Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Charles Penfold and Mary Anna Tucker

View of St. Luke's and Christ Church Chelsea from Flood Street
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Robert Lamb - geograph.org.uk/p/4810123

Charles Penfold (b. 31 Oct 1865 in Hartfield, Sussex), son of William Penfold and Mary Ann Charlotte Gunn, married Mary Anna Tucker (bap. 29 Nov 1857 in Burlescombe, Devon), daughter of Robert Allen Tucker and Mary Linton, at Christ Church, Chelsea on 13 Nov 1886. Witnesses were John R Penfold, bridegroom's brother, Rosalie Jane Burnell and one other.

Charles and Mary Anna Penfold had seven children:
  1. Thomas Edwin Penfold b. 1887 D Qtr in CHELSEA Vol 01A 327
  2. Rosalie Mary Penfold b. 24 Aug 1889 in CHELSEA Volume 01A 317
  3. Mary Anna Penfold b. 1892 M Qtr in EAST GRINSTEAD Vol 02B 136 (Died at 23 in 1915 M Quarter in FULHAM Volume 01A Page 604)
  4. Josephine Grace Penfold b. 15 Sep 1893 in CUCKFIELD Vol 02B 159
  5. Minnie Gunn Penfold b. 1895 J Qtr in CUCKFIELD Vol 02B Page 157 (Died in 1896 J Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 272)
  6. Charles Edward Powell Penfold b. 4 Sep 1897 in FULHAM Vol 01A 260
  7. William Robert Penfold b. 1899 D Qtr in FULHAM Vol 01A 322
In 1891, Charles Penfold (25) Bootmaker and Mary A Penfold (31ish) were living in Glenvue Road, East Grinstead, Sussex with their first two children, Thomas E Penfold (3) and Rosalie M Penfold (1).

In 1901, at 48, Hugon Road, Fulham, London: Charles R Penfold (35) Civil servant postman bootmaker, Mary A Penfold (41), Thomas E (13), Rosalie M (11), Mary A (9), Josephine G (7), Charles E P (3) and William R (1).

And in 1911, at 68 Perrymead Street, Fulham, London, were Charles Penfold (45) Civil service Post Office Worker, Mary Anna Penfold (51), Thomas Edwin (23) Civil service Post Office Worker; Rosalie Mary (21) Elementary teacher for Surrey County Council; Mary Anna (19) Bodice assistant Dressmaking; Josephine Grace (17), Charles Edwin Powell (13) and William Robert (11).

Mary Anna Penfold died, aged 23, in Fulham, in the first quarter of 1915. Also in the first quarter of 1915, Josephine Grace Penfold married Douglas Gordon Reich (right, presumably with Josephine), who served in the Middlesex Regiment, Royal Engineers during the First World War, also in Fulham. And on 26 Apr 1915, Charles Edward Powell Penfold (19) enlisted in the County of London Yeomanry. (I'm certain both Thomas Edwin Penfold and William Robert Penfold also served in the First World War, however, I've not been able to isolate relevant records.)

Charles Penfold died, at 51, in 1917 S Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D 536.

In 1921, Mary A Penfold (62) was living at 12, Penrith Street, Streatham, Wandsworth in the household of daughter Rosalie M Penfold (31) School Teacher. Also living with them was William R Penfold (21) Meteorologist working for the Metrological Office, Air Ministry; and Visitors were Douglas G Reich (28) School Teacher from Dublin, Ireland; Josephine Reich (27), Irene Mary Reich (6) and Josephine Grace Reich (under one month).

Mary Penfold died, at 71, in 1930 S Qtr in BATTERSEA Vol 01D Page 393.

In 1939, Rosalie Mary Penfold, Head Mistress, was at 38, Hillside, Banstead, Surrey with her brother-in-law, Douglas G Reich, School master, sister, Josephine G Reich and their children. Rosalie died, aged 68, in 1957, in St Austell, Cornwall; Douglas Reich of Glamis, Fore Street, Bugle, Cornwall, died on 23 Oct 1970. Josephine Grace Reich died in 1977 at St Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, a mental hospital, originally Cornwall County Asylum.

Charles Edward Powell Penfold (known as Edward Penfold) had died, on 5 Oct 1970, in Perth, Western Australia.

Sunday, 10 November 2024

James Henry Tubb and Susannah Bussey

HMNB Portsmouth and HMS Victory
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Dixon - geograph.org.uk/p/4091430

James Henry Tubb (b. 1 Apr 1834), son of William Tubb and Sarah Ruff, married Susannah Bussey, daughter of Benjamin Bussey and Elizabeth Bowen, on 10 Nov 1857, at the second, St. Mary's Church, Portsea.

