My mother found more of my great grandfather’s cartoons depicting Trentham military training camp (New Zealand) in World War I (see the original post here):
That First Trentham Feeling
on Trentham Pebbles in Bill Massey’s boots
(Buck – Copyright)
Recruits Coming into Camp
(Buck.17. Copyright 1917 – Trentham)
S.M. Try one on his head Sergeant
[sign] Massey’s Massage Institute – hours any old time – cupping done gratis
[sign] Notice – Don’t hurry – Wait your turn
(“Buck” Copyright 1917 – Trentham)
Innokulatin dun ere – Don’t sass the dokter – By order
(copyright Buchan)
Bill Massey was New Zealand’s prime minister at the time.
I received a reply from Archives New Zealand. Unfortunately, they seemed to ignore my request to accredit the images to Charles BUCHAN and instead focussed on which records I could access for a fee.
The wonderful Tasmanian Archives site has a wealth of records available online – particularly for those researching their convict ancestors.
My ancestor, Elizabeth ALLEN arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) aboard the convict ship, Margaret in 1843. The details given by her where recorded upon her arrival.
Coming from a large city like Birmingham, with a relatively common name, I had lost hope of finding who Elizabeth ALLEN’s parents were. For some strange reason – perhaps I was having trouble reading the handwriting or deciphering the code used – I didn’t realise how much family information was contained on my ancestor’s arrival record when I first viewed it. After looking again at her arrival record, I could now see that the information I needed was there waiting for me.
Allen, Elizabeth
Height: 5/2 1/4
Age: 20
Calling: [Domestic Servant] & Needlewoman
Where Tried: Warwickshire, Birmingham Boro QS
When Tried: 21 October 1842
Sentence: 10
Native Place: Birmingham
Married or Single: S
Children: [blank]
Religion: CE
Read or Write: R
Relations – Apprenticeship – Where Last Residing: F Isaac at Churchill 2B Josiah & Wm 1S Mary Ann with my father; 9 [months?] on the Town
Ship Character: Fair
Offences: Stg a shawl [from? Gt?] Hampton St; once for same 3 mos
My interpretation:
F = father Isaac at Churchill
2B = 2 brothers Josiah and William
1S = 1 sister Mary Ann
These siblings (or at least Mary Ann) are living with her father in Churchill.
(‘9 months on the town’ seems to indicate that Elizabeth had also been prostituting herself).
Using Family Search, I searched the IGI for the birth of Elizabeth ALLEN around 1822, including her father’s name Isaac. I found an appropriate entry for 29 Sep 1822 in Harborne, Staffordshire. Harborne was so near to Birmingham that it became a suburb in 1890 (source).
To check this was the right record and accept her mother’s name as Ann, I then searched for her siblings birth entries. I was able to find Josiah and Mary Ann, also born in Harborne (no record of William as yet). Ann was recorded as Ann PHILLIPS on Josiah’s record, Anne Philis on Mary Ann’s and simply Ann on Elizabeth’s.
I was also able to find the likely marriage record for Isaac and Ann – 26 Aug 1821, Halesowen, Worcester – Ann was recorded as Ann Phillis GEALEY/GALEY. So was Phillis another Christian name or a mistranscription of Phillips?
An old family pedigree mentioned that my ancestor, William WREFORD “settled in Tiverton and was well known in the last century as a noted wrestler“. I had searched for more information a few years back and was discovered a book which mentions him in this role – Devonshire Characters and Strange Events by S. Baring Gould.
