Siblings

Line drawing courtesy Copilot

I thought I would look at numbers of siblings in families in my tree.

My grandmother told me that her 2nd great-grandmother, Janet FORSYTH (nee DEWAR) was last of 24 children in her family. I have not been able to prove this, (yet), but her parents David DEWAR and Euphan HONEYMAN were married 10 January 1741 in Kennoway, Fife, Scotland and Janet was baptised in 1757. There would have had to be several multiple births in the 16 years between, but so far I've only found 7 other baptisms, so that remains a Record to be proved.

I have 2 families which hold the current record, each with 16 children.

William Samuel COALES, brushmaker, and Lydia Elizabeth MILLER married 30 Aug 1858 at St Mary, Newington, Surrey, England, and had their last daughter in 1885. Amazingly only 2 didn't make it to adulthood, so those children grew up with 13 siblings. None of them produced anything like that number of children themselves.

Richard GRENFELL and Susan SAMPSON married 11 March 1856 in Penzance, Cornwall. Their last child was born in 1881. As far as I have found out, only 8 of them survived to adulthood, but it could well be less.

Families with 15 children:

• Thomas Joseph BYRON and Evenly SHARPLESS m 1919 New South Wales, Australia
• William BOLITHO and Ellen SHARD m 1882 Victoria, Australia
• Thomas WOOLLEY and Augusta JORDAN m 1867, New Zealand
• Francis HIBELL and Sarah PARTRIDGE m 1823 Worcestershire, England
• Richard James MICHELL and Ethel Harriett DANIEL m 1900 New South Wales, Australia
• Charles ADDINGTON and Rosozinnia Ann HALL m 1880 South Australia

Families with 14 children:

• William WALSH and Betty KAY m 1799 Lancashire, England
• Johann TROYAHN and August Wilhelmine Johanna HAGNOW m 1866 Queensland, Australia
• Phillip EBERT and Agnetis LAQUEI m 1688 Prussia
• Alexander BRAY and Louisa STEPHENS m 1869 South Australia
• George IVIL and Jane JORDAN m 1865 New Zealand
• Alfred Thomas STEPHENSEN and Ruby May WEINHEIMER m 1918 Queensland, Australia
• Thomas Parkins MILLAR and Mary Ann LAX m 1889 Queensland, Australia
• James Sweet UREN and Elizabeth Ann CUNDY m 1849New South Wales, Australia
• James WALKER and Eliza WRIGHT m 1845 Hertfordshire, England
• John O'CONNELL and Mary RIORDAN m 1867 Limerick, Ireland
• Thomas HIBBERD and Marion Amelia PENMAN m 1874 New South Wales, Australia
• Gordon HUNTER and Jean Mackenzie DROVER m 1937 Ontario, Canada
• Richard RENFREE and Amelia BRAY m 1863 Victoria, Australia
• Jacob HATFIELD and Laura Rosina MCPHAIL m 1892 Utah, United States of America
• Willian HANSCOMBE and Mary SMYTH m 1749 Hertfordshire, England
• William WALLS and Mary BOLITHO m 1839 Cornwall, England

If any of the links don't work, then go directly to my website https://www.chriswright.id.au/ and search for the names.

The IRELAND & HORSMAN families migrate to Australia

We will probably never know what prompted Esther PAYNE to decide to come to Australia in February of 1840. She was the eldest child of John Walpole IRELAND and Esther HORSMAN, and in 1836 married William PAYNE.(1)

"The Colonist", Wed 12 Feb 1840 p2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31724557

There 'seem' to be no children of this marriage, and we can only assume that William died, as Esther emigrated as a 'single' cook, aged 25, (daughter of John IRELAND (Cooper) and Esther IRELAND), aboard the "James Pattison". She spared little time before she married Heinrich PROTT (Henry), in April 1840, as a widow. Also on the same ship was her sister, Mary Anne COOKE (nee IRELAND), with her husband Robert COOKE, In addition, her 17-year-old brother Alfred, a pastrycook, who was engaged on board the ship on arrival. What eventually happened to Alfred is a mystery, as in 1846 his mother was advertising for him in "The Sydney Morning Herald":

