Geneology research

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I’ve updated the post on Joseph Raynor’s will & other stuff

Just letting everyone know that over the weekend I updated the post relating to Joseph Raynor’s Will.  

I’m also reviewing the earlier posts – I wrote some of them in a rush and left out details that I could have included – including the few photos I have (Note I only have copies of copies – no originals, so unfortunately these are not the best quality).

I’m also working on the rest of the website – I’m going to try and put some links to the various geneology sites I’ve been looking at (once I work out how to insert links).

 

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Wilsons – Emigration to Australia

QLD State Archives provides an online Passenger lists for emigration in the 1800s, Series ID 13086 is the reference.

Thomas Wilson emigrated to Australia first in 1885, aged 19 years on the Ship Dacca, London to Townsville.   He travelled as indentured, meaning a future Australian employer paid his passage, in return for a few years work.

Catherine Wilson, Abraham & Robert,  emigrated to Australia on SS Roma.  The ship sailed from London on the 30 October 1891, arriving  Brisbane 22 December 1891.  Abraham was listed as 12 years old, but he was actually 15 years old.  This might have been to pay a lower fare (as a child).  Abraham, travelling in steerage, disembarked in Rockhampton, 18 December 1891 (SS Roma arrival date confirmed in Rockhampton Newspaper Morning Bulletin).  Catherine’s age was listed as 40, occupation ‘wife’.  She also travelled in steerage, however her disembarkation point was listed as Townsville.

SS Roma details

Abraham Wilson - Emigration passenger listing

On SS Roma, Catherine, Robert and  Abraham were listed separately, not as part of a family group, as is normally the case on then Ship passenger lists.  The Ship passenger lists in National Archives show names of passengers meticulously recorded in alphabetical (surname) order, with family groups listed under the name of the father.  Ages are also recorded, and whether the passenger is male, female, married, single, child or infant (less than 12 months).

Abraham’s name does not appear under a family grouping, so he initially appeared to have travelled alone.  It was only because he was so young that I eventually referred back to the passenger list to see if there were more Wilson family listed.

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Christopher Wilson (father of Abraham)

Christopher Wilson was the father of Abraham Wilson.

Christopher married Catherine McFall at Daleyard, Ireland.

Christopher and Catherine were later living at Derry-add, when their son Abraham was born.  At this time Christopher’s occupation was listed as a weaver.

Christopher was later working at a Shipyard in Northern Ireland (his occupation listed on son Abraham’s death certificate?).  He died in a Shipyard accident, possibly Jan-Mar 1888 in Belfast (based on a search I did on http://www.familysearch.org)

Christopher was most likely Anglo-Irish, originating from Scotland, based on the following:

1.  Christopher is a Scottish name (patron saint of travel)

2.  Middle name of son Thomas ‘Andrew’ is a Scottish name

3.  His son ‘Robert’ , also a Scottish name.

4.  Abraham’s religion was Methodist, also a Scottish religion.  Normally the son would be baptised in the Father’s Church, so Christopher must also have been Methodist.

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1900s post directories and electoral rolls

I discovered that the City and State Libraries hold various subscriptions to family research sites and hold many CD-ROMs on various areas of family historry/geneology.  As a library member I booked myself into the NT Library to use one of the research computers there.

I  thought I would check out the electoral rolls and post directories to see where everyone (ancestors) were living in early 1900s.  I am curious about a couple of moves:  When George Coleman and family moved from Wyandotte Station to South Townsville, and when/why Abraham Wilson moved from Rockhampton to Townsville in 1901.

1900 was pre-federation, and perhaps only land owners were allowed to vote (as I believe was the case).

Electoral Roll (1900):

Coleman, George:  Freehold Fifth Avenue South Townsville

Parker J. r.o:  Wyandotte Station  (not a relative, just curious who was living there after the Colemans moved from Wyandotte Station  to Townsville)

No Wilson family members listed anywhere in Queensland.

‘Post directory’ 1903: 

– George Coleman  – 5th Avenue South Townsville

– Abraham Wilson – Fairfield Townsville.