I am very pleased that I am now able to read the entire book online (or download as various files) at the Internet Archive. The section on William reads:
William Wreford, at the age of eighteen, achieved reputation by throwing Jordan over his head with such force that Jordan came down with a “crash similar to that produced by felling an oak tree.” But Wreford met his match in a wrestle with “the little Elephant,” James Stone. Simultaneously the men grappled each other; and although Wreford had the advantage at the outset, he was hurled into the air, and fell with such violence on his back that for a time he was incapacitated from taking part in a similar contest. Eventually the return match came off at Southmolton, and Stone was again victorious. Nevertheless Wreford remained a prominent figure in the ring, and threw Francis Olver, a Cornishman, although he came out of the contest with several of his ribs crushed by the deadly “hug.” But a greater than Wreford and Jordan arose in the person of Abraham Cann…(p519)
Hoping to find more mention of William, I searched for James Stone – the ‘little elephant’. This lead me to a page bursting with information about wrestling – in particular, the Abraham Cann mentioned above. The Heard Family History site records:
In his history of Crediton, Venn (Venn, T.W., History of Crediton. Typescript. 1972) tells us that the activities of the Devonshire wrestlers in London were reported enthusiastically in the Society gossip columns. Dressed in the latest fashions they would promenade in the famous Vauxhall pleasure gardens, where much curiousity was shown to catch a sight of “these extraordinary Devonshire wrestlers”. Along with the bare-knuckle fighters, the wrestlers must have had the popular appeal of football stars of old, if not quite the overblown celebrity status accorded them in today’s tabloids. Certainly local papers reported their comings and goings, and we read of a triumphant return to Devon on the express coach Celerity in 1827, when the wrestlers were greeted by cheering crowds in Exeter (Heard Family History).
It’s funny to think of William, who is listed simply as ‘farmer’ and ‘labourer’ in the 1841 and 1851 censuses, as a celebrity. Also found on the Heard Family History site was this image of the wrestlers’ vital statistics at a fair in Tavistock,1827:
Wrestler Vital Statistics – Tavistock Fair 1827
William is listed as 34 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds. It is not often we get to know this much physical detail about our ancestors and I’m excited to have found this information.
Next Steps:
Continue to research Devonshire Wrestling in and around the 1820s
Back on track after my William BROWN confusion – I pick up with proving George BROWN and James BROWN are brothers. Thereby proving that the William BROWN on the 1891 census is indeed related to me.
Proving Brotherhood
I had previously sought to prove George BROWN and James were brothers and so had some of George’s records at hand. George’s death record states that his parents are John BROWN and Jane [Jean] Maxwell:
Statutory Death Record of George BROWN – 1862
James BROWN’s death record also gives his parents as John BROWN and Jean Maxwell:
Statutory Death Record of James BROWN – 1873
This proves that James and George are brothers. A search for BROWN births in Glencairn show that there was also a William born to John BROWN and Jean MAXWELL:
Birth Record of William BROWN in Glencairn Parish Register – 1807
So, I have proved the heads of household at Woodhead, George and James BROWN are brothers. I have also found the existence of another brother, William (as there are no statutory death records of a William BROWN with a mother named MAXWELL, I can only assume he died before 1855).
I have therefore come to the conclusion that the William BROWN (b.1829) living at Woodhead on the 1891 census is in fact James BROWN’s nephew.
! The results here are accurate, however not the William BROWN I was tracing (see previous post for correction). I have chosen to leave this information here to help others.
Using FamilySearch, I searched the IGI for Sarah FERGUSSON with a spouse named BROWN.
Success: It listed Sarah marrying a John BROWN in Glencairn, 1826 (about 3 years before William BROWN was born according to the censuses). This seemed a very good match indeed so I began to search for birth records of William and his brother, John.
No sign of William but I found a birth and christening record for John (parents John BROWN and Sarah FERGUSON) in the nearby parish of Keir, for September 1825. However, this was a year before his parents’ marriage so although it is not impossible, I could not be sure. Perhaps the parish record will say whether the birth was ‘legitimate’ or not? I bit the bullet and viewed the actual parish record on ScotlandsPeople. The birth had been transcribed incorrectly and actually took place in December 1828 – remember ALWAYS view the actual record where possible!
Birth entry for John BROWN, son of John BROWN & Sarah FERGUSSON – December 1828
While checking my previous searches on ScotlandsPeople, I found an entry for William, legitimate son of John BROWN and Sarah FERGUSON of Snade Mill (the residence was indecipherable to me at first but the ordnance survey maps helped me a great deal) He was born on the 2nd December 1826 and christened the 6th December.
Birth entry for William BROWN, son of John BROWN & Sarah Fergusson – December 1826
Snade Mill (Cairn Water), Glencairn parish via ScotlandsPlaces
Now I need to link this John BROWN to my James BROWN to prove these neighbours were also family. I would also like to find the family connection to George BROWN who also lived at Woodhead throughout these censuses.
Next steps (edited):
Find a family link between these BROWNs and the BROWNs at Woodhead (see next post in the series)
