London Parishes

My CHRISTMAS family lived in London and Middlesex in the early 1800's, and I've been finding out some information about the parishes where they lived.

I found an excellent book on Google Book Search about London Parishes published in 1824. This book gives interesting information about parishes in London and Middlesex including very useful information about the boundaries of each parish.

Looking for gold: Henry Ashmore in New Zealand

Born in Dover, Kent, my ancestor, Henry Ashmore, emigrated to Australia shortly before the gold rush. He was living in Geelong, but when gold was first discovered near Ballarat in 1851 he headed for the diggings. He settled in Creswick, but the lure of gold again attracted him when it was discovered in Otago, New Zealand. He travelled there in 1861, but was not impressed by what he saw.

Soon after arriving in Dunedin, New Zealand, Henry wrote to his brother, William, saying:

'Dear brother, I am compelled to go up to the diggings for I have not the means of returning. I may as well suffer there as to remain in the town. Meat, in the town, is one shilling per pound. I have seen numbers eat meat here which in Victoria would be given to dogs. Hundreds of people are continually returning from the diggings. It is to be hoped that the Victorian Government will immediately take steps to relieve the people, most of whom would gladly return if they could do so, and I could safely say no rush out of Victoria would take them away again. I am very glad to think George did not leave Geelong for this cursed place. I hope to God this will deter people from coming. With sincere regards for all friends.

I remain your affectionate brother,
Henry Ashmore.

P.S. I hope you will be enabled to make this out. I write this in my tent on the back of a dish.'

Transported to Van Diemen's Land at fourteen years of age

I've carried out extensive research into my Irish convict ancestor, Eliza Nolan, who was transported to Van Diemen's Land for seven years in 1842. The records kept by the penal authorities had given Eliza's age as about 17 when she was transported, however, a petition from her mother had said she was 14 when convicted. The judge who heard her case was the Recorder of Dublin, Frederick Shaw. He responded to the mother's petition saying that "The memorial is incorrect in stating her to be but of 14 years of age. She looked twenty at the least". When Eliza married for a second time in Australia, she gave her age as 44 in 1872 which suggests that she was 14 when she was transported in 1842.

Thanks to the recent addition of Dublin Roman Catholic records to the Irish Genealogy website I found her baptism at St Mary Pro Cathedral in Dublin on 25 February 1828. Catholic children were required to be baptized within a few weeks of birth, so Eliza was probably born in January or February 1828, making her 14 at the time of her transportation.

Thank you, Irish Genealogy!   

Early Copper Mining in Cornwall

I  recently found that an ancestor, David Daniell, had moved from one part of Cornwall to another in about 1600. He went from the parish of Newlyn East to live in Zennor, a distance of about 40 km.

There could be many reasons for moving, but for the Cornish mining activities have played an important part in the movement of people around the county and out of the county. In the case of David the move could have had something to do with the development of copper mining in the West Penwith area.

Tin mining had been an important activity in Cornwall for many centuries, but in the sixteenth century attempts were made to mine other metals and by the 1580s copper mining was taking place in St Just in Penwith, not far from Zennor. In 1586 copper mining started in Zennor, and I suspect that this is what lured David Daniell to his new home.

New charts on my family tree pages

I've added new charts for my main families making it easier to navigate around the site. There are new descendants charts for the Evans, Rimmer, Pinkney, Bruckshaw, Johns, Toy, Pearce, Andrew, Scott, Ashmore, Ireland, Napper, Christmas, Nolan, Noad and Thomas families.

The charts are listed here.

Bread War at Creswick

Back in 1863, my ancestor, John Craig Scott, was a baker in the gold fields town of Creswick in Victoria. I came across a war of words in the Creswick and Clunes Advertiser in February 1863 between John Scott and another baker, W. Grover. Scott inferred in advertisement that other bakers in the town were producing light weight and sour bread. A week later Grover responded with an accusation about Scott and further exchanges followed over the next two weeks. Here is what they said:

The New Melbourne Hospital Index

Today I was invited to the launch of the new Patients in Melbourne Hospital 1856-1905 index by the Governor of Victoria, Prof David de Kretser at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Two thousand ward books were discovered by the hospital archivist sixteen years ago, and about eight years later the Genealogical Society of Victoria started to index them. Each doctor at the hospital compiled his or her own book of patient details. Before the publication of the index finding a particular patient was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Although less than a quarter of the books have been indexed, I have so far found six of my family and have then checked the original ward books at the Public Record Office of Victoria. I referred to how the index helped me with one family in a previous post (The Sad Story of Emma Noad).

Congratulations to the indexers on the great job they have done!