Last night I was in the FamilySearch Family Tree looking at the parents of Ann Thompson who married William Buchanan, my great grandfather's older brother.
I was surprised to see that Ann now had an older sister by the same name, and she had two older brothers named Robert. And her older brothers Robert and William were shown as having an unknown mother.
How did this happen? A few years ago I was contacted by an Australian researcher who had found the Australian records for this family, I thought we had things sorted out, but it was time to look at these sources again and compare them to the Canadian records.
As I looked at the sources, I realized that the confusion seemed to come from Ann's father James' death record from the state of Victoria, Australia. This record lists James' children and approximate ages. From this, it is easy to assume that all of the family lived and died in Australia. Ann's mother Jane's Australian death record also lists the children, but without their ages.
Fortunately, the Thompson family's immigration was financially assisted by the British government, and governments like to keep records of such things. The family came to Australia aboard the Epsom in 1855. Interestingly the three oldest children (Robert, William, and Ann) are not listed with the rest of the family.
The Australian probate record for James, says specifically that Robert, William, and Ann were in America at the time of their father's death in 1871. So the duplicate Family Tree records for Robert and Ann (presumably created from James' death record) could be safely merged into the records where they died in America.
I was getting things cleaned up. But did Robert and William really have a different mother than the other children? Janes' death record lists them as her children, but she would probably do this if they were step children. An important question was "When was Jane Long born?" Each source gives a different year. The immigration record says she was 51 in 1855, so born about 1804. But James' death record says he was born in 1785 and married Jane Long in Parish of Longfield, County Tyrone, Ireland; when he was aged 22, Jane's death record states that she was 20 when she married, which places her birth in 1787. I believe this to be true. So I merged the record for the unknown mother into Jane's record and changed her year of birth to 1787.
The Canada Census records for Robert, William, and Ann match, although the years of birth are not always consistent. The mysteries seem to be resolved.
Why would the parents' ages on the immigration document be so much younger? Perhaps they thought that being listed as younger would improve the chances of being accepted for government-assisted immigration. The move to Australia would greatly improve the prospects for their large family,
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For reference:
James Thomson death certificate: (These registrations span two pages)
Deaths in the District of Duck Ponds in the Colony of Victoria Registered by James Blair
Died: 13th October 1871, Shire of Corie, County of Grant, Parish of Moranghurk, Duck Ponds
Name and Profession: James Thompson, Coster; Sex and Age: Male, 86 years;
Circumstances: old age and general debility, 2 weeks, last seen by: Dr. John Day, 8th October 1871
Parents: Robert Thompson, tanner; Margaret Thompson M.N. Thompson
Informant: William M Clellan, son-in-law, Duck Ponds
Registration: James Blair, 15th October 1871, Duck Ponds
Burial: 16th October 1871, Geelong Cemetery
Minister: Revd George Goodman, Church of England Clergyman; David McKay, James
Alain, John Currie, witnesses
Born: Parish of Longfield, County Tyrone, Ireland; Resided in Victoria 16 years
Married: Longfield, County Tyrone, Ireland at age 22 years to Jane Thompson, M.N. Long
Children: Robert 60, William 57, Ann 50, John deceased, James 40, John 38,
Gerrard 35, Margaret [illegible], Alexander [illegible], Jane 28, Catherine 26.
This is an index to Registers of Assisted British Immigrants 1839-1871
Family Name Given Name Age Month Year Ship Book Page
[Sorted by age]
Family Name Given Name Age Month Year Ship Book Page
THOMPSON JAMES 53 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 76
THOMPSON JANE 51 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 76
THOMPSON JAMES 25 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 82
THOMPSON JOHN 23 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 82
THOMPSON GERRARD 20 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 82
THOMPSON MARGT 18 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 81
THOMPSON ALEXR 14 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 82
THOMPSON JANE 12 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 76
THOMPSON CATHERINE 10 APR 1855 EPSOM 12 76
[Note that the parents seem to be shown as younger than their real ages, possibly to increase the probability of being accepted for government-assisted immigration.]
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA, IN ITS PROBATE JURISDICTION
In the estate of James Thompson late of Geelong in the Colony of Victoria, Laborer, deceased Intestate
I, Gerrat Thompson, of Ballarat in the Colony of Victoria, Laborer make oath and say –
1. That I am seeking to obtain administration of the Estate of the above named deceased.
2. That the said deceased died on the sixteenth day of October one thousand eight hundred and seventy one Intestate and was at the time of his death a widower and unmarried.
3. That the said deceased left real estate in the Colony of Victoria of the value of sixty pounds and personal Estate in the said Colony of the value of twenty one pounds.
4. That the said deceased left him surviving five sons and four daughters all above the age of twenty one years namely Robert and William and Ann at present residing in America, John at present in New Zealand, Alexander at present in Queensland, Margaret now the wife of William McClelland of Lara, Jane now the wife of Gabriel Hunter of Ballarat, Catherine now the wife of George B Hogg of Ballarat in the said colony and me this deponent who are his only surviving next of kin entitled by law to share in his property.
5. That I am the person entitled to administer the estate of the said James Thompson deceased Intestate and I am the only son of the said deceased hereof in the Colony of Victoria.
6. That I have made careful enquiry and search but am unable to find any Will of the said deceased.
7. That if I obtain administration, I will well and truly collect and administer according to law, to the best of my knowledge and ability, the property, lands and heriditaments, goods, chattels, and credits of the said deceased at the time of his death, which at any time after shall come to the power or control, hands, or possession of me as his administrator or of any other person or persons for me: that I will make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the property, lands and heriditaments, goods, chattels, and credits of the said deceased which shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of me, or to the hands or possession of any other person or persons for me, and the same so made will sign with my proper handwriting, and will exhibit and deposit, or cause to be exhibited and deposited, the same inventory in the office of the Master-in-Equity within three calendar months next ensuing the order granting administration; and, further, that I will make or cause to be made a true and just account of the administration of [document apparently continues on the next page]