FREDERICK OR ALFRED IRELAND, who arrived in this colony free, per James Pattison, in 1840, and entered the service of Mr. Lachlan McAlister, is requested to forward his place of residence, for the information of his mother, who has been unsuccessfully seeking him for the last five years.
N.B -Any person who can afford any information of the above-named person, will confer a deep obligation by addressing a line to Mr. H. Witton, 59, Elizabeth-street, Sydney; or, Mrs. Ireland, Darlinghurst Brewery.(2)

The ship departed for England, via India on 7 March 1840, but caught on fire on 29th of September, and although being totally destroyed the crew were saved.(3)

John Walpole IRELAND and Esther (nee HORSMAN) arrived as bounty immigrants aboard the "Queen Victoria" on 26 July 1841. Perhaps they were excited to meet their first grandchild, William Henry PROTT who was born only weeks before their arrival. It appears that John & Esther were accompanied by their daughters Martha Rebecca and Matilda Ruth. Their 2nd eldest daughter, Harriet Elizabeth, who was 24 at the time, 'appears' to have remained in England. How another son, John William IRELAND came to Australia is yet to be determined.

"Port Phillip Patriot & Melbourne Advertiser" 2 Aug 1841, p2
 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226511494 

On his immigration, John Walpole IRELAND had said he was a cooper, but he must have shifted his trade slightly as 2 years after arrival he was charged with illegal distillation, at or beside Albion Brewery in Sydney. Sometime after this he became a publican and held the licence to the "Cottage of Content" in Wooloomooloo Street until his death in 1852. Esther took over the licence, but sold just over a year afterwards. Apart from an altercation in 1857, where she was charged with failing to appear on a summons regarding threatening language, (in which she was wrongly named), nothing further is known until her death in 1873.

Esther had been the eldest surviving child of her parents, James HORSMAN and Mary (nee CUCANN or KUKAN), but they had died in 1825 and 1840 respectively, so perhaps the death of her mother also had some bearing on the decision to migrate to Australia. Nothing much is known of her other siblings, but it seems that her youngest brother, William Burnell HORSMAN and his wife Eliza Silke (nee EVANS), also decided to emigrate. The youngest of their 8 children, Ruth, was born in Sydney in 1843. Sadly, William was drowned when the "Sovereign" steamer was wrecked off Amity Point, Queensland in 1847.(4)

There are over 800 currently known descendants of the IRELANDS, and 172 currently known descendants of the HORSMANS in Australia.

(1) Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucester, Gloucestershire; Gloucestershire Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Numbers: Gdr/V1/374

(2) "Advertising" The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) 20 November 1846: 4. Web. 25 Feb 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12899871>.

(3) "AUSTRAL-ASIA SHIPPING." South Australian Record and Australasian and South African Chronicle (London, England : 1840 - 1841) 24 October 1840: 15. Web. 25 Feb 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245933247>.

(4) "MELANCHOLY LOSS OF THE SOVEREIGN STEAMER." The Sentinel (Sydney, NSW : 1845 - 1848) 1 April 1847: 1. Web. 26 Feb 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226461801>.

Letters & Diaries - A Love Story

When this topic came up I was wondering exactly what I was going to write about. I don't have any diaries, apart from my own, and although I do have letters, none are particularly old ones. 

So, I thought I might just have a look through my mother's 'box'. 

I have only briefly scanned it in the 13 years since she died, and didn't really think there was anything of to much interest there. How wrong could I be? There were certainly letters, quite a few from me, including one sent when I was a child and sent to a camp at Magnetic Island, and another after I gave birth to my eldest son. There were letters from my Grandfather...I had forgotten that he had always written in red ink! They are hard to read, so for another day. There were receipts for lots of things, telegrams, cards, medallions, and newspaper clippings. The real gem was an unassuming little Spirax notebook with my mother's name, Val Anderson, on the front. 

It seems that this is a bit of a diary from before she married. And, the little bit of diary is about the holiday she went on with her future-to-be sister-in-law, (also Val), where she met my father!