James and Susannah had six children:
  1. Sarah Elizabeth Tubb b. 1858 S Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 337, bap. 6 Feb 1859 at St Mary's Church, Portsea
  2. James Alfred Tubb b. 24 Dec 1861 (1862 M Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Vol 02B Page 424), bap. 23 Feb 1862 at St Mary's, Portsea
  3. William Henry Tubb b. 1863 D Quarter in SOUTHAMPTON Volume 02C Page 8, bap. 1 Jan 1865 at All Saints' Church, Southampton (regularly attended by author Jane Austen while she lived in Southampton and Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Everett Millais was baptised there.) 
  4. George Ernest Tubb b. 1866 J Qtr in SOUTH STONEHAM Vol 02C 65, bap. 8 Jul 1866, as George Emett Tubb, in Freemantle
  5. Nelly Tubb b. 1868 M Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Vol 02B Page 471. 
  6. Minnie Beatrice Tubb b. 1877 in Australia. 
James Tubb, from Landport, Hants, born 1 Apr 1834, 5ft 8in tall, with fair complexion, brown hair and grey eyes, had enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy First Class at 16, in 1850. James Tubb (16), Sailor was listed on the 1851 census in his parent's house, in Marylebone Street, Portsea.

James Henry Tubb's Naval Career:
The Russian (Crimean War) War of 1854 - 1856:
This is the second of my relatives to have served in the Baltic during the Crimean War and also the second to have taken part in the 1856 Royal Fleet Review, Spithead. At the review, HMS Duke of Wellington was at the head of the Port line, while, according to the report in the The Illustrated London News, 26 April 1856, "Abreast of the Port line the Royal George led the Starboard [...] Then came the Nile ..." So not only were both sides of my family represented at the 1856 Royal Fleet Review, they were on both sides of the line and their ships were almost side-by-side. Incredible.
HMS Marlborough in Valletta harbour, sometime between 1858 and 1864.

  • From 9 Feb 1858 until 22 Mar 1861, HMS Marlborough (1855) which will have taken him back to the Mediterranean. Feb 1858 Commissioned, Delayed sailing 128 days due to a lack of men. 1860 Flag Ship, Mediterranean. 22 Mar 1861 Paid off.
In 1861, James Tubb (27) Seaman RN, was listed as living in Landport View, Portsea, with wife Susan Tubb (26) and daughter, Sarah Tubb (2).
  • From 23 Mar 1861 to 14 Apr 1862 back at HMS Excellent.
  • From 15 Apr 1862 through to 7 Aug 1866, James was with HMS Boscawen (1844), which from Feb/Mar of 1862 had been hulked as a Boys training ship in Southampton Water. (This explains son William Henry Tubb's baptism taking place in Southampton, in 1865.)
  • A third stint at HMS Excellent from 8 Aug 1866 to 5 Oct 1867.

Taken at Williamstown, Victoria,
between 1870 and 1879.
Port broadside view of the wooden
steam battleship HMVS Nelson.
Then from 6 Oct 1867 to 14 Feb 1868, James was with HMS Nelson (1814). Given his history, I'd first thought they'd mean the shore establishment of the same name, but it was, in fact, an actual ship. Nelson was given to the colony of Victoria, and sailed for Australia in October 1867, thus James was on that handover voyage. Clearly, this also gave him the opportunity to see that part of Australia that the family would later make their home.

Back in Portsmouth between 15 Feb 1868 and 1 Mar 1869, James was, once more, assigned to HMS Victory shore establishment. 

James' final assignment, from 2 Mar 1869 until his retirement from the Royal Navy on 31 Dec 1870, was with HMS Duke of Wellington (1852), at which time she replaced HMS Victory as flagship of the Port Admiral at Portsmouth (with Victory becoming her tender), her duties consisting of firing salutes to passing dignitaries, such as Queen Victoria on her way to Osborne House. As a Gunner's Mate since 6 Sep 1860, James may even have helped fire those salutes.

In 1871, Susan Tubb (37) Seaman's wife, was living at 11 Besant Terrace, Portsea with Sarah (12), James (9), William (7), Ernest (5) and 'Millie' (Nelly) (3).

''Queen of Nations'' by Richard Ball Spencer

On 19 Mar 1873, Susan Tubb (38), Sarah E (14), James A (10), Wm Hy (9), George E (6) and Nelly (4), departed from Plymouth, Devon, England, on the clipper, Queen of Nations. They arrived in Melbourne after a journey of around 140 days. (I've [so far] not seen a record of how James Henry got back to Australia, but I wouldn't mind betting he worked his passage.)

Susan Tubb (née Bussey) died on 20 Aug 1912 and is buried in Williamstown CemeteryWilliamstown, Victoria, Australia. She will have been 80.

James Henry Tubb died on 8 Nov 1922, and is also buried in Williamstown CemeteryWilliamstown, Victoria, Australia. He will have been 88.

The Family Grave of J H Tubb at Williamstown Cemetery, Victoria, Australia Photo: Suzy & Rob

Wednesday, 23 October 2024

Thomas Back and Elizabeth Mary Horn

Plymouth: Morice Square
cc-by-sa/2.0- © Martin Bodman - geograph.org.uk/p/688016

Thomas Back (b. 15 Oct 1850 in Stoke Damerel), son of Thomas Back and Mary Drake married Elizabeth Mary Horn (b. 1859 in Okehampton, Devon), daughter of James Horn and Elizabeth Bolt, on 23 Oct 1884 at St Paul's Church, Devonport. (The Anglican Church of Saint Paul the Apostle was situated on the east side of Morice Square in Devonport, Plymouth.)

