The twists and turns and children of Edward Atkins' past.

 ABOVE: Booleroo Railway Station

Pretty much all of the recent detective work on Edward Atkins has been done by fellow family researchers Luke (Atkins) Harris, a descendant of James Atkins,  and Kylie Nott and their attention to detail and time commitment is impressive.

Kylie's husband is a direct relation of George Lewis, Elizabeth Mashford Lewis's eldest son and so not connected with Edward Atkins directly, which makes her sterling efforts even more appreciated.

In the following exchanges the information may seem convoluted but ancestry research is a process and following the twists and turns does bring up clues and sometimes, facts. 

At this point in time, if we are to trace Edward's ancestry further than Wirrabarra Forest we need more information. I have contacted a Gloucestershire researcher but, as he pointed out, there are more than 400 parishes and registers to check so finding a particular place, as we did with the Mashfords in Coldridge, Devon, would be helpful and more economical in terms of time and money.

So we continue to wade through the ever-growing tidbits of our family history.

First of all here are some thoughts from Luke about possible scenarios:

“Atkins.-On the 15^th November, 1891 at the residence of his son-in-law, Whyte Park, Wirrabara, Edward Atkins, aged 84 years. A colonist of over 50 years, leaving 1 son, 5 daughters, 47

grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren to mourn their loss. Gloucestershire papers please copy”

Even with out doing any research, it was just common knowledge among my family that Edward Atkins had one son, called James Atkins and two daughters, called Mary Ross nee Atkins and Elizabeth Cox nee Atkins. Who the hell were the 3 daughters? And who was the son-in-law living at Whyte Park? And why was Elizabeth Mashford, Edward Atkins wife not mentioned in the Obituary? She was still alive at the death of Edward Atkins. As a result, we have a mystery.

When I looked up Whyte Park on the net all I could make out was that it was a homestead or farm located near Mt Remarkable and a place called Bangor, but it certainly did not throw any light upon the mystery of who the missing daughters were. As a result, I did some research and my last entry in my Family History journal is below:

I can only explain the three missing daughters of Edward Atkins by suggesting that either:-

·         Edward Atkins was married to an unknown wife in England before he came to South Australia. His wife died and for what ever reason left his daughters behind in England and he later arranged to bring them out to South Australia.

·         That there were more children born to Hannah McLeod and Edward Atkins. Edward Atkins and Hannah McLeod may have left South Australia and returned to England where she gave birth to three more daughters. This could explain why there is no death record for her to be found in South Australia and why there were no records of births of the three daughters in South Australia. This would also explain the missing years of Edward Atkins in South Australian records and why there was unclaimed mail for him in South Australia.

·         Edward Atkins remarried after the death of Hannah McLeod and had other children by another unknown wife while he lived in South Australia, but there is no evidence of this, as there is no marriage certificate and as there are no records of birth in South Australia for the three daughters.

·         Or Edward Atkins remarried another woman in South Australia who already had daughters and thus the three daughters mentioned in his obituary were in fact his step-daughters. However there is no evidence of this.

·         Or Edward Atkins returned to England after the death of his first wife Hannah McLeod in 1843 and remarried in England.  This would account for the missing years of Edward Atkins and explain why there was unclaimed mail for him because he was not in South Australia to collect his mail. It would also explain why there are no birth certificates for the three daughters to be found in South Australia.

Evidence

However, what is the evidence? At this stage, there are only two source of evidence for the missing daughters of Edward Atkins:-

• “The South Australian Marriages Index of Registrations 1842-1916”.
• The Death Certificates of Jane McKinnon nee Atkins and Margaret Newbery nee Atkins.