It reads:

Monday 16th July 1956

The boat was set to said at 11 o'clock. We went to the Wintergarden to see "Never Say Goodby (sic)" then we looked over the ship. Had a snack at Haddon Hall. Then home to cook the tea.

9 o'clock Auntie & Uncle picked us up and we boarded the 'Elsanna" shortly after.

Dad came too and they were just going to see us off settled & then go. We watched the loading of cargo, and Dad spoke to Mrs. Campbell & introduced us. Then the bier was over and the time passed quickly. Fun and games with the streamers and one honeymoon couple on board. Stayed on deck for a while going down river.

Tuesday:: Slept fairly well!

Breakfast: Pawpaw, rolled oats, Haddock & tea & toast. 

Cloudy at first, but gradually lightening. Record sitting for meals.

A porpoise led the ship this morning. Said to be a good sign. Pinky colour, big & very fst. Also spotted a whale.

Lunch: Soup (veg), Sirloin steak, vegs & ginger steamed pudding.

Afternoon tea.

Sunbaked on deck, knitted & slept.

Sadly, the following pages are written in shorthand, so I can't read them. Mum was a stenographer, shorthand/typist.

the "Elsanna"

The story that I have been told is that Val was sea-sick, so Mum had been sunbaking on the deck alone. She looked up and Dad, a 4th Engineer on the ship, came up from below-decks in his white uniform, dazzling in the sun. It was love at first sight!

Val and Barrie at the ship's wheel

Dad looks very pleased with himself there.

I also have the letter that Mum sent to her mother telling her that she had met "the one"!

There doesn't seem to be a photo of Dad in his white uniform, but here he is at what I think is their engagement.

Barrie in his uniform, Val sitting

This meeting had a happy ending as they married on 21 December 1957, and were together 54 years until Val died. 

Barrie SMITH (1934-2014) and Val (nee ANDERSON) 1935-2012)

Surprise! I'm Related!

In over 40 years of family history research, some of the best surprises I have had is when I discover that someone, who I already know, is related to me.

The year 2000 was when I set off, back-packing alone, on my first overseas trip, to visit and experience the places of my ancestors, Scotland, England, & Germany. I had a wonderful time, and when I returned home, a lovely friend caught up with me for a coffee. She asked what surnames I was looking for in Germany, as her husband also had German ancestors. I reeled off the main surnames: WEINHEIMER, WEIBLER, MELCHERT... She said "hold on! I've got Melchert relations!" I really thought it was unlikely, as every MELCHERT in Australia seems to be a descendant of one William Frederick Martin MELCHERT, who came to Australia some time before 1877, and we have a pretty good handle on all his descendants. I even thought that she had misheard what I said, but it turns out that my great-uncle William Frederick Martin MELCHERT, Junior, is married to Lee's great-aunt, Elsie Beatrice ROBERTSON! How exciting to be linked, (even by marriage), to someone as lovely as my friend Lee.

In the early days of research, I was mostly trying to locate my father's biological parents, given that his announcement of his adoption, (see this post), was what started me on my journey. Once he was able to legally receive his Birth Certificate, it stated that his mother was Doris BRAY. Doris had been born to Abdiel BRAY and Lily May KESSELL in 1916 in Charters Towers. I made contact with another family historian from that family, Bill BRAY, and it turned out that his son is married to the twin sister of my best friend from High School, both of whom I went to school with.

DNA has also played a part. There was no match to me, but matches to 2 cousins and to my brother of a lady who had the surname of someone I had also attended High School with, in my class. I 'had' often wondered if there was a connection, and eventually linked up with my school friend on Facebook. She confirmed that the match was her sister, and it turns out that I am a 4th cousin to their father. Our shared ancestors are Alexander Dun SMITH and Helen TURNER, from Scotland, but who emigrated to Australia in 1853. We have since caught up in person, and are both amazed to find out we are related.

I am sure there will be plenty more of these wonderful surprises yet to come, as I locate more descendants of my ancestors.