Born Thomas Drake (1850 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 429), as he was named Thomas, it did seem likely that he was the son of Thomas Back, who his mother married two years later. He started life in Stoke Damerel Workhouse, where he was in 1851 with his mother and his older (half) siblings, Mary and George. He was subsequently known as Thomas Back and on his marriage certificate in 1884, as Thomas Back, Stoker RN, lists his address as 40, Cannon Street, Devonport - the very same address where we find both his parents and his sister in 1881, so we can be sure it's him - and names his father as Thomas Back, Labourer. Of course, this could simply be because that was the man who was around as he was growing up, but actually being named after him at birth, seems to confirm what we're being told.

Thomas Back, DOB 15 Oct 1850 (agrees with the quarter of his birth registration), enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in July 1865, volunteering at HMS Implacable (1805) - former Duguay-Trouin, turned training ship (exactly the same ship, on exactly the same day as my great-grandfather, David Jones). Thomas Back's naval career does not appear to progress at this point, there being no entries beyond enlistment. 

There is then a record of a Thomas Back from Devonport, with date of birth given as 14 Oct 1849 (one year and one day of difference and this time the year does NOT agree with his birth registration), but we know this is our man from other records (marriage, census), who joined the Royal Navy on 9 Jan 1873 and served for 21 years, until 27 Apr 1894. He began as a Stoker 2nd Class, moved up to Stoker, Leading Stoker and Leading Stoker 1st Class.

Both naval records list Thomas as having Black hair and Hazel eyes. He was 4 ft 10 in at 14 and grew to 5 ft 6 in as an adult, gaining a bunch of tattoos.

From May 1873 to Aug 1875, Thomas was with HMS Agincourt (1865) at Portland, Dorset and, during that time, spent 28 days in Dorchester Gaol (HM Prison Dorchester) - Pure Victorian detention in all it’s glory.

At the time of the census of 1881, Thomas Back (30) Stoker, was moored in Hong Kong aboard HMS Victor Emmanuel (1855), which ship he was assigned to from Jun 1880 to Jan 1882, Feb 1882 to Jan 1883 and again from Feb to Apr 1883 (transferring to HMS Pegasus (1878) for the month in 1882, also in China and HMS Albatross (1873) in Jan 1883).

Two days before his marriage, Thomas joined HMS Tamar (1863), commissioned at Devonport on 21 Oct 1884 and then, from 15 Jan 1885 until 22 Jan 1889, was with HMS Nelson (1876). She sailed for the Australia Station after commissioning and became the flagship there in 1885. She was in Sydney and Brisbane and at the Woolloomooloo Bay Regatta on 18 Apr 1885, remaining on station until returning home in January 1889.

Thomas and Elizabeth's only child was born later that year:

  1. Lilian Mary Back b. 4 Nov 1889 D Q in STOKE DAMEREL 05B 340
Thomas spent time with HMS Magicienne (1888) in Portsmouth in 1890; HMS Goshawk (1872) took him to Gibraltar from May 1890 to Jun 1892 and while he was away, Elizabeth M Back (31) Wife Of A Stoker RN and Lilian M Back (1) were living in St Levan Road, Devonport. Thomas finished his career, from Dec 1892 to Apr 1894, at HMS Vivid II, the Stokers and Engine Room Artificers School in Devonport, before being pensioned.

In 1901, Thomas Back (50) Naval Pensioner was living in Avondale Terrace, Devonport with wife, Elizabeth M Back (41), daughter, Lilian M Back (11) and John Cornhill (29) General Labourer from Ireland, Boarder.

Thomas Back died in 1906 D Quarter in DEVONPORT Volume 05B Page 220. His age was estimated as 58 (he was 56), having gained yet another year on top of the one he added the second time he enlisted in the Navy.

In 1911, Elizabeth Back (51) Widow from Okehampton, Devonshire, was living in East Stonehouse. Living with her were recently married, son-in-law and daughter, Charles and Lilian Renshaw.

In 1921, Elizabeth Mary Back was still living with Charles and Lilian Renshaw (and their two daughters), at 7 Duckworth Street, Devonport.

Elizabeth Mary Back died, at 66, in 1926 M Quarter in DEVONPORT Volume 05B Page 457.

Saturday, 21 September 2024

Joseph Rundle Trevail and Eliza Thursby

Lambeth Palace, London SE1.
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Hallam-Jones - geograph.org.uk/p/3972034
The redundant St Mary-in-Lambeth Church at the side.

Joseph Rundle Trevail, claiming to be 40 and a Bachelor, son of Joseph Trevail, Farmer, married Eliza Thursby (34) Spinster, listed as daughter of James Thursby, Butcher, at St Mary, Lambeth, on 21 Sep 1890. Just 5 days later, on 26 Sep 1890, Joseph R Trevail and Eliza Trevail embarked on RMS Ormuz, bound for Victoria, Australia, where they arrived in November.

However, Joseph Rundle Trevail (bap. 21 Jun 1847 in Luxulyan, Cornwall), son of Joseph Trevail and Jane Rundle, had previously married Gertrude Augusta Shepherd (bap. 25 Apr 1845 in Colaton Raleigh in East Devon), illegitimate daughter of Eliza Shepherd, in Q1 of 1871 in St. George Hanover Square, London. Naturally, checked the National Archives for a record of a divorce, though it would be unlikely, and of course there wasn't one.

