Richard Purnell was a cordwainer in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. He married Ann Powell in Monmouthshire in 1744, but his birthplace was a mystery. There were very few Purnells living in or near Abergavenny and none appeared to be related to Richard. There were a couple of potential candidates for his baptism but I had not been able to confirm which was the Richard of Abergavenny - until I checked the UK Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811 on Ancestry.co.uk. Images of the original Apprentice Books from The National Archives, UK series IR1 are now available online.
I found that Richard son of Elianor Purnell had been apprenticed to John Everett of Dursley, Gloucestershire, cordwainer, on 28 April 1730. This tied in nicely with the baptism of Richard Purnell, son of Thomas and Elinor, in the neighbouring parish of North Nibley on 20 January 1716/17. Together with other information gathered since, I have now confirmed that this is the Richard who later moved to Abergavenny.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
English and Welsh Poor Law Union and Workhouse Records Online
The National Archives UK website has recently added a searchable index of records of 23 Poor Law Unions in England and Wales. Images of the original records can be downloaded free. The records start in 1834 and extend to 1871 in some cases.
The records don't just include the names of the poor, for example, the Truro Poor Law Union has a "Statement of Medical Officers' and Schoolmaster's and Schoolmistresses's Salaries" for the Quarter ended Christmas 1848.
I've already found a petition from several residents of St Agnes in Cornwall (including one of my Boundy family members) requesting that the parish should not be moved to the Camborne Union.
I'm sure there is lots more to be found.
The records don't just include the names of the poor, for example, the Truro Poor Law Union has a "Statement of Medical Officers' and Schoolmaster's and Schoolmistresses's Salaries" for the Quarter ended Christmas 1848.
I've already found a petition from several residents of St Agnes in Cornwall (including one of my Boundy family members) requesting that the parish should not be moved to the Camborne Union.
I'm sure there is lots more to be found.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Travelling on the Sophocles to Australia in 1923
My grandparents emigrated to Australia from England in 1923 with
their two young sons. They had great hopes of creating a new life for
themselves on a farm in Victoria. They sailed from England on 12
September 1923 on the Sophocles.
Here are some of the passengers on board the ship.
Here are some of the passengers on board the ship.
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| Passengers on the Sophocles |
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| The Sophocles at sea |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Irish Prison Registers help find my ancestor's birthplace
I've previously written about my Irish convict ancestor Eliza Nolan in Transported to Van Diemen's Land at fourteen years of age. I knew from her convict records that she had been imprisoned for another offence of stealing a bib prior to her transportation sentence, so I checked the Irish Prison Registers collection on findmypast.ie to see if I could find her.
The online records include the Grangegorman female prison in Dublin covering the years 1831 to 1897. I was able to find the entry for Eliza's committal to the prison in 1841 for three months, her offence being "Felony Child's Bib". The records include details of the place of birth and for Eliza this is recorded as Arless, Queens County. Her convict records had given her place of birth as Queens County, but later she said that she had been born in 'Dublin' when she married her second husband in Australia. This is the first time I have found the name of a specific place within the County. As she was baptised in Dublin I suspect that her family moved there shortly after she was born.
According to findmypast.ie, the Irish Prison Registers collection covers the period 1790 to 1924 and comprises most surviving records for prisons in the Republic of Ireland. I think this is well worth checking and could be of particular value if trying to find the birthplace of people who came to Dublin from other areas.
The online records include the Grangegorman female prison in Dublin covering the years 1831 to 1897. I was able to find the entry for Eliza's committal to the prison in 1841 for three months, her offence being "Felony Child's Bib". The records include details of the place of birth and for Eliza this is recorded as Arless, Queens County. Her convict records had given her place of birth as Queens County, but later she said that she had been born in 'Dublin' when she married her second husband in Australia. This is the first time I have found the name of a specific place within the County. As she was baptised in Dublin I suspect that her family moved there shortly after she was born.
According to findmypast.ie, the Irish Prison Registers collection covers the period 1790 to 1924 and comprises most surviving records for prisons in the Republic of Ireland. I think this is well worth checking and could be of particular value if trying to find the birthplace of people who came to Dublin from other areas.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Napper family wedding at Sale, Victoria
Seven of the children of James and Elizabeth Napper of Seavington and
South Petherton in Somerset, England emigrated to Australia as adults
to start a new life. They were Charles, Enos, Edmund, George, William,
Fanny (my great great grandmother) and Eliza. James Napper's brother,
John, also emigrated to Australia with his family eventually settling in
Sale, Victoria.
The Nappers liked to keep in touch, and when the marriage of one of the Sale Napper family took place in the early 1890s, two of Eliza's children, Lizzy and Gilbert Denman attended. I have a photo of people at this wedding. It includes Lizzy and Gilbert, but I don't know the identity of anyone else - they would include relatives of the bride and groom but could also include friends. Please have a look at this photo and let me know if you can identify anyone.
