Monthly Archives: February 2018

#52ancestors Week 7 – Valentine

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Running a bit behind but finally getting my Week 7 post up.

For this week’s prompt, I scoured my family tree looking for someone who was married on Valentine’s Day or was called Valentine but there was no one. I also don’t really have any Valentine’s Day stories, so I thought outside the box and decided to write about someone called Rose as roses are typically given on Valentine’s Day.

Let me introduce you to Rose Beatrice NIPPERESS. Rose was the first wife of my great grand uncle (my great grandmother’s brother). I don’t really know a lot about this lady, perhaps because she isn’t really and ancestor more a family connection, but when researching her husband William Edward (Eddie) THOMPSON I found that she went through some hard times. Rose had been born in 1910 in the Lismore, NSW area and grew up there as did Eddie. The couple married in 1937 in Lismore and by 1941 the young couple had a lovely baby girl. But everything went south when Eddie enlisted into the Australian army in 1942 and was posted overseas to Papua New Guinea. I can just imagine Rose sending her husband off to war, thinking that perhaps she might never see him again but that he was ‘doing his bit’ for the war effort. Little did Rose know that the war would change their little family forever.

Prior to being posted overseas, Eddie conducted training exercises in the northern areas of Australia and according to his war records he was granted special leave without pay 30 April 1942. Presumably, he went home to see his family

Rose and Eddie THOMPSON with their daughter

before being shipped out overseas. Photos of the young family lend credibility to this argument, with Eddie appearing in his army uniform in the photos. However, it seems Eddie never actually made it overseas. A pattern of being AWOL

emerges in his records, the first occurrence happening 2 October 1942 and lasting till 3 November 1942. His pay was docked and he was placed in detention. But he didn’t learn his lesson and absented himself again following more training and this time he never returned to the army. A warrant was issued for his arrest but he was never found and he was discharged for misconduct in 1946.

As Eddie’s next of kin, I presume that Rose would have been informed about her husbands desertion or at the very least questioned about his whereabouts. But she presumably didn’t know about his whereabouts at that time or for some time after. Interestingly, Eddie’s war records include letters from family members to army officials looking for his whereabouts but none from his wife. Who knows what the reason for this is: embarrassment and shame that her husband had not only deserted from the army, but hadn’t seen fit to return to his wife and child or perhaps she was simply struggling to keep her and her daughter afloat.

Nobody I have spoken to in the family knows if Rose was ever contacted by Eddie again but one way or another a divorce must have occurred as in 1952 Rose remarried. She and her new husband continued to live in the Lismore area where Rose and Eddie’s daughter was also presumably raised.

Week 6 – Favourite Name

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The Week 6 prompt for #52ancestors is ‘Favourite Name’. I found it hard to pick just one name, so I have decided to talk about a group of siblings who all have very unique names.

My great grandfather is the eldest of these siblings and was born 3 days before the end of 1910. Unfortunately, he died the same year I was born so I never met him. His name is one of my favourites as like myself and my father he has three names:  Matthew Vernon Lorrain ILES. When doing further research into his family, I came across his siblings who also have very unique names. His two brothers were named Hilton and Kiffin Denis respectively and his sister was named Eunice Florence.

L to R: Kiffin, Hilton, and Matthew Vernon Lorrain ILES

I often wondered where their mother got these names, particularly Hilton and Kiffin so one day in conversation with my great Uncle (Vernon’s son) I wondered aloud about the origins of their names. Apparently, their mother was an avid reader and read very widely. In her reading, she had come across these names and decided she wanted to use them for her children. This really captured my imagination because I am also an avid reader and can understand that often you come across names in books that are new to you and soon become favourites. But what do the names actually mean?

‘Vernon’ is a French name (originally used as a surname) meaning ‘place of the alder trees’. It can also mean ‘flourishing’ and its use dates back to the time of the Norman conquest of England. ‘Lorrain’ is also of French origin and is a region in eastern France. Apparently, the name ‘Lorain’ became popular in English speaking cultures after World War I but my great grandfather was born years before the war started so perhaps it was unique even back then. In contrast ‘Matthew’ is a biblical name of Hebrew origins meaning ‘gift of Yahweh’.

‘Hilton’ occurs as both a given name and a surname and is of Old English origin. It falls into the category of geographical names, with its meaning being ‘of Hilton’ i.e. of the hil(l) town. ‘Kiffin’ was also originally used as a surname and is of Olde Welsh origin. It may be a locational surname, that is derived from one of the many places in Wales called ‘Cyffin’ or ‘Gyffin’. It could also have originated as a topographical surname, as the Welsh word ‘cyffin’ means boundary so one might have adopted the surname if they lived at or near a boundary of some sort.