What's more, Joseph and Gertrude Trevail had five children:

  1. Charley Thomas Trevail b. 1871 D Quarter in ST THOMAS Volume 05B Page 35 (Died 1871 D Quarter in ST THOMAS Volume 05B Page 27)
  2. Charley Joseph Walter Radford Trevail b. 1872 D Quarter in ST. THOMAS Volume 05B Page 44
  3. Annie Gertrude Trevail b. 1875 M Quarter in ST. GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 435
  4. Kate Olivia Trevail b. 1880 D Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 442 (Listed as ALICE OLIVIA GERTRUDE Trevail at the GRO)
  5. Gertrude Augusta Trevail b. 1884 D Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 453 (Died 1885 S Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 266)
Mother's maiden name, in all cases, spelled SHEPPARD.

At the time of the 1871 census, Joseph Trevail (24) Engineer Fitter, was living in Denbigh Street, Westminster with wife Gertrude (25), brother Charles (20) Engineer Fitter, sisters Amy* (16) and Jane (12), as well as a visitor, Selina Rundle (20). (* Joseph didn't have a sister called Amy. Kate, maybe?)

In 1881, the family living at 6, Meadow Terrace, Lambeth, London, comprised: Joseph R Trevail (34) Engine fitter, Gertrude A (36), Charles J W R (8), Anne G (6), Kate O (0) and Eliza Sheppard (69) 'Relative' (Gertrude's mother).

In 1891, Gertrude Trevail (46) wife, married, mender of fine lace, was alive and well, at the family home in Meadow Terrace, Lambeth, with daughters Annie G (16) & Kate O (10), and her mother, Eliza Shepperd (78).

By 1901, Gertrude Trevail (55) Married [still], Honiton lace manufacturer, was living at 153, Kennington Road, Lambeth, with daughter Kate (20).

Meanwhile, Joseph Rundle Trevail, Engineer, was shown on the Australia Electoral Rolls in 1903, in Market Street, New South Wales, Australia.

Gertrude Trevail died, aged 58, in 1910 D Qtr in EPSOM Vol 02A Page 27.

Mr J R & Mrs Trevail (not) departed from London, on 17 Nov 1910, on the RMS China, this time bound for Sydney, via Freemantle, Adelaide and Melbourne, arriving in Fremantle, Western Australia on 20 Dec 1910.

Then, in 1911, Joseph Rundle Trevail married Eliza Thursby in Canterbury, New South Wales, Australia. Again. Non-bigamously this time.

On 27 Feb 1921, J R and Mrs Trevail left Sydney for Wellington, New Zealand, on the SS Marama, as tourists. Joseph's sister Mary Ann had just died and his sister Ellen was still in New Zealand.

The last will and testament of Joseph Rundle Trevail of 52 Market Street, Randwick, New South Wales, Gentleman, who died on 20 Jan 1934, aged 86, left the balance of his estate to his 'dear wife Eliza', after various other bequests. Among beneficiaries were a grandson, Arthur Waymark (daughter, Annie Gertrude Trevail had married Louis Charles Waymark in Lambeth in 1898); his sister Olivia Caldwell (Olivia Trevail had married Thomas William Colwill in 1886 in St George, Hanover Square); her daughter was Elsie Bates; a niece, Florence Wright; other bequests go to a John Edwards and to granddaughters, Amy Edwards and Edith Anderson (née Edwards) (daughter Kate Olivia Trevail had married Frank William Edwards in 1903). His estate was valued at £3,757 in 1934 (worth over £275,000 today).

Thursday, 5 September 2024

Herbert Fleming Trevail and Alice Maud Stanley Blazey

Kensington: St. John the Baptist Church, Holland Road
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Dr Neil Clifton - geograph.org.uk/p/3161496

Herbert Fleming Trevail (b. 1877 in Lambeth), son of Charles Trevail and Mary Fleming, married Alice Maud Stanley Blazey (b. 21 Dec 1875 in Dinapore, India), daughter of Francis Robert Blazey and Louisa Susan Stanley, both of 155 Holland Road, Kensington, on 5 Sep 1898, at St John the Baptist church, Holland Road, Kensington, London. Witnesses were Francis Robert Blazey, the bride's father and Edwin Fleming Trevail, the groom's brother. 

Various records point to Herbert and Alice having seven children:
  1. Daisy Trevail b. 1899 S Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 464. (Died 1899 S Quarter in LAMBETH Volume 01D Page 343)
  2. Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail b. 16 Sep 1900 (1900 D Qtr in LAMBETH Vol 01D 386), bap. 4 Nov 1900 at St Anne, South Lambeth
  3. Eric Herbert Stanley Trevail b. 29 Jul 1904 (1904 S Qtr in HATFIELD Vol 03A Page 796), bap. 18 Sep 1904 in WelwynHertfordshire
  4. Stillborn child b. 25 Oct 1908 in Christchurch, New Zealand
  5. Lancelot Edwin Stanley Trevail b. 30 May 1910 in Christchurch, NZ 
  6. Edna A S Trevail (if I was betting, I'd go for Alice Stanley), born and died in 1915 in Balmain North, New South Wales, Australia
  7. Carmen Joyce Stanley Trevail b. 1917 in New South Wales, Australia
The mother's maiden name on the first three in England was BLAZEY.

