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

Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts

Friday 10 November 2023

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 secondSt. 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. (Sarah Elizabeth Tubb married Alfred Burgess Tregurtha on 12 Feb 1883. Sarah died on 25 Feb 1946. Both are buried at Williamstown Cemetery.)
  2. James Alfred Tubb b. 24 Dec 1861, GRO Reference: 1862 M Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 424, bap. 23 Feb 1862 at St Mary's Church, Portsea. (James Alfred Tubb married Evelyn Winch. James Alfred Tubb died on  23 Nov 1918 (aged 56) and is buried at Williamstown CemeteryWilliamstown, Victoria, Australia.)
  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.) Not included in the family grave in Australia, there was, a William Henry Tubb of the right vintage, who may have returned to Portsmouth.
  4. George Ernest Tubb b. 1866 J Qtr in SOUTH STONEHAM Vol 02C 65, bap. 8 Jul 1866, as George Emett Tubb, in Freemantle. Married Margaret Curtis, in Victoria, Australia in 1891. George Ernest Tubb, son of James Henry and Susan Tubb, died in Rylstone, New South Wales, in 1938.
  5. Nelly Tubb b. 1868 M Quarter in PORTSEA ISLAND Volume 02B Page 471. (Nelly Tubb married Walter Beverley Wood in Victoria, Australia, in 1890. Nelly Wood died, aged 25-26, on 12 Apr 1895.)
  6. Minnie Beatrice Tubb b. 1877 in Australia. (Minnie Beatrice Tubb married Henry John Manderson. Minnie died on 6 Jul 1967.)
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, the 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

Monday 10 July 2023

Con Colleano and Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail

Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail and Con Colleano

My 2nd cousin, twice removed, Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail, daughter of Herbert Fleming Trevail and Alice Maud Stanley Blazey was the wife of Con Colleano (Cornelius Sullivan), who was the most famous and highest paid "swashbuckling circus performer with matinee idol looks" of his time, known as “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. IMDB is the only source to list a date for their marriage as 10 July 1926, but does not say where.

"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, born Cornelius Sullivan, on 26 Dec 1899 in Lismore, New South Wales, 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.

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 died, in Miami, on 13 Nov 1973, after which Winnie returned to Australia, where she died, in Sydney, in January 1986. They had no children.


Were they really married? Who cares?

IMDB is the only place to list a supposed date, but not place, for their marriage. I've [so far] been unable find a record of a marriage anywhere in the world, which, of course, doesn't mean there wasn't one. However, in all the articles I've read about the couple, including Con's obituary, not once is the date and place of their marriage ever mentioned, which I find strange.

On the other hand, I did find 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 or not, but several things occur to me: Just how many people named Winifred C Trevail are there likely to be? One source claims that Winnie met Con, in Melbourne, which of course is in Victoria, when she was 22. Not hard to imagine she may have been there when she was 19. Someone with the surname Mendoza even sounds like her "type". Who knows?

I'm much amused by self-aggrandising family stories, but this one probably takes the biscuit - although no surprise perhaps among theatrical types. In several articles, it mentions that Winnie "claimed descent from the Earls of Derby" and it appears that the source of that quote is her own 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 

Monday 25 April 2022

Archibald Carle Heckmann and Daisy Rhoda Day

Brick Lane in the East End of London
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © N Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/7049342

Archibald Carle Heckmann (b. 1883), son of Napoleon Joseph Heckmann and Susie Lane, married Daisy Rhoda Day (b. 10 Feb 1881), daughter of Arthur Stephen Day and Mary Ann Ray (and sister of Arthur Wilton Day), at St Faith’s Church, Ebner StreetWandsworth, in the first quarter of 1900. 

The couple had two sons:

  1. Archibald Wilton Napoleon Heckmann b. 1901 M Quarter in WANDSWORTH Volume 01D Page 785
  2. Cecil Arthur Heckmann b. 1903 D Quarter in ONGAR Vol 04A Page 537
In 1901, they were living at 60, Fullerton Road, Wandsworth, with Archibald Heckmann (21) - he was actually only 18 - Gas stove fitter from Loughton, Essex, Daisy Heckmann (20) and son Archibald Heckmann (0).

But in 1911, while Archibald Wilton Napoleon Heckman (10) and Cecil Arthur Heckman (7) were staying with their grandparents, Daisy R Heckman (30) described as "Married Deserted 7 Yrs", was staying with her brother.

Archibald Carle Heckmann must have left shortly after the second child was born and there's no sign of him after that: completely disappearing, as I've not found him under that name, on any subsequent records, neither census, nor electoral rolls, nor death, nor passenger lists going abroad.

Son Archibald W N Heckmann died, aged 15, in 1916, in Marylebone, London.

On 25 Apr 1919, Daisy Rhoda Heckmann, daughter of Arthur Stephen Day, Photographer, married William Arthur Clancy at St Mary's Church, Leyton

One can only hope she knew of the death of her first husband, because I also haven't found a record of a divorce, which would have been rare at that date, and it was not until 1937 that desertion became a ground for divorce.