I decided to search the “South Australian Marriages Index of Registrations 1842-1916”. This book lists all the marriages that took place in South Australia between 1842 -1916 and gives brief details of the facts recorded on each of the marriage certificates. I looked at all the females recorded with the last name of “Atkins” who had a father called Edward Atkins and then looked at the time line of Edward Atkins. Edward Atkins has missing years between 1843 when Hannah McLeod may have died and 1849 where he is listed as living in the Clare valley Then in 1857 he married Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford. No record of him exists until 1849 when he was listed as living in the Clare Valley as a farmer, and 1857 when he married Elizabeth Lewis, nee Mashford. The result was the following:-

(1) James Stacey, He was 26 years of age at the time of his marriage. His father was named as Charles Stacey. James Stacey was married on the 8/4/1872 to Sarah Atkins who was 22 years of age at the time of her marriage. Her father was named as Edward Atkins. The couple were married at Saint Mark’s Church Penwortham. If Sarah Atkins was 22 years of age in 1872 then she was born in the year c1850. Sarah Atkins’ birth date matches up with the time line of Edward Atkins. This is because the last record of Edward Atkins was in 1849 living in the Clare Valley and 1857 when he married Elizabeth Mashford. 

As a result, Sarah Stacey nee Atkins became a contender as one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. This is because she was born after the birth of Edward Atkins first son Henry Edward to Hannah McLeod in 1843 and before Edward Atkins marriage to Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford in 1857. There is no record of a birth for Sarah Atkins to be found in the “South Australian Birth Index of Registrations 1842-1906” This could mean the birth was not recorded in South Australia, or she was born in England. Even if Sarah Atkins was born in 1850 in England and Edward Atkins was living in South Australia in 1849, it really makes no difference because researching family history dates are not always correct.

(2) John McKinnon, 24 years of age when he married Jane Atkins on the 25/12/1867 at Saint Mark’s Church Penwortham. She was aged 22 years at the time of her marriage. Her father was called Edward Atkins. If Jane Atkins was 22 years of age in 1867 she was born in the year 1845. Jane Atkins details matches up with time line of Edward Atkins. She was born after the birth of Edward Atkins’ first child Henry Edward in 1843 and before the marriage to Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford in 1857. As a result, she became a contender as one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. However, there is also no record of a birth for Jane Atkins in South Australia in the “South Australian Birth Index of Registrations 1842-1906”.

(3) Ann Atkins aged 24 years at the time of her marriage. The name of her father was not recorded. She married Walter Malyn on the 16/5/1854 at Holy Trinity Church. If Ann Atkins was married in 1854 at the age of 24 then she was born in the year 1830. Therefore, Ann Atkins dates match up with time line of Edward Atkins. However, her father is not listed. As a result the author discounts Ann Atkins as a possible candidate for one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. There is also no record of a birth for Ann Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”

(4) John Pole, 25 years at the time of his marriage. His father was called Richard Pole. John Pole married Ann Atkins on the 23/12/1887. Ann Atkins was 20 years of age when she married in 1887. Her father was listed as Edward Atkins. She was married at Registry Office. If Ann Atkins was 20 years of age in 1887 then she was born in the year 1862. This does not match the timeline of Edward Atkins because he was already married to Elizabeth Mashford. As a result, Ann Atkins is not one of Edward Atkins missing daughters. There is no record of a birth for Ann Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”.

(5) Richard Fox was 43 years of age at the time of his marriage. His father’s name is not recorded. He married Elizabeth Atkins who was aged 42 on 13/10/1852. Her father’s name is not recorded. The couple married at Christ Church O’Halloran.  If Elizabeth Atkins was married in the year 1852 at the age of 42 then she was born in 1810. Her dates do not match the time line of Edward Atkins because Edward Atkins was only born in the year 1813. As a result, Elizabeth Atkins could not be one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. There is no record of a birth for Elizabeth Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”.

(6) Henry Coches, 31 years of age at the time of his marriage. His father was called Charles Coches. Henry Coches married on the 9/2/1880 to Elizabeth Atkins. She was aged 22 years and her father was called Edward Atkins. The couple married at St John Church at Laura. If Elizabeth Atkins was married at the age of 22 in the year 1880 then she was born in the year 1858. Elizabeth Atkins dates do not match the timeline of Edward Atkins because he was married to Elizabeth Mashford in 1857. (NB: Although this could to be the daughter of Edward and Elizabeth who married a Cox or Coche?)