In 1901, Alice (25) was at her father's household at 31, Sinclair Gardens, Hammersmith, Fulham, along with her daughter, Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail, while Herbert (24) Carpenter and Joiner, was alone at what was presumably their home at 83, South Lambeth Road, Lambeth. 


On 5 Aug 1908, Mr H Trevail (31), Mrs A Trevail (32), Miss W Trevail (7) and Master E Trevail (2½), embarked in London on the SS Miltiades. They were bound for Sydney, where they arrived in the September. 

There is only a record of a burial of a stillborn child (gender unknown), simply listed with the surname Trevail, born 25 Oct 1908, and buried at Linwood Cemetery, Linwood, Christchurch City, Canterbury, New Zealand. That would indicate that Alice was pregnant during the voyage. This pregnancy also fits neatly into the otherwise long gap between 1904 and 1910.

They were in Lyttelton, New Zealand in 1909 - where Herbert's aunts, Ellen Higgs and Mary Ann Burn Trevail Bawden then lived - because reports in the Lyttelton Times in Oct 1909 detail that Miss Winnie Trevail was appearing in one of the principle roles in a production staged by the Garrick Juvenile Opera Company, at the Opera House there.

In 1911, Herbert Fleming Trevail, carpenter, and Alice Maud Trevail were listed on the New Zealand Electoral Rolls at 56 Stanmore Rd, Linwood, Christchurch. (Herbert's aunt, Jane Rundle Robinson, lived in Christchurch.)

Then in 1913, we find both of them listed on the Australia Electoral Rolls at Mount Victoria, Hartley, New South Wales, Australia.

Painting of the British ocean liner RMS Olympic by Fred Pansing

On 2 Feb 1927, Herbert Trevail (49), Alice (50), Lance (16) and Carmen (10) sailed from Southampton to New York on the White Star Line's RMS Olympic. They gave their last address in the UK as 62 Milton Road, Wallington, Surrey, the home of Herbert's parents. On 29 Aug 1927, they left San Francisco, bound for Sydney, on the RMS Tahiti. (Known for the Greycliffe disaster.)

Herbert must have made another visit to England, because on 1 Mar 1933, he sailed, on his own, from Southampton to Sydney on the SS Moreton Bay.

In 1935, Herbert and Alice Trevail are both listed on the Australia Electoral Rolls at 3 Griffiths Avenue, North Bondi, New South Wales

On 8 Jul 1949, Mr H. F. Trevail (72) Builder, and Mrs A. M. Trevail (74), travelled from London (Port of Tilbury) to Sydney on the SS Orontes

Herbert Fleming Trevail died on 26 Nov 1961 in Ashfield, Sydney NSW.

Alice Maud Stanley Trevail died on 9 Mar 1965, in Dade, Florida, USA.

  • In 1923 Eric H S Trevail married Miriam E Tuppling, in Balmain South, New South Wales, Australia. They went on to have two children: Conway Eric Stanley Trevail who married Beryl Pearl De Berg and Lois Winifred Stanley Trevail who married Ross Munro Brown, both in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia in 1944.
  • Lancelot Edwin Stanley Trevail married Nancy Mary Harris Matthews in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia in 1935. However, Lancelot Edwin Stanley Trevail, Casket Maker, died on 6 Sep 1947, in Bondi, NSW.
  • On 30 Sep 1937, Miss C. J. S. Trevail (21) travelled from Wellington, New Zealand to Sydney on the MS Wanganella, her profession listed as Theatrical. Carmen Joyce Stanley Trevail married Leslie Earnest Hull in Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia in 1938.

Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Con Colleano and Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail

Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail and Con Colleano

Cornelius Sullivan (b. 26 Dec 1899 in Lismore, New South Wales), Theatrical, son of Cornelius Sullivan and Julia Robinson, married my 2nd cousin twice removed, Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail (b. 16 Sep 1900 in Lambeth, Surrey), Actress, daughter of Herbert Fleming Trevail and Alice Maud Stanley Blazey on 10 July 1926 in DetroitWayne County, Michigan. The marriage record states that they were married by the Associate Pastor of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, from which I deduce that the venue was the Central United Methodist Church (Detroit), although they were resident in Brooklyn, New York. Both stated they had not been married before.

While researching, I found a record of a marriage of a Winifred C Trevail, in Victoria, Australia, in 1919 to a Leonard Mendoza. It would take $20 AUS to obtain the certificate to see if there are enough clues to tell whether this is the same Winifred C Trevail, but just how many people named Winifred C Trevail are there likely to be in the same area? We know Winnie was in Melbourne before this, because in the Victoria Police Gazette of 11 Apr 1918, was: 

"TREVAIL, WINNIE theatrical, 7 McKenzie Street, Melbourne, reports stolen from the dressing-room, Bijou Theatre, Bourke Street, Melbourne on the 3rd inst. a diamond cluster ring, diamond in the centre set with other stones around, the centre stone is set a little to side, gold band at side of setting is wavy. Value £8." It's obvious this report is from "our" Winnie and hard to accept that a completely different Winifred C Trevail turned up in the very same area only a year later. Someone with the surname Mendoza even sounds like Winnie's "type". It's said that Winnie met Con, in Melbourne, Victoria, when she was 22. What can have happened to Leonard Mendoza? If he died, or they had divorced, Winnie would have listed that she was a widow, or a divorcee when she married Con. Was Winnie committing bigamy in 1926?