(Graphic generated by Microsoft Copilot)

The Challenge of the SMITH Surname

I guess that everyone has a SMITH somewhere in their family tree, but my maiden name was SMITH, so I have a major stake in the game of SMITH. 

My SMITH family are from Scotland, and of course it is the most common name in Scotland.(1)

Alexander Dunn SMITH was born in Barrachan, Mochrum, Wigtownshire, to Francis SMITH and Agnes YOUNG.(2) He married Helen TURNER (3), and they emigrated to Australia in 1853. (4)

My challenge is definitely his parents. The Kirk Session records for Mochrum are sketchy, and although I have found records of Alexander's older siblings being born in the same place, there is no record of the marriage of Francis SMITH and Agnes YOUNG, and no records of their births/baptisms or deaths/burials. 

These are their children:

• Mary born 17 October 1809 at Barrachan
• Jane born 7 May 1811 at Barrachan
• Agnes born 20 December 1813 at Barrachan
• James born 15 November 1815 at Barrachan
• Sarah Cherrie born 10 May 1818 at Barrachan
• Robert born 15 May 1820 at Barrachan, and
• Alexander Dun(n) born 3 Oct 1823 at Barrachan.

Apart from the records of the births/baptisms of these children, the first record I can find for Francis SMITH is 14 Sep 1822 when he received 6 shillings distributed from the Poor money by the Kirk. (5) He was a weaver, and I conclude that he was 'of' the Parish as he was receiving this poor relief. He regularly received money from the Kirk until 20 Mar 1824. So far I've not discovered any record of his death, but it must have happened between that date and 26 June 1824, when Agnes YOUNG starts receiving money from the Kirk. Agnes 'seems' to be in the 1841 census, 53 years, living at Barrachan Farm along with Agnes McKOMIR (10 years) and Agnes BROWN (85 years).(6)

So, I wait patiently to see if my challenge of poor people called SMITH, in a place with no records can ever be overcome. I'm more than happy to receive suggestions.

(1) Scottish surnames - Wikipedia

(2) Results for Alexander Smith | Scotland's People - , "National Records of Scotland", [https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ ScotlandsPeople] Index for ALEXANDER DUNN SMITH, Parents: FRANCIS SMITH and AGNES YOUNG, Gender: M, Birth Date: 3 October 1823, Parish #: 892, Parish: Mochrum, Ref: 20///9; accessed: 31 January 2025

(3) Results for Alexander Smith | Scotland's People - , "National Records of Scotland", [https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ ScotlandsPeople] Index for ALEXANDER SMITH and ELLEN TURNER, Date: 4 December 1843, Parish #: 892, Parish: Mochrum, Ref: 20///211; accessed: 31 January 2025

(4) Queensland State Archives, Microfilm of passenger list "Agricola: arriving Moreton Bay 26 Feb 1853

(5) Mocrum kirk session Minutes (1826-1847), Poors' accounts (1794-1834), CH2/269/1, CH000200269-00001-00001-.jpg

(6) Results for Agnes Young | Scotland's People, "National Records of Scotland", [https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ ScotlandsPeople], 1841 Census Index: AGNES YOUNG, Gender: F, Age at Census: 53; Ref: 892/ 7/ 7, Registration District: Mochrum; accessed: 31 January 2025

Overlooked

If there is a side of my research that is overlooked, it is probably on my mother-in-law's side. This is really a terrible shame and I should definitely put a greater focus on these people:

William WALSH and Betty KAY married 5 Nov 1799 at St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn, Lancashire, England

Ann RILEY born 1812 at Houghton Tower, Lancashire, England, (married William WALSH 1829)

Ellen HAWORTH born 1760 at Blackburn, Lancashire, England, (married Richard THORNLEY 1797)

Elizabeth BONE married Noah CASLEY 6 Feb 1796 St Just in Penwith, Cornwall

John IRELAND married Sarah PHIPPS 5 Nov 1791 Little Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, England

William PETERS married Hannah WILKINSON 13 Oct 1824 Royston, Cambridgeshire, England

William WILLIAMS married Mary Ann VOWDEN 21 Jul 1831 Veryan, Cornwall, England

Do any of these appear in your tree? I'd love to hear from you.