There is no record of a birth for Elizabeth Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”. As a result, Elizabeth Atkins could not be one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins.

(7) Charles Bown was 26 years of age when he married Ellen Atkins on the 17/11/1851. Her father’s name is not recorded, her age is not recorded. As a result, due to a lack of information the author cannot place her as one of Edward Atkins’ missing daughters. There is also no record of a birth for Ellen Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”.

(8) Edward Puddy was aged 26 years when he married. His Father was called Robert Puddy. Edward Puddy married Emily Atkins on the 4/5/1872. Her father was called Edward Atkins. However, her age is not recorded. The couple were married at the Residence of John Pole, a shepherd, at Booleroo Station. As there is no age for Emily Atkins at time of her marriage it is not known when she was born. As a result, she cannot be a contender as one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. There is no record of a birth for Emily Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”.

(9) Jasper Newbery was aged 30 years when he married Margaret Atkins. His father was called William Newbery. He married Margaret Atkins on the 24/12/1872. She was 25 years of age when she married. Her father was called Edward Atkins; The couple were married at the residence of John Pole Booleroo Station. If Margaret Atkins was 25 years of age in 1872 then she was born in the year 1847. This date matches up with time line of Edward Atkins as Margaret Atkins was born after the death of Edward Atkins’ first child Henry Edward and before the marriage of her father’s marriage to Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford. As a result, she became a contender as one of the missing daughter of Edward Atkins. There is no record of a birth for Margaret Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index of Registrations 1842-1906”.

So what conclusions can be extrapolated from the above information? There are three contenders that could be the missing daughters of Edward Atkins namely:-

1.    Sarah Stacey nee Atkins.

2.    Jane McKinnon nee Atkins.

3.     And Margaret Newbery nee Atkins.

 ABOVE: We need to find out where in Gloucestershire Edward Atkins came.

I would argue based upon known facts from the historical record, and some speculation, that the above three people are the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. I will try to explain my reasoning and rationale for his belief. However, researching family trees is not always straight forward and sometimes the research cannot be 100% correct so some speculation is needed. At the same time, the reader may come up with counter argument and there may be plenty of them. However, the facts, at this stage, points towards the below.

Jane Mckinnon nee Atkins.

1.  Her father was called Edward Atkins.
2.  Her date of birth fits in with the time line of Edward Atkins, which is, she was born between 1843 and 1857.
3. She lived in the Clare valley where Edward Atkins lived.
4.  She had 11 children which would certainly count towards the 47 grandchildren mentioned in Edward Atkins’ obituary when he died in 1891.

Sarah Stacey nee Atkins.

1.     Her father was called Edward Atkins.

2.     Her date of birth fits in with the time line of Edward Atkins. That is she was born after 1843 and before 1857.

3.     She also may have had, at one stage, lived in the Clare Valley because she was married in the same church that Margaret Atkins married in, namely St Mark’s at Penwortham. This is also the same church that Edward Atkins married Elizabeth Lewis nee Atkins in 1857.

Margaret Newberry nee Atkins.

1.    Her father was called Edward Atkins.

2.    Her date of birth fits in with the timeline of Edward Atkins. That is she was born after 1843 and before 1857.

3.     No record can be found of her having an association of living in the Clare valley. However, she died at Bangor. This small town is very close to Wirrabara and Whyte Park. Because Whyte Park is so close to Wirrabara that the author would argue that it was her husband Jasper Newberry, who placed the obituary concerning Edward Atkins in the newspaper.

Emily Puddy nee Atkins

Emily Puddy could also be one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins, but because her age is not recorded on the marriage certificate it is not known when she was born. However, she comes a close second to the other women mentioned above for two reasons.

1. Her father was called Edward Atkins.
2. She was