George Davis Walgett Cemetery Plot 86

[Patricia Smith]

I am asking for help from someone in Walgett. I believe that my Great Great Grandfather may be buried in plot 86, according to the list on councils website, stating he died 7/4/1905 - although the actual map shows the grave as 'unknown'. I have sent an email to the council asking for clarification on this but I have not received a reply.

He may be the father of Margaret Florence Davis and husband of Sarah Ward.
Margaret's marriage certificate shows both parents as deceased when she married in 1906
Any help would be appreciated.

[Billyblue]

Hi Patricia
Walgett is only a small town in the far north west of NSW.  You may be waiting a while for a reply.

Seems strange that the plot number is given but 'unknown' - though the number may be from the records, but markers etc over the years get lost and they mean they don't know exactly where plot 86 really is, especially if there is no headstone. 
The way some of the older cemeteries marked their graves and rows - and I've looked through quite a few country NSW & Qld ones - often seems to have no logic about it at all!

If you've got his DOD, you may be better off getting a transcript of his death certificate - it will / should show you more information than the Council records from that far back - if they still have the originals which would be doubtful, I'd think.

Dawn M

[bitzar]

Hi Patricia

Something seems a bit off.  The 3 Davis burials at Walgett listed online that you mentioned all state 1905.  2 of them definitely weren't 1905 if you compare them to Aust Cem* Index and NSW bdm online.  The third one is the George that you mention.  If the year IS correct then there is a death of a George L Davis at Lismore.  It's a long way away from Walgett.

Where was Margaret Florence Davis born?!

And sorry but I'm not in Walgett!

Rrgds

Bitzar.

[majm]

Hi there,

Welcome to RootsChat.

I wonder why you are asking about Walgett?

I see from the online NSW BDM index that Margaret F DAVIS married William A MARTIN and the marriage was registered at Sydney (as in the head office district ie the CBD of the City of Sydney).   

From the marriage certificate, what information does Margaret give about herself and also about her parents …. For example, where was Margaret born, what was her age at marriage, what was her usual address,  what was her father’s occupation?   

Here’s some information from the 1902-3 NSW Electoral Roll for the electorate of Gwydir.  I have looked at my hardcopy of two of the polling places in that electorate.  Davis is a very popular surname, so it is possible that the chap at the Walgett cemetery is not connected with your Margaret, and perhaps we need to search further for you.   If George was noted as a carrier/teamster/drover/shearer then he may have regularly travelled some of the Travelling Stock Routes from Central Queensland down through to Walgett and then down through to regional Victoria or South Australia.  While that is quite a large geographical area, it was (and still is) sparsely populated, so while it may take a bit longer to find him, there may well be extant records that name Margaret as his daughter.   And that would ‘clinch’ your research of course.

NSW Electoral Roll 1902-3  GWYDIR,

polling at Walgett
William DAVIS, of Walgett, labourer.
NO OTHERS with that same surname listed at that polling place.   It was not yet compulsory to enrol.

Polling at Boggabilla
George DAVIS, of Coppymurrumbilla, labourer



JM

[majm]

If you do not have the NSW death cert for the chap buried at Walgett, may I suggest you consider the cheaper alternative that the NSW BDM website suggests.

The official transcription will have the same information as the 'real deal' certificate and it is already transcribed by people with years of reading the long hand writing recorded in those very records.

here is the NSW BDM live link to help explain further.

http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx#transcription

I cannot find the NSW registration for a death for George Davis buried April 1905 at Walgett.


JM

[Patricia Smith]

Thanks again for the reply and the link
I only found that George by looking at the Walgett council cemetery list.

[majm]

http://walgett.local-e.nsw.gov.au/planning-walgettcd/cemetery-records-walgett/1134140-walgett-records

Presbyterian Section. 

The surname CRAN is listed there for Plot 85.

How do you connect the chap at Walgett with your Margaret?

JM

[majm]

Hi there,

If you zoom in on the map, you can find plot 86.

Far Left hand side, well below the roundabout, 

the plot is coloured purple, which from one of the key tables on the map indicates there is NO headstone there (as at 2014).

ADD
if you find the furtherest left purple plot in that lower left section, then come across slowly right ....
you will find the surname COLLESS on several plots.   

Find the plot number 82 for the Colless surname.  Then the plot to the immediate left of that plot is No. 86, and the name is recorded on that map as DAVIS and there is another name too ...PEARSON

JM

[majm]

So, (from the cemetery records pdf) a Malcombe J PEARSON was also buried 7/04/1905 in the Presbyterian section at Walgett.  He is plot no. 87.



JM