So far, I've found no further trace of William Arthur or Daisy Rhoda Clancy.

On 11 Mar 1921, Cecil A Heckman (17) Motor mechanic, embarked on the SS Euripides, in London, bound for Melbourne, Australia, giving his last address in the UK as c/o A Day, Photographer, High Street, Ongar. 

Cecil Arthur Heckman married Bessie Henderson Soutar, in 1932, in Victoria, Australia, so we can probably safely assume he settled there. 

But whilst we don't yet know where Archibald Carle Heckmann went, we do have some information on where he came from: 

Firstly, we have his grandfather's petition for Naturalisation in 1846: Johan Heinrich Heckmann of No 5 John Street, Chicksand Street, Brick Lane in the Parish of Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex, Fur Skin Dresser, states that he was born in EissenWarburg, then in the Kingdom of Prussia. He had been married for 13 years at that point, so married in 1833. His wife, also German, was Catharina Boss - the mother's maiden name on some of the children's births was Boss - and had lived in Tower Hamlets for 15 years, so since around 1831, when he would have been around 19 or 20. I've not found any record of his birth, or marriage so, we'll have to take his word for it.

In 1841, Johan Heckmann (30) Skin dresser, wife Cathe (30) and daughters, Helena (4) and Sophia (2) along with four others who were described as fur dressers, were living at John Street, Christchurch, Whitechapel.

Johan Heinrich Heckmann was the victim in a case of theft heard at the Old Bailey on 18 Sep 1848. Some 180 rabbit skins that had belonged to him had been stolen from an outworker. The two suspects, Thomas Saul and Richard Bailey, were found guilty and sentenced to be transported for seven years.

In 1851, now listed as John H Heckmann (39) Skinner & furrier employing 20 men, still at 5 John Street, Christchurch Spitalfields, Whitechapel, with Chatherina (sic) (39) from HombergHesse; Chatherina (sic) (18), Christina (16), Helena (13), Sophia (11), Margretha (10), Napoleon (5), Anna Sophia (3), Cleopatra (1) and Karl Boss (20) Brother-in-law, Fur skin dresser.

In 1861, J H Heckmann (49) Proprietor of houses, from Prussia Naturalized British Subject, had moved to 30, York Hill, Loughton, Essex, with Catherine (49), Catherine (27), Sophia (21), Margretha (17), Napoleon (15), Anne (13), Adelaide (12), Theodore (5) and Adolf Leity (33) Visitor from Berlin, Prussia.

On 4 Jul 1865, John Henry Heckmann of John Street and Samuel Street, Spitlefields and of Loughton, Essex, Skin Dresser and Brewer, was declared bankrupt. He was discharged from bankruptcy on 5 Dec of the same year.

In 1871, John H and Katherine Heckmann were still at York Hill, Loughton, as they were also in 1881. John Henry Heckmann of York Hill, Loughton, died on 11 Sep 1887. In 1891, widow, Catherine Heckmann was still living at York Hill, Loughton with two of her daughters, spinsters, Catherine (56) and Anna (43) and one servant. Catherine Heckmann died, aged 86, in 1898.

Napoleon Joseph Heckmann (b. 1846), son of Johan Heinrich Heckmann and Catharina Boss, married Susie Lane at St John of Jerusalem, South Hackney, in 1879. Susie claimed to be from High Beach (or High Beech), Essex, but I've not found a record of her birth and cannot identify her parents. 
Dr Septimus Swyer
In 1871, Napoleon Joseph Heckmann (25) 'wife's brother', had been living in the household of Septimus Swyer (35) at 32 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, Whitechapel. Dr Septimus Swyer, General Practitioner, had married Napoleon's sister, Agnes Christina Heckmann, in 1857. Much has already been written about this contentious character, from his apparent partnership with a medical fraudster Edward Morass who went under a number of aliases and his second wife's alleged bigamy, but most of all, in relation to Jack the Ripper, as a person of interest and a possible suspect. Circumstantially, at least. It's relevant, I feel, to mention that Septimus Swyer emigrated the United States and one of his sons emigrated to Australia and changed his name. 
In 1881, Napoleon Joseph Heckmann (36) Living on income, Susie (22) and son Napoleon J (1), with a Domestic servant and a Nurse, were at York Hill.

Second son, Archibald Carle Heckman, born 1883 S Quarter in EPPING Volume 04A Page 223 and baptised at High Beech, Essex on 4 Jun 1889.

Napoleon Joseph Heckmann died, at 45, in the first quarter of 1891 and was buried on 3 Mar 1891 at the Church of the Holy Innocents, High Beach

In 1891, Susie Heckmann (30) Widow, was Living on her own means, still at York Hill, Loughton with her two sons, Napoleon (11) and Archibald (7). There's a record of Susie Heckmann remarrying in the 4th quarter of 1893, in Holborn, London, but I've been unable to establish to whom.

If one were to follow every line, there might be more clues, but it's clear there's a laundry list of circumstances that might be motivations for disappearance in this family and they have practice: I'm not hopeful.