WILLIAM EKE 1880 merchant seaman sailing to AUSTRALIA

[carolmasip]

Hello,
Any suggestions please on how to find a record of WILLIAM EKE's voyage to Australia - thought to be as a merchant seaman - between 1892 and 1901 (although in 1892 he would only have been 12 he may have lied about his age and claimed to have been 15).
There is no record of him in the UK 1901 census and by around 1904 he was back in the UK working as a coal miner in the North East, employed at Victoria Garesfield colliery.

- 1880 William Eke born Corpusty, Norfolk
- 1892 - 1901 whereabouts unknown - sailed to Australia???
- 1905 - 1908 - Victoria Garesfield, North East UK
 - 1909 - 1912 - whereabouts unknown
- 1912 - 1914 - Dover area (Snowdown & Chislet collieries)
- 1914 - 1921 - whereabouts unknown
- 1921 - back in North East - Morpeth area (married at Stannington)

Any advice, pointers greatly appreciated.
Carol

[jacquelineve]

      What was his fathers name & occupation on marriage cert.? May help to track him on census.

Jackie

[rosball]

I can't see him here http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/  Mariners and ships in Australian Waters (but it is a work in progress)

There is a Mr EKE as a passenger and a couple of EKE's with different initials as crew.

regards
   Ros

[carolmasip]

Thank you - by 1901 William was no longer with his family (father died when he was 12) as he left home at a young age (perhaps sent to relatives in the London/Essex area). He first married Elizabeth Brown in Gateshead in 1905 and then Isabella Dixon  in Stannington, Northumberland in 1921 (on marriage cert. he stated his father was a sheep shearer which was not true).

[jacquelineve]

  Did he state his father was a sheep shearer on both certs? Fathers name?

Have you found Wlm on any U.K. census?

Jackie

[carolmasip]

Will enquire and advise:

For census purposes: William Eke's first wife died in 1908 and he only remarried in 1921 -therefore he would have been single at the time of the 1911 census. In 1912 he was living in Buckland, near Dover, working as a coal miner (hewer) possibly at Snowdown Colliery.

[Christine53]

I can't give details of the 1911 census because of copyright but here is a William Eke in the free index:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWCG-4XB

I f you find the record on a site where you can see the image I think it's possible - the birthplace is not as transcribed on familysearch.

[carolmasip]

 No father's name, he was illegitimate, along with his 4 brothers and 3 sisters. Mother's name Hannah Eke (born in Barningham Parva now called Little Barningham, Norfolk). He gave his brother's name (Matthew) as his fictitious father's name at his second marriage. When Matthew married he gave another brother's name (Richard) as his fictitious father.

He was in the 1881 & 1891 census, no record in 1901 & 1911. I know he was in Kent in 1912, he was probably there in 1911 (the document I have for 1912 is dated February that year, so it's unlikely that he travelled 400 miles in winter). Maybe he was down the mine when the census was done?

A great deal of research has already been done - we are looking for:
- whereabouts 1892 - 1904 - and any evidence that he was a crewman on a merchant vessel that arrived in any Australian port (don't know name of ship, port of departure or place of arrival)  - we were told be relatives that he ran away to sea, aged about 13 (1893?) and was given a berth as a Cook's assistant.

Plus: whereabouts 1914 - 1921

Many thanks for any ideas.

[majm]

Ros has given you the best link for Crew and Passenger lists for shipping in Australian Waters, mainly eastern seaboard at present. 

You can contact the website and offer to transcribe some lists, as it is definitely a work in progress.   

Some thoughts
You also mention you are looking for him 1914 - 1921.... Have you considered he may have enlisted/been conscripted for service in WWI ?

What causes you to believe he was a seaman sailing to Australia in the 1890s?  Would it be likely he be found in Crew Lists for the Merchant Navy etc?   Would he have needed papers to be engaged on shipping? 

Before 1 January 1901 there were six separate colonies that are now known as Australia.  These each had their own governments (still have them) and so each had their own ways of recording passengers and crew in and out of their respective ports. 

Often the ships calling into ports on the Eastern seaboard of Australia also called into New Zealand ports.  The NZ records are of course held in NZ archives.

Perhaps you could give some pointers as to where you have already searched, so we don't duplicate your efforts ?


Cheers,  JM