And finally, the sole girl child in the family. The name Eunice Florence is a favourite because to me it just sounds so dignified and elegant. Perhaps it is because the name ‘Florence’ evokes visions if the famous Florence Nightingale. But Florence also seems such a pretty name. In actual fact ‘Florence’ comes from the Latin word florentius which means ‘blossoming’, and the name gained popularity after the fame of Florence Nightingale. ‘Eunice’ on the other hand is a Biblical Greek name meaning ‘good victory’ and was first used after the Protestant Reformation.

 

What interesting or unique names have you come across in your family?

 

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_(surname)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorraine_(given_name)

https://www.behindthename.com/name/matthew

http://forebears.co.uk/surnames/hilton

http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Kiffin

https://www.behindthename.com/name/eunice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_(given_name)

Week 5 – In the Norwegian Census

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The week 5 prompt for #52ancestors is ‘In the Census’. As soon as this topic came up, I instantly thought of writing about my explorations of the Norwegian Census records. I thought, most people will probably write about individuals in the UK Census records or even the US census records and I too have found ancestors in these records. But, the first ever person I found in a census was my Norwegian ancestor.

Some Background:

My Norwegian ancestor is an intriguing individual by the name of Charles John THOMPSON and he was my great, great grandfather on my maternal line. Growing up, I always knew that we had a Norwegian ancestor in my Mum’s family and we wean knew that his name was Charles THOMPSON.

Charles John Thompson late in his life.

Unfortunately, that was all we knew of him before his years in Australia. An interstate visit to my Great-Uncle, the family historian at the time, gave us some more information. This Great-Uncle was the grandson of Charles and had fond memories of him during his younger years. He told me the story of how Charles came to Australia: that he had been a seaman from Bergen, Norway and upon arriving in Australia he decided to jump ship and stay rather than return to Norway. He even showed me a photos. On holidays in the 1980s, my Great-Uncle had visited Bergen and tried to research Charles’ origins to no avail. However, he was asking for Charles under his anglicised name of Charles John THOMPSON. So how was this man going to be found?

In the Census:

Before I could find Charles in the census, I had to confirm that the family story was true and that he was actually from Norway. So, as a beginning family history researcher I took everything with a grain of salt and ordered the marriage certificate of my maternal grandparents to confirm their parents names. All the names lined up with those I had been given by the family, so I went the next step and ordered the certificates for my grandmothers parents to check the names on those. And I had hit pay dirt: on my great grandfathers birth certificate his father is listed as one Charles John THOMPSON, born in Bergen Norway. I then went a step further and ordered the marriage and death certificates of Charles John THOMPSON. The marriage certificate was an absolute bust: one of those lovely certificates with lots of blank fields that tell you nothing; but the death certificate confirmed Charles’ birth place as Bergen, Norway and even had a Father’s name included. And then I had a new problem: the father’s name was Thomas THOMPSON, talk about a needle in a haystack. This was going to be impossible to find.

For some time, I mulled this new information over in my mind before attempting to figure out how to go any further with the little information I had. Every time I thought about it, I put it back in the too hard basket. I mean, how was I going to find MY Charles John THOMPSON with a father called Thomas THOMPSON in Norway when I didn’t know where to start and had no comprehension of Norwegian. But then when I was messing around on Ancestry one day I discovered the message boards and what do you know there was a message board for the Bergen area in Norway. So, I bit the bullet and wrote a post asking for help to find my Charles John THOMPSON. And wonder of wonders, someone actually replied. This person, from Norway, suggested that Charles had anglicised his name upon or shortly after arriving in Australia. She had done a search for me under the name Karl Johann THOMASSEN and found a hit in a small rural area of Bergen. There it was in black and white: a Karl J. THOMASSEN age 8 living with his parents Thomas THOMASSEN and Kristine OLSDATTER as well as some siblings.

Christening record for Carl Johan Thomassen

But was this MY Karl? He was the right age and was born in the right area and had the right father’s name. This kind hearted fellow researcher did one more digging and followed the Thomas THOMASSEN in question through the census records, in which he continued to live in the same locality until his death in 1901. In the death records, the relatives of Thomas were mentioned: including his son Karl who was living in Australia. This was it, I had finally found my Norwegian ancestor. From there I managed to find Charles/Karl in the christening records and in the 1875 census in which he is listed as a seaman, but he doesn’t appear in the 1885 census.This helped me narrow down when he left Norway for Australia.