Known professionally as Con Colleano, Cornelius Sullivan, was the most famous and highest paid "swashbuckling circus performer with matinee idol looks" of his time, “The Australian Wizard of the Wire”. A member of the Circus Hall of Fame, Con Colleano is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to prefect the forward somersault on the tight wire. 

"Mrs. Winnie Colleano (neé Trevail) was herself a well known Australian Vaudeville Soubrette", dancer and trapeze artist." One article says that Winnie Trevail began appearing on the stage in Sydney as a child, but actually, she was performing before that in New Zealand. There in Lyttelton, New Zealand in 1909 - where her father's aunts, Ellen Higgs and Mary Ann Burn Trevail Bawden then lived - reports in the Lyttelton Times in Oct 1909 detail that Miss Winnie Trevail was appearing in one of the principle roles in a production staged by the Garrick Juvenile Opera Company, at the Opera House there. 

Trevail abandoned her own career in 1924 to travel with her husband.

Con Colleano on a slack-wire, circa 1920
Con Colleano, was of Aboriginal, Anglo-Irish and West Indian descent and adopted a Spanish persona and a costume of a ‘toreador’ or bullfighter.

Colleano’s Indigenous heritage was unknown to his fans – which included one of history’s most infamous racists - "Few people are aware of the fact that in the 1930’s, Adolf Hitler issued an Aboriginal Australian tightrope walker with a German passport so he could come and go as he pleased."

Passenger lists reveal that Cornelius Sullivan and Winifred C. S. Trevail left Southampton, England on 13 Sep 1924, on the RMS Berengaria (former SS Imperator), The first Cunard "Queen". This was their first trip to the US, so their port of arrival was the infamous Ellis Island, New York. Various sources tell us that, in 1924, Con made his debut at the New York Hippodrome before returning to the circus with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

There's also record of Cornelius and Winifred C Sullivan Colleano travelling from Southampton to New York, on the Berengaria, on 24 Feb 1937.

On 7 Jan 1938, Cornelius and Winifred (Sullivan) Colleano, left Sydney, bound for California, on the luxury ocean linerSS Mariposa (1931).

On 8 Sep 1939, Cornelius and Winifred Sullivan, listed as British, boarded the Italian ocean liner, SS Rex, leaving Genoa, bound for New York.

In 1940, they are shown arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

These, I'm sure are just the tip of a globe-trotting iceberg, but it was finding these records of voyages that led me to discover more of their story.

The former Albion Hotel (pub) at Forbes, New South Wales, Sheba, CC BY-SA 2.0

"Sadly Con and Winnie ultimately lost all their money indulging in a luxurious lifestyle, giving it away to friends and making a disastrous investment in a pub in outback Australia in the 1950s (what were they thinking?)."

Con Sullivan died, in Miami, Florida, on 13 Nov 1973 and in his obituary in The Stage, the wife of Con's brother is quoted as saying, "His wife WINNIE has cabled that she is broken-hearted because she found my dear brother-in-law lying dead, obviously she is too shocked to tell me more."

Winnie returned to Australia, where she died, in Sydney, in on 5 Jan 1986. 


I'm much amused by self-aggrandising family stories, but this one probably takes the biscuit. Several articles mention that Winnie "claimed descent from the Earls of Derby" and it appears the source of that quote is her brother, Eric, so it may well have been a story perpetuated in the family. A claim doesn't make it true though! And through which side would that be, I wonder? The line we share to the 'illegitimate born' former dyer who downgraded to labourer in Norfolk, or the bankrupted tenant farmer in Cornwall? Lovely people, I'm sure, but Earls or any other type of nobs they were not!

Sources (many of these links contain images):

Further reading: The wizard of the wire : the story of Con Colleano 

Wednesday, 3 July 2024

John Ridgeway and Ellen Norman

Building at Widhayes FarmUplowman

John Ridgeway (b. 18 Jun 1870), son of Thomas Ridgway and Ann Tooze, married Ellen Norman (b. 23 Dec 1871), daughter of James Norman and Harriet Woodland at St Peter’s ChurchUplowman, on 3 Jul 1892. Witnesses were James Norman and William Norman, the bride's father and brother.

The couple probably met at Widhayes Farm (Grade II Listed), as in 1891, John Ridgeway (20) Agricultural Labourer, had been lodging with James Wood at Widhayes, Uplowman and at the same time, Ellen Norman (20) had been employed as a General domestic servant in the household of Edward Chave (39), a prosperous Farmer, at the Farm, Widhayes, Uplowman. 

