State unknown - Thomas Henry WALTERS

[smpl]

Hi all

I wonder if you all could help me expedite my search. I have the following marriage certificate:

Date: 24 June 1899
Location: St Paul's Church, Durban, South Africa
Thomas Henry WALTERS (aged 31), Guard at the Natal Government Railways
Fanny Hysome (aged 22)

I've tracked down Fanny's roots back to Sussex, England, but I can't find out anything about my great grand father Thomas Henry.

I know that he was born in Australia, that his parents owned a family newspaper, which when they died, he used his inheritance from the newspaper business to travel the world.

I assume that he met Fanny in Sussex, but it could have been anywhere and they then agreed to relocated to South Africa.

I then have ship records of Fanny's arrival in Durban, South Africa a few days before their wedding. Thomas Henry subsequently funded her half sister to Durban a few years later.

My searches have been:
- Across all states
- Births of Thomas Henry Walters between 1867 and 1899
- Marriages of Walters between 1860 and 1875, the names of which also owned a newspaper
- Deaths of Walters after 1867 but before 1899, the names of which also owned a newspaper
- Passenger lists departing ports for anywhere, but likely England or South Africa, after 1882 to 1899
- Freemasons who traveled from South African post 1899

Please can you help?

[Wilson Hunter]

HI
from a quick search I found a Birth in New South Wales,


WALTERS  THOMAS H 4414/1867 SAMUEL JANE CONCORD

https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/result?3

Hope this helps

Wilson_Hunter

[wivenhoe]

Where does this information come from -

"....I know that he was born in Australia, that his parents owned a family newspaper..."

Did Thomas Henry WALTERS stay in South Africa?

[cupoflife]

HI
from a quick search I found a Birth in New South Wales,
WALTERS  THOMAS H 4414/1867 SAMUEL JANE CONCORD
https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/result?3
Hope this helps
Wilson_Hunter

May be of interest http://nis.wikidot.com/walters
Has Thomas Henry WALTERS born 1867. Father Samuel Walters married 4th wife Jane Crosby KEMP in 1863 NSW

[Jang]

I don't think he was the son of Samuel and Jane. Samuel Walters was a brick maker by trade and later an alderman on Burwood Council. There was no family newspaper. Thomas was one of 13 children - most shared in their father's estate of 14 allotments of land valued at about 1200 pounds.

Having said that, could the newspaper ownership have been a family story? I've been able to research all the other children apart from Thomas ...

BTW Samuel Walters was born in Maidstone Kent and baptised in Frant Sussex. Hmm, I wonder ...

Jan

[cupoflife]

Probate packets hold lots of details and often include death certificates.

1898 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71315196
WALTERS.—July 4, at his residence, Spring-street, Burwood, Samuel Walters, aged 90 years and 6 months
PROBATES AND ADMINISTRATIONS.
Samuel Walters http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/113248647

1904 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/163990055
WALTERS.— June 39, at Seaforth, Pittwater-road, Manly, Jane Crosby Walters, aged 77 years
PROBATES
Jane Crosby Walters http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14650851

[jorose]

Passenger lists might give some idea:
http://www.eggsa.org/arrivals/lists.html
Miss F. Hysome arrived 21 Jun 1899, on the Pembroke Castle, surety Mrs. H. Wright
in 1902 Kate Hysome also arrived, surety her brother in law T. H. Walters

However this timing doesn't seem to match up with a marriage 3 days later by banns!

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/travel-and-migration shows the 1899 trip for F Hysome + two hits in 1896 for someone of approx the right age - perhaps she went over to work a few years earlier, met Thomas, and then went back to the UK to visit family before the marriage?

[smpl]

Thank you all for your replies and private messages - you have given me quite a bit to follow up on.

Wilson Hunter: Thank you. I am trying to establish a link here or to rule it out.

wivenhoe: it came from my extended families family history books. I do not have any source to validate the information. Yes Thomas Henry Walters married Fanny Hysome in South African and had 4 children, 3 of which started families (one of which was my grand father!). I am also trying to go along the Freemason path to verify the 'newspaper source' and believe I have some medal or something buried somewhere.

cupoflife: thanks for the Wikidot link, I have come across it. I have attempted without any luck to reach out to descendants of Samuel and Jane Crosby in order to find out any more information about this Thomas Henry.

Jang: I agree that Thomas Henry Walters was not the son of Samuel and Jane The family histories don't quite match up but I'm yet to find a conclusive way to rule out the connection.

Yes the newspaper ownership could be a family story. I have no source to validate the information.

You raised a very interesting point that "Samuel Walters was born in Maidstone Kent and baptised in Frant Sussex"...

cupfolife: Thanks for those links. Although the date for the probate of the will is very close to 1899 where Thomas Henry has already 'travelled the world', met Fanny and moved to South Africa. If this Samuel Walters was his father, is there a way to figure out if he received an inheritance earlier.

jorose: Yes those sources were a major breakthrough when I found them. I haven't been able to figure out the connect to Mrs. H. Wright yet. What do you mean the timing doesn't seem to match? Fanny arrived on the June 21st  and then they were married June 24th 1899. I can't read the first name of Bands on my copy of the certificate.

I like your logic of "perhaps she went over to work a few years earlier, met Thomas, and then went back to the UK to visit family before the marriage". How did you find those two hits in 1896 using the findmypast website?

[smpl]

I searched Samuel Walters Spring Burwood and found this link

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/125635776/