Image courtesy Roses free rose clipart public domain flower clip art images and 5 – Clipartix

January 17 is A Special Day!

It's a bit of an anniversary day for me today:
- birthday of my maternal grandmother - Charlotte Sophie Margaret Anderson (nee Drover), known as Queenie, born 17 Jan 1902 - died 7 Sep 1986 (the first photo);
- birthday of my paternal grandmother (who I never knew) - Doris Hamilton Bray, born 17 Jan 1916 - died 8 Apr 1969 (the second photo with her second husband); and
- the anniversary of when came to live in Rockhampton in 1996.

Charlotte Sophie Margaret ANDERSON (nee DROVER) - "Queenie"

Doris Hamilton OLSON (nee BRAY)

Nickname

Nicknames are interesting, and in my family history software Family Historian there is a place to record it. I choose not to use this field for recording what we would ordinarily think of as a nickname, but the name that a person is known by, so, I am Christine, but go by Chris, and that is what I record in the Nickname field, even though there 'is' a field for Given Name Used (perhaps one day I'll change it).

In some cases, such as for my German ancestors, they were given a Baptismal first name, (so all the sons in the family 'may' be known as Joseph), but they went by their middle name, and that is also what I record as a nickname.

Some, like mine are understandable: Alf for Alfred, Alan for William Alan, Jack for John, Jim for James, Harry for Henry, Peggy for Margaret, Bob for Robert, Ted for Edward, Tom for Thomas, Tony for Anthony, and Will or Bill for William.

Others are unfathomable: Aileen for Martha Henrietta, Angarrak for John, Angus for Robert, Belita for Elizabeth Anne, Biddy for Rosemary, Bro for George Ambrose, Buck for William, Bud for George Albert, Bunny for Alfred Baird, Cherry seemed to be used for Margaret Agnes, Alice May and Charity, Cobber is a very Australian sounding one used for Allen Robert, the Curlew Kid, Curly for Kenneth, Daisy for Sarah, Dolly for Dorothy is understandable, but also for Mary Evelena, Margaret, Olive Grace and Doris,  Erik for James, Foye for Hettie, Lovey for Florence Emma, Milly for Ida Mary and Malvina, Mousie for Blanch Virginia, Pee for Patience, Polly for Mary Ann, Mary Helen, Pauline Rosemary, & Frances Amy, Pudge for Charles Arthur, Tex for Harry, Tinnie for Lucinda (use for all the Lucinda's in a particular banch), Vera for Shirley Mae, and Wizzard for William Albert.

My own son has been known as Sox by his mates, but everyone else calls him Marc. I guess the best thing is to record what I know (with sources), and leave it up to the reader to make their own decisions on the name.

Favourite Photo

One of my favourite photos is one that I have written about before My Favourite Family Photo, not only because I believe it is one of the oldest photos I own, but because it is an Ambrotype.

Honestly, it's very hard to choose a favourite among the 1000's of photos I have. Some are prints, some slides and many digital. One of my goals is to ensure that all my printed photos are digitised for preservation purposes. 

In fact, any family photo is a favourite. 

This is a list of ancestors for whom I have no photo, and would love to come across one:

• Alexander Dunn SMITH (1823-1877)
• Helen SMITH (nee TURNER) (1816-1903)
• Philip WEINHEIMER (1827-1895)
• Clara WEINHEIMER (nee WEIBLER) (1840-1879)
• Thomas BRAY (1845-1915)
• Susan BRAY (nee HAMPTON) (c1845-1926)
• Sidney ANDERSON (1813-1877)
• Jane ANDERSON (nee ADAMS) (1813-1871)
• Elizabeth ANDERSON (nee PARKER) (1841-1880)
• John HIBELL (c1826-1915)
• Ann HIBELL (nee LLOYD) (c1829-1896)
• James DROVER (1829-1887)
• Catherine DROVER (nee RODGER) (1819-1883)

So, my current favourite photo is one of the most recent of my grandchildren, who are holidaying in Australia.