Thanks again, all - in the all too unlikely event that I can find a signature for Charles Here, perhaps on any surviving synagogue records, that will be useful.
I have been trying to put together some relevant material from the various Myers Ancestry sites, of which there are quite a number, and paste below what I think may be helpful - though I suspect some of the information is confused or conflicting. However, it may provide some pointers:
Michael
My Charles Myers: found on the 1841 and 1861 UK Census, but strangely I cannot find either him, his parents or any siblings on the 1851 census. His father Henry died in London in 1867, and his mother Elizabeth died “after 1871” in Middlesex, but I cannot find anyone of the correct age in Free BMD.
His siblings were:
- Rachel (Rachael in 1841 census) (1831- New Zealand 1899)
- Hyman (Hyam in 1841 census) (1838-London 1907)
- Saul (1839 - ), found in 1871 census but not later. Wife Leah, daughter Rose
- Lewis (1844 - ) found in 1881 census, but not later. Wife Ann Norah Gardner.
- Sarah (1846- ) – found in 1871 census, but not later.
The Samuel Myers we are seeking, son of Charles and Ellen, was born January 1868 in New Zealand and died in Adelaide 6 July 1950. Wife Leah Lyons (1871-1939), married Adelaide 1893. The Ancestry tree only gives siblings born after leaving England – Jacob Abraham (b. Sydney 1873, died 1944), and Esther (b. Sydney, 1875, d. 1876) – so it seems Charles and Ellen had moved to Australia by 1873.
The interesting sibling of Charles is Rachel. Born Bethnal Green London, 1831, she is in the 1841 census, but although the Ancestry tree says she is living with the family at 6 Mills Court, Aldgate in the 1851 census, as mentioned, for some odd reason I cannot find any of them in that census on Ancestry.
What is curious, though, is that she next turns up in the same tree in New Zealand, in 1856 and 1857, when two unnamed children are born, followed, also in NZ, by Joseph in 1860 (no death), Elizabeth in 1862 (no death), and Sarah Elizabeth (born and died 1862). Oddly, another daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, is shown as born and died in NZ in 1864; either she was very unfortunate and determined on the name Elizabeth to honour her mother, or they are all the same child?
However, her husband – no marriage date shown – was a Charles Myers, stated to have been born in Belgium in about 1831, and died 17th April, 1865 in NZ. Maybe he is one of our Charleses – perhaps the 43rd one shown as being born in St. Helier (possibly to a recruiting clark one French name sounded the same as any others?), though I guess that would throw up problems too, as does the fact that she is shown as giving birth to two more children – (Ella Myers 1867-1913, at Nelson, NZ) and Louis Field (NZ 1872 - ), and remarrying, apparently in 1873, to a Thomas Field – so Louis was presumably born out of wedlock, and who Ella's father might have been is another matter.
Thomas is shown as born c.1839 in Stockholm, Sweden. The 1875-6 Electoral Roll shows him living in Fitzherbert Street, Hokitika, and on 30 May or 1 June, 1878, he became a Naturalised citizen of New Zealand, occupation given as Labourer.
Rachel died 7th January 1899 and is buried in Melbourne General Cemetry, Section G, Row G, Plot 308A, 2. The surname Field is shown, but her date of death is recorded in the Jewish style, 25th Tevet 5659.