Electoral Roll 1903:

Coleman, George – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Coleman, Jane – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Coleman, Emily Jane – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Wilson, Abraham, Fairfield, Stewart Creek

Wilson, Catherine, Fairfield, Stewart Creek.

Possible relative:  Wilson, Roberts, Stewart’s Creek Penal Establishment.

Wilson, Thomas Andrew, ‘Pleystowe’ Walkerston (Herbert division)

Wilson, Fredericka, ‘Pleystowe’ Walkerston (Herbert divison)

Wilson, Ann Eliza (half-sister Catherine):   74 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley QLD (possible mis-numbering, should have been 714 Brunswick St)

Wilson, Eliza – 716 Brunswick St

Wilson Robert – 714 Brunswick St

Wilson, Walter – 716 Brunswick St.

Note Ann Eliza was not married to Abraham’s brother Robert, but a different Robert who appears coincidentally to have had the same surname (Wilson).   . Ann and Robert possibly had son Walter, who married Eliza.  Or, Ann & Robert had two children Eliza and Walter, who lived next to them in Brunswick St Fortitude Valley.

 

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Robert Wilson (6 June 1866 – 5 November 1915)

Robert Wilson was the brother of Abraham Wilson.

He was an unknown in the family tree till a few weeks ago.  There is a family photo which has on the back ‘Thomas or Bob’ Wilson.  Dad mentioned he thought there was a Robert Wilson in the family somewhere as his brother (my Uncle) was named after him.  Dad also thought he might have come to Australia with the ‘rest of the family’ (no one has confirmed who all the family members were who emigrated here).  I figured if he came to Australia, he came to Queensland, and probably settled and died here.  However,  I would not have identified him in the Queensland BDM records if it had not had been for the discovery of Ann Eliza Wilson’s relationship to Catherine, via the death certificate, and later finding the name of Ann Eliza’s father – a Thomas Bunting.    Robert’s death certificate had listed his mother’s maiden name as Bunton, so it would have been impossible to link his relationship to Abraham without knowing about Ann Eliza.

Robert lived in Armagh Ireland, before emigrating to Australia, in Dec 1891, on SS Roma.  He had free passage, listed as age 20 years and his place of origin was listed as Armagh.  He travelled with his mother, Catherine, and younger brother Abraham.

He died in Mackay, Queensland on 5 November 1915.  He was not married, nor had any children.

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Geneology research so far

I discovered family history can be researched through my local city library – they give access to various geneology databases if you are a member of the library – and I’m a member.  So I went a couple of weeks ago and did some searching, and here’s what I found:

Isabella Shields:

1.  Her actual name is Isabella Shiels or Bella Shiels.

2.  Another couple of her descendents have been researching family history (they appear to be descendents of Mary Jane’s sisters).  The other family researchers have created their own family trees on a well known family database, and like me, have hidden living descendent information on the tree.  The parts that were public show that Isabella Shield’s mother was Matilda Simpson, but there is no information on the father (so no new information).  Isabella Shiels year of birth is estimated to be 1849. Given there is no information on Isabella’s father (that I’ve located so far) , she might have been illegitimate.

John Smyth:

1.  Smyth appears to be the correct spelling, not Smith. 2.  He is estimated to have been born in 1846, and in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.  (not Glasgow Scotland as I was originally told by my family).

Marriage of John Smyth and Isabella Shiels:

This is recorded in the Ireland Civil Registration of Marriages Index – date of registration – 1874 (this aligns with the marriage date of December 1873).

Rosa Cefaly:

I came across a database on Marriages in Palermo, Sicily (I searched for Marriages in Messina Sicily, and the Palermo database appeared – Palermo is a district near Messina on Sicily): Only one marriage listed that could possibly be Rosa Cefaly: Spouse:  Fr Lo Riunzo Marriage:  17 September 1863 Father:  Giovanni Cefulo Mother:  Rosa Arculeo Marriage place:  Citta, Palermo. However, I know that the database probably does not have every marriage that took place on Sicily, so I can’t be sure.