A note on Norwegian names:

For those that aren’t familiar with Norwegian family history research, up until the late 19th century patronymic naming was used. This meant that the surname changed every generation, with a child taking the name of their father followed by -sen (son) or -datter (daughter). When marrying, the bride continued to be known by her patronymic name. Therefore on the 1865 census we have my family listed as: Thomas THOMASSEN (head of the house); Katrina OLSDATTER and Karl J. THOMASSEN. The THOMASSEN indicates that Karl’s father is Thomas (i.e. he is the son of Thomas) as is his grandfather (Thomas the son of Thomas). His mother’s surname OLSDATTER indicates that her father’s name was Ole. These names could change every generation based on the father’s first name.

First name’s also contain hints to grandparents names, as traditionally the eldest son and daughter are named after the paternal grandparents and the second son and daughter are named after the maternal grandparents. Later on, great-grandparents names would added to the mix. Farm names could also be tacked onto names as could occupations. It’s also important to note that standardised spelling of names wasn’t introduced until the 1860s and spelling varied widely across regions.

 

 

Week 4 – Invite to Dinner

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The week 4 prompt for the #52ancestors challenge is ‘Invite to dinner’ and I have thought long and hard about who I would invite to dinner and what I would ask them. I thought about all the people in my tree who I still don’t have answers about and thought about one of them: but which one? I finally settled on my 3rd great grandmother, Adeline MILNE. Adeline has been very elusive and a lot of questions about her life remain unanswered and to this day still largely remains a very mysterious ancestor.

Adeline first appeared in my tree when in the course of my research I ordered the marriage certificate of Adeline and my 3rd great grandfather Robert NICHOLS. The marriage certificate states that the couple were married 6 November 1871 at the Wesleyan Parsonage in Goulburn NSW. It was obviously a rushed marriage as their first child was born 13 December 1871, just over a month after their marriage! On the certificate, Adeline’s parents are stated as George Cole MILNE and Margaret BLAKENEY. Her birthplace is given as Sydney, NSW and her age as 17 which would put her birth date at around 1854.

So logically, my next step was to search for a birth certificate, and a marriage certificate for her parents. No birth certificate has been found, but imagine my surprise when I found her parents marriage certificate: their date of marriage, 1869 in Goulburn, NSW. This means they were married when Adeline was 15 years old, if the age she gave on the marriage certificate is correct. So, obviously she was born illegitimate. Was she registered under her mother’s maiden name perhaps?

But wait, the plot thickens even further: according to the marriage certificate of George Cole MILNE and Margaret BLAKENEY (on which Margaret’s name is listed as MILLER) and she is a widow. The parties list their professions as Schoolmaster and Teacher respectively. Interestingly, Margaret signs the registry with an ‘X’ mark, If she is a teacher, why can’t she sign her name? Digging further into the MILLER name I found that Margaret that Margaret had been married before, in 1852 shortly after arriving in Australia from Ireland. Upon connecting with an individual researching the same family, I found that George Cole had also been married previously to an Amelia BRIDGET OR TAYLOR in 1840. No death has been found for either of the previous spouses, but Margaret and George Cole had 7 children together before their marriage and two after the marriage. None of the children are registered except for the two born after the marriage and the younger children were all baptised en masse in 1870. Except for Adeline, who according to my math would have been about 16 years old at the time.

Adeline continues to be missing from the certificates of her father’s death and the certificates of her siblings who were registered in 1870 and 1872 respectively. The NICHOLS family continued to live in Goulburn for some years, and there is reference to an Adeline NICHOLS in the Goulburn newspaper in the 1890s who is a nurse. Is it possible that this is my Adeline?

The family moved around later in the 1890s before ending up in Sydney where Adeline died in 1940 at The Home of Peace in Marrickville. On her death certificate, it is noted that she had been known as ‘Adeline SHUTES’. What?? Again her father is listed as George Cole MILNE but it is noted that she was born in England, not Sydney as noted on her marriage certificate and her children’s birth certificates.

 

 

So, Adeline please come to dinner, I have many questions for you!!

  • Where and when were you actually born: where you born in Sydney or in England?
  • Who was your father, really? Was it George Cole MILNE as is noted on your certificates or was it Henry MILLER or someone else entirely?
  • Were you a nurse when you lived in Goulburn?
  • Was your mother really a school teacher? If so, why did she sign her marriage certificate with an ‘X’?
  • If George Cole MILNE was your father, why aren’t you mentioned on his death certificate?
  • If Henry MILLER was your father, what happened to him? Did he die, where/when?
  • When/Where did you mother Margaret die?
  • Why did you and your family move from Goulburn?
  • Where were you and your family between 1895 and 1930?
  • Why are you not mentioned in any newspaper accounts of your brothers/sisters deaths and your husband’s death?
  • Why were you living in ‘The Home of Peace’ (a nursing home of sorts) when you died in 1940?
  • Why were you known by the name of SHUTES at the time of your death?

 

So, Adeline I would love to know a bit more about you as you have been a mystery to me for so long.