John and Ellen had three children: 
  1. William Henry Ridgway b. 1893 M Qtr in TIVERTON Vol 05B Pg 407
  2. Thomas Ridgway b. 1894 M Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 401 (Died 1894 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 261)
  3. Annie Elizabeth Ridgway b. 26 May 1895 (1895 S Qtr in TIVERTON Vol 05B Page 387), bap. 30 Jun 1895 at St Peter’s ChurchUplowman
The mother's maiden name on all three births was NORMAN.

In 1901, John Ridgeway (30) Cattleman on farm, Ellen Ridgeway (29), William H (8) and Annie E (6) were at Little Sellake, Halberton.

In 1911, still at Sellake, Halberton, were John Ridgway (40), Ellen Ridgway (39) and William Henry (18) Farm Labourer. The original census record confirms that the couple had three children - two living and one who had died - during their then 19 year marriage. Annie Ridgway (16) that year was working as a General domestic servant in the household of Retired farmer, Robert Pearce (89) at Locks House, Witnage, Sampford Peverell. 

In 1921, John Ridgway (50) Farmer was living at Whipcott, Holcombe Rogus with Ellen Ridgway (49).

In 1939, John and Ellen Ridgway, were living at Whipcott, Red Ball.

John Ridgeway of Whipcott, Holcombe Rogus, died on 22 Mar 1947 (1947 M Quarter in TAUNTON Volume 07C Page 340) at Gamlins, Greenham, Stawley. Probate was granted to Herbert John Howe, quarry proprietor and Arthur John Exton, solicitors managing clerk, leaving effects of £2282 12s.

Ellen Ridgway of Gamlins, Greenham, Somersetshire died, aged 80, on 11 Sep 1952 (1952 S Quarter in TAUNTON Volume 07C Page 179) at Mountbatten Nursing Home Taunton, leaving effects of £2942 9s 2d. Probate was again granted to Arthur John Exton, solicitors managing clerk.

  • After joining the Australian Military in November 1916, William Henry Ridgeway married Gertrude Hannah Goodwin (b. 14 Jan 1892 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) on 16 Jan 1918, in Brisbane. William Henry Ridgeway died, at 84, on 29 Oct 1977 and was buried, on 1 Nov 1977, at Pinaroo Lawn Cemetery, Albany Creek, Queensland, Australia. Gertrude Hannah Ridgeway died on 18 Sep 1984 and was also buried, on 20 Sep 1984, at Pinaroo Lawn Cemetery. (There's also a Raymond Francis Ridgway b. 1926, d. 14 Jun 1921, at that cemetery. Was he their son?)
  • Herbert John Howe (b. 31 Jan 1895), son of Walter Howe and Ann Hawkins, married Annie Elizabeth Ridgeway, in Wellington, in 1916. (Walter Howe, was a Carter on farm and general labourer, living in Holcombe Rogus village.) Herbert and Annie Howe had one son: Colin John Ridgway Howe b. 3 Feb 1933. In 1921, Herbert John Howe (26) Road Stone Quarrier, at Whipcott Quarries; and Annie Elizabeth Howe (26) were living at Whipcott, Holcombe Rogus. In 1939, Herbert J Howe "General Farmer, Quarts Owner, Haulage & Road Contractors & Quarrying", Annie E Howe "Assistant To Husband In Farming" and Colin J R Howe, were living at Gamlin's [Farm], Stawley, Somerset. Herbert John Howe (56) of Gamlins, Greenham, Somersetshire, died on 6 Dec 1951, leaving effects of £2796 2s to his widow, Annie Elizabeth Howe. Almost an entire column of the Crediton Gazette on 18 Dec 1951 was filled with the report on the funeral of Mr Herbert John Howe of Gamlins, "well known quarry owner and agriculturalist, who took a keen and active interest in local affairs", saying that "there was a large and representative gathering at Holcombe Rogus Parish Church." Annie Elizabeth Howe died, in 1970, at 75.
Stawley: Gamlins Farm
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Martin Bodman - geograph.org.uk/p/148474

Sunday, 16 June 2024

Joshua Barton and Mary Birch

Queensland, Australia [va Pixabay]

Joshua Barton (bap. 3 Jul 1886 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge), son of Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller, by 16 Jun 1915, had emigrated to Australia, because that's the date he married Mary Birch (b. 1 Oct 1894, in Queensland, Australia) there, daughter of James William Birch and Albertine Augusta Bucholz. Joshua and Mary were second cousins because Joshua Barton's paternal grandmother was Ann Birch (1812-1885) while Mary Birch was the granddaughter of Ann's brother, James Birch (1815-1879).  

The couple had at least one son:
  1. Thomas James Barton b. 27 May 1917 in Queensland, Australia
Joshua Barton died on 16 May 1968 and was buried at Caboolture Cemetery, Caboolture, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. His widow, Mary Barton, died on 26 Jun 1989, is buried with him.

While unpicking the two families of another pair of brothers who married two sisters: Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller and Peter Barton and Annie Fuller, inevitably, I encountered Thomas and Elizabeth Ann's youngest son, Joshua Barton, who was born in 1886, to whose record at FamilySearch, someone had attached records of a birth in 1888, merely stating the reason for doing so was "Correct Information", but offering no justification for why they believed this to be so. This is the genealogical equivalent of a red rag to a bull, because that just couldn't be right, so I sought to solve the puzzle ... These records belong to two different people, as the evidence shows.

