Genealogists of Mumsnet

[eidsvold]

I am currently trying to trace my family history and unravel some curly mysteries. I am sure having someone who may be more experience in this as a help in the UK would be of benefit. Even just someone to help me think outside the square.

Despite being an aussie - I am only 1st generation on my dad's side and second on my mum;s with ancestors from England, Wales and France so far.

If anyone would like help with look ups here in Aus or anything I can help you with at this end with family who have emigrated or been sent this way feel free to ask.

Just thought it might be good to get a like minded group together.

Hi Eidsvold - I am tracing my scotch/ irish/ Canadian/ English roots and my husbands family tree as well. Would be glad to help if I can. Trying to get two toddlers dressed at the mo so about to go out so will check in later - but wanted to register my interest

I have traced my ds's family back to the early 19thc so far - They very helpfully stayed in the same town/ county - so I have lots of experience with the uk census data on line.

i have a three month subscription to ancestry.com .au which allows me access to UK and Aus stuff but not US stuff.

My dilemma that I am working on at the moment is this:

MY great great grandfather died in the Charing Cross Hotel in 1898 whilst recovering from some sort of surgery - have his death certificate.

It appears the mining company he was working for at the time buried him and I am trying to work out where the hell they may have buried him!! His death is registered in sub-district of St Martins in the Fields district Strand, LOndon.

So am trying to trace both the mining company from the little info I have in his will file and trying to work out where he may have been buried.

The other little mystery that I am working on regarding him is the fact that he is listed as an american on the death certificate but on his daughter's birth certificate he is listed as being born in Tavistock Devon England!! So I am trying to sort that one out too.

Too many pieces to try and pull together for this man ARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH but I love the thrill of unravelling the mystery.

Have had some success with my great great grandmother.... and with my dad's biological father's family but his mother is proving a real puzzle too.

bump for others.

eidvold, I have been doing my family for 5 years and have gone back quite along way, and found out some interesting facts, (including that Fathers great grandmother who he remembers as being a very terrifying Victorian prim and proper lady was in fact a lady of the night with 5 illegitimate children and spent most of her earlier life in and out the workhouse!)

We have some family in Australia, so maybe we can be of help, to each other.

i am more than happy to do look ups here in Aus - have some cd roms with passenger lists and lots of websites etc or info. I can also track through our local library genealogy section as well so more than happy to help.

I too have learnt a few things already - not quite as interesting as that although my great grandparents were not married when no1 child came along and yet she was presented as this stern, prim proper lady too.

eidsvold I am on email. [email protected]
I have a permanent sub to ancestory.co.uk [my birthday present from DH each year] and also to BMD, so might be able to help you find things as well.

If he was from Tavistock he may have connections with the Duke of Bedford and their estate - since I think they were the major land owners in the Tavistock area - also owned large parts of London (Bloomsbury area). Not sure if they had anything to do with mining though.

As for the cemetary - I am guessing either Kensal Green or Highgate (have a look here.

I too have a permanent subscription to ancestry.co - and would be thrilled to have a go at researching someone else's family - i've done mine as far as I can without spending a fortune on certificates!...... can we have a topic line for geneaology please mnHQ?

it is sooo expensive to get a uk/aus or worldwide subscription here in Aus for ancestry so am doing what I can - will have to save up for it from now on.

I just wish I had this info when I lived in the UK and could have done it then - also with dh and I child free and working at the time - expense would not have been an issue.

oh thanks for the link.

I have emailed charing cross hotel and a couple of cemeteries - Kensal green was one - think the other may have been highgate.

it is funny with his wife's family - no problem have traced them back to 1827 or so. But this guy is hard to find - have his birth certificate listed but that is it. Am struggling finding a birth registration anywhere near his info.

Am waiting to the new year to get their marriage certificate - they were married here in Aus to see if there is any further information.

eidsvoid, re the American but born in Devon thing, my grandfather was born in Ireland but had an American passport as he lived in the US for about 15 years when he was a young man. I guess it was easier to get US citizenship back then! Is it possible that your GG grandfather also spent time in the US?

eidsvold, have you tried following the census returns to see wher he lived? might be talking to the converted, but found alot more from them than BMD certs.

I wondered satsuma - as he seems to have been a mining engineer and was working with a gold mining company in Malaysia that perhaps he came to Aus via the US gold rushes and perhaps that was where he acquired the American info or whether they mistook the aussie in him for American not sure.

have tried the census - but am looking more closely. 1861, 71 and perhaps 81 - but after that he would be in Aus. Have him born around 1854/5 and in Aus by 188 and gone from Aus by 1893 - lived in Malaysia from then until he died 5 years later.

My mum says she heard something as a child about references to a Lord Roberts - perhaps a branch of the family but you know until you get the info I tend to take it with a grain of salt.

I also found what I thought was my father's mother's family - long story lots of mystery and lies etc - children out of wedlock/affairs - thrownin orphanages etc...... and it turns out it wasn't them as the age did not fit (was way out) when I got the marriage certificate..... so back to the drawing board.

oh I found his family last night - trawling through the census info on ANcestry and I found them YEH!! Just needed to adjust my date of birth year and there they were!!!!!! All around the Tavistock area. Can't find him after 1871 so am suspecting he emigrated then as he turns up in Aus in the 1880's.

1911 Dublin census is now available online and free if anyone needs it.

I also managed to find my great great grandmother's burial place here in Australia. She was buried in Ballarat - Gold mining town. She died when my great grandmother was 10, great great uncle 11 and my step great great aunt 1y 2 months old - very sad

Tried the charing cross hotel but their records do not go that far back. AM trying other places and need to get to the State library in town to do a look up at times online archives.