheahan/Sheen.

Offline Redroger

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 07 July 11 15:34 BST (UK) »
Is a DNA test on either the Y chromsome (Male only) or X chromosome a possibility to establish whether or not there is aboriginal blood?
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Offline Neil Todd

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 07 July 11 21:58 BST (UK) »
Hi, There was a post not to long back with a similar theme. In early colonial days most residents of Australia were born overseas. OUR FIRST GENERATION AUSSIES were referred to as NATIVE of Australia by somemembers of families as they were very proud indeed to be growing the population.

The referance confers in word terms only where born not Native ethnicity. It was used strangely to define those apart from "The Mother Country" whichever that was. Not Aboriginality as may be thought.

In succeeding generations they would be referred to as 2nd or 3rd generation AUSSIES. Although that term did not come about until the 20th Century.
Our Indigenous peoples are likewise proud to have their children shown as Aboriginal not Native although they are native to Australia.
Words are funny sometimes. ;D
Neil
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Offline tropicalj

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 07 July 11 22:36 BST (UK) »
Were both parents named on  the certificate?  If so  what were  their names  we might be able to help further

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Offline Redroger

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #6 on: Friday 08 July 11 20:09 BST (UK) »
Interestingly and of peripheral relevance to this topic, I have recently taken a DNA test with FTDNA. Their website tells Americans taking the test that their region of origin is NOT America unless they are native Americans. Surely the same would apply to native Australians in your country?
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Offline majm

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 09 July 11 05:46 BST (UK) »
During the years that the British Empire controlled the colonies of Australia (ie from 1788 until 1948 and in some legal senses until 1986),Native of Australia meant the person was born in Australia.    As they were born in Australia they were automatically a British Subject.   This applied regardless of where either of their parents were born, or of the "race" of either of their parents.

Queensland was part of the colony of New South Wales until 1859, and civil registration for BDM events did not commence in NSW until 1856.   I think the document you mention would actually be a baptismal certificate and not a birth certificate, as you mention "early 1800's".  It could of course have the actual date of birth but it should also have the date of the baptism.  Several of my forebears were in NSW quite early after the first settlement (1788), and of course several generations were born before civil registration commenced, so I have a number of baptismal certificates, wedding certificates and burial certificates issued in the  1900's and based on the records from the early 1800's.  I also have found that the actual parish records often contain more details than the documents issued by the civil BDM registrars.

There are BDM registrations for Aborigines, just as there are BDM registrations for children of immigrants, .... the search to find either is hampered by :
a) it was not ever a requirement to denote the race of a person on their baptismal certificate  however, the NSW BDM online index includes Early Church Records where the various headings have been used to include "Aboriginal" and "Aborigine" ... usually in the surname column but sometimes in the given name, or the father's or mother's name.
b) it was not ever a requirement to denote the race of a person on their civil registration for BDM.

In looking at the enlistment records for British Subjects who were native of Australia (or naturalised) it is not until you look at the "complexion" of the volunteer who enlisted that you may have some indication as to the "race" question, however, it is important to remember that among those who arrived in Australia in the first fleet and later during the penal era, either as ships crew, marines/garrison forces, government appointees, convicts, free settlers or any others, there were persons who were born in many parts of the world, (eg slaves from the West Indies, who have been convicted of a serious crime and sentenced to transportation or eg sailors from the sub-continent as crew on the transport ships etc etc etc)  and the colour of one's skin was simply not an important detail to note down and record.

All British Subjects, MALE and FEMALE were entitled to enrol and vote, from fairly early after Federation (ie from say 1903), and it is often overlooked that those early rolls may well contain names of persons who were of Aboriginal descent.   You see, the electoral rolls did not include a person's race either ....

Hope this helps answer your question,

Cheers,  JM 

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I've got a birth certificate for a family member in QLD born in the early 1800's with 'native of australia' printed on it. Not sure what this means as i've never seen it before on any other birth certificate i've got. This particular person i have been able to track only 1 parent but not the other.  I've had someone once tell me it means they are Aboriginal or at the very least part Aboriginal. It's been bugging me and i'd like to know for sure what it means?

Just wondering if anyone might know what it means?

Thanks!

     
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Offline Redroger

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Re: Native of Australia
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 09 July 11 22:27 BST (UK) »
Interesting that men and women in Australia seem to  have had democratic rights long before such rights were enjoyed in the UK
Ayres Brignell Cornwell Harvey Shipp  Stimpson Stubbings (all Cambs) Baumber Baxter Burton Ethards Proctor Stanton (all Lincs) Luffman (all counties)