The Nappers liked to keep in touch, and when the marriage of one of the Sale Napper family took place in the early 1890s, two of Eliza's children, Lizzy and Gilbert Denman attended. I have a photo of people at this wedding. It includes Lizzy and Gilbert, but I don't know the identity of anyone else - they would include relatives of the bride and groom but could also include friends. Please have a look at this photo and let me know if you can identify anyone.
Monday, November 28, 2011
A Nineteenth Century Hoon: Charles Elbeshausen
The colourful Elbeshausen brothers were my grandmother's cousins. I've previously written about William whose body was washed up near Luna Park in Melbourne.
William's brother Charles was born in 1872. When he was 19 he was brought before the Monday sessions of the Essendon Police Court charged with furious driving. According to a newspaper report, a well dressed Charles Elbeshausen drove a horse and buggy through the Flemington Racecourse gates at a very violent pace without paying the usual charge of half a crown for admission. Later, Charles and another man, Frederick Pearce, drove their vehicles through the gates of the Governor's drive almost running over the man in charge of the gates.
As the two young men had been in the lock-up since Saturday afternoon they were let off with a fine of 20 shillings.
Charles' behaviour might have had something to do with his apparent estrangement from the rest of his family. He left for Western Australia. When William died in 1923, the family death notice listed all of William's siblings, except for Charles. Charles and his wife inserted their own death notice ending with : "Some day we'll understand".
William's brother Charles was born in 1872. When he was 19 he was brought before the Monday sessions of the Essendon Police Court charged with furious driving. According to a newspaper report, a well dressed Charles Elbeshausen drove a horse and buggy through the Flemington Racecourse gates at a very violent pace without paying the usual charge of half a crown for admission. Later, Charles and another man, Frederick Pearce, drove their vehicles through the gates of the Governor's drive almost running over the man in charge of the gates.
As the two young men had been in the lock-up since Saturday afternoon they were let off with a fine of 20 shillings.
Charles' behaviour might have had something to do with his apparent estrangement from the rest of his family. He left for Western Australia. When William died in 1923, the family death notice listed all of William's siblings, except for Charles. Charles and his wife inserted their own death notice ending with : "Some day we'll understand".
Friday, November 11, 2011
Red Cross records tell the story of two cousins who died on the battlefields of France
It's Remembrance Day, so I 'm penning this story about two of my NAPPER relations.
Frederick Roy NAPPER (known as Roy) was born in Sydney in 1897. In 1915 he enlisted in the13th Battalion Australian Infantry and was sent to the Middle East and France. Meanwhile, his second cousin, Alfred NAPPER (Alf), who was born in Sale, Victoria in 1887 enlisted in the 2nd Battalion Australian Machine Gun Corps. Roy had probably lived all his life in Sydney and Alf in Sale. They had possibly not met until in 1916 they found themselves at the British Expeditionary Force's depot and transit camp at Etaples in France. The two cousins spent the evening together before moving on.
On the night of August 29, Roy and his comrades left their trenches to charge the nearby German trenches near Mouquet Farm in the Somme. The attack was unsuccessful - the Germans shot and bombed the attackers. Roy was killed near the German trenches.
Two years later, on 6 October 1918, Alf was wounded near St Quentin, eight kilometers east of the main Hindenberg Line. He died of his wounds .
The two cousins are now at rest in France. Alf is buried at the Tincourt New British Cemetery and Roy at the Ovillers Military Cemetery.
The Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry and Bureau Files for the First World War provided much information about the two Napper cousins and many other Australian personnel. They are available from the Australian War Memorial website.
Frederick Roy NAPPER (known as Roy) was born in Sydney in 1897. In 1915 he enlisted in the13th Battalion Australian Infantry and was sent to the Middle East and France. Meanwhile, his second cousin, Alfred NAPPER (Alf), who was born in Sale, Victoria in 1887 enlisted in the 2nd Battalion Australian Machine Gun Corps. Roy had probably lived all his life in Sydney and Alf in Sale. They had possibly not met until in 1916 they found themselves at the British Expeditionary Force's depot and transit camp at Etaples in France. The two cousins spent the evening together before moving on.
On the night of August 29, Roy and his comrades left their trenches to charge the nearby German trenches near Mouquet Farm in the Somme. The attack was unsuccessful - the Germans shot and bombed the attackers. Roy was killed near the German trenches.
Two years later, on 6 October 1918, Alf was wounded near St Quentin, eight kilometers east of the main Hindenberg Line. He died of his wounds .
The two cousins are now at rest in France. Alf is buried at the Tincourt New British Cemetery and Roy at the Ovillers Military Cemetery.
The Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry and Bureau Files for the First World War provided much information about the two Napper cousins and many other Australian personnel. They are available from the Australian War Memorial website.
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