Mary Ann Foster - Nurse(?)

[ric3188]

Hi
Mary Ann Foster was my great grandmother and was born in Ballarat in 1872. She married in South Africa in 1903 and we had always believed (or assumed) she was a nurse in the Boer War and had met her husband, a soldier, John Leith in that theatre. Having never been able to find her on any official nursing records we are starting to despair of filling in that period of her life.
Anyway, I noticed the other day when re-reading accounts of her father's death in the local papers the Mary Ann was not mentioned whereas her sister Margaret was. Mary would have been 26 at the time of her father's death in 1898 and so, I realised, could have been anywhere in the world by then.

My question: are there any readily accessible records that could shine any light on this? e.g. Censuses? Could she have left the country earlier than we thought; are there shipping lists for outgoing passengers?

[~MERLIN~]

Mary would have been 26 at the time of her father's death in 1898 and so, I realised, could have been anywhere in the world by then.

According to the Probate & Administration of John FOSTER's estate his daughter Mary Ann FOSTER was living in Cheltenham, Victoria.

Probate & Administration files (2) are available to view & download from PROV:
http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=54

[~MERLIN~]

Could she have left the country earlier than we thought; are there shipping lists for outgoing passengers?

You can search the Index to Outward Passengers to Interstate, UK, NZ and Foreign Ports 1852-1923:
http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=42

[~MERLIN~]

UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960:

Miss M A FOSTER 26yrs
Occupation: domestic
Ship: Gascon
Departed: 20 Mar 1897, Southampton, England
Destination: Cape, South Africa

[ric3188]

Thank you all for your replies, very helpful. Can't find her on the shipping lists, unless there's a mis-transcription and she's the six year old travelling to the Cape on the Narrung! But it's good to have a location for her in 1898

[ric3188]

Location in Cheltenham could mean training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, so that's a new lead - thank you!

[sparrett]

Location in Cheltenham could mean training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, so that's a new lead - thank you!

That would be a distance of more than  20 kilometres . Seems most unlikely.

http://www.mh.org.au/royal_melbourne_hospital/rmh-celebrates-160-years/w1/i1016128/

Sue

[judb]

There are a number of sites which mention Australian nurses going to the Boer War, although it seems there were others who went privately.  I could not see Mary Ann mentioned. (Found by Googling, "Australian nurses Boer war")

There were also "Lady Teachers" sent by Education Depts of NSW and Victoria.  There is a photo of them here but unfortunately no names.  Picture here:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/11337428

Judith

just an aside - seems to be a whole family travelling on the Narrung in 1902 so the possibility of a mis-transcription seems less likely 

[~MERLIN~]

But it's good to have a location for her in 1898

The location her sister gave in the probate files would have been her belief that Mary was still living there & not necessarily accurate at the time.

Did you bother to download & read the probate files? There were possible further clues in it if you did.