This Joshua Barton was registered in 1886, so there'd be no need to register him in 1888. The person who attached the 1888 record - at a guess, probably someone related to the above Joshua Barton who went to Australia - had obviously missed the correct 1886 registration and, of course, if they ordered the birth certificate on the basis of that later one, they've got the wrong one

So, that just leaves us with the 1888 birth registration ... If it doesn't belong to this Joshua Barton, who does it belong to? The answer is, his nephew.

The India Gate War Memorial, New Delhi, India
Photo: Vikram Siingh Via Pixabay

Joshua Barton's older sister, Ann Jane Barton (b. 1864), had an illegitimate son in 1886 and then gave birth to a second illegitimate son, you guessed it, registered as Joshua Barton in 1888 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 268. There's no mother's maiden name on this registration, suggesting an illegitimate birth and, confirming that, he was baptised, as Joshua Barton, on 13 Dec 1888 at Holy Trinity, Hermon Hill, South Woodford, and the record clearly notes he was the child of Annie Barton, Single Woman.

Charles Edward Puffett and Ann Jane Barton married on 9 Jun 1890 in Woodford and from then, Joshua (b. 1888) used his father's surname.

The family was in Wanstead in 1891, and in 1901, Joshua Puffett (13) was living with his parents at 33 Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford. Yes, in the same row, at the same time, as his 14 year old uncle, Joshua Barton (b. 1886) who had been in the household of his parents in Lower Road, Woodford, aged 4, in 1891; in Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford at 14 in 1901 and, with his widowed father, in Woodford, in 1911, aged 24.

The Eastern Mercury of 29 Dec 1903, amongst other press, carried a story under the headline A PUGNATIOUS LITTLE POMPADOUR, "At Stratford, on Saturday, Joshua Puffett, 15, of 17, Oxford Terrace, and William Bass, 16, a private of the 2nd Essex Regiment, was charged with being disorderly and assaulting the police. Constable Sharp, 107J, said that at nine o'clock on Xmas Eve he found the two prisoners at Salway Hill, Woodford, in a fighting attitude. They were using very bad language, and when witness interfered, Bass struck him on the breast, saying "I belong to the 44th Pompadours; they are ----- to fight." Prisoners pleaded guilty; Bass saying he was home on leave and had had a little spree with some friends. Mr W W Glenny; "You may be a brave fighting little fellow, but don't interfere with the police, you are bound to get into trouble." Bass was fined 10s and costs, and Puffett 5s and costs." While it was Bass who was charged with assaulting PC Sharp, before you sigh with relief, he was likely a cousin as my 4x great-grandmother, Joshua Puffett's 2x great-grandmother, was Elizabeth Bass

The Woodford Times of 25 Sep 1908 with HAWKER AND DOG then informs us that, "At the Stratford Petty Sessions on Thursday, 17th inst., Joshua Puffett, 20, hawker, 25, Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford, was charged with having in his possession a dog wearing a leather collar, supposed to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained. P C Smith, 692K, said he saw the prisoner in Nelson road, Wanstead, late on Wednesday night, leading the dog with a pocket handkerchief attached to it's collar. Witness asked prisoner if the dog belonged to him, and he replied in the negative, and stated he did not know to whom it belonged. He added, "A man gave it to me at the Duke of Edinburgh public house, and I was going to take it home and bandage its leg up." Prisoner now adhered to this statement and called Henry Godsalve, potman at the Duke of Edinburgh, Wanstead, who stated that the dog had been hanging about the house for three or four days, and he told the prisoner he might have it. The bench stopped the case, and discharged prisoner.

Coincidentally or not, it was in 1908 that Joshua Puffett (20) of Woodford, Essex, joined the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry.

In 1911, Joshua Puffett (22) was with his regiment in Neemuch, India. 

By Aug 1914 the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry were in Nowshera, India (which is now in Pakistan.) Research carried out by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum reveals that "On 16th September 1916 he [Puffett] was admitted to hospital suffering from Malaria, but on 23rd September 1916 he underwent an operation for an appendicitis. Unfortunately he died from the effects of this condition on 26th September 1916." Records show Joshua Puffett was buried on 27 Sep 1916, cause of death listed as Apendicitis and Malaria. His grave, as are the others in Nowshera Military Cemetery, is one which the Commonwealth War Graves Commission can no longer maintain, so he's formally remembered on the Delhi Memorial (India Gate). 

J Puffett is also listed on the WW1 Board at Holy Trinity Church, South Woodford, the church where he was baptised (as Joshua Barton).

These pages are my notes on work in progress. Follow That Page can monitor changes, as further research is done. Where something is unconfirmed, I've tried to make this clear, but include the information as it may provide further clues.

General Register Office (GRO) references for births and deaths, where appropriate, are quoted, so that you can more easily locate certificates. I do not routinely purchase certificates for any, other than my direct ancestors, which I'm willing to share.

If you have information, certificates, etc., you can offer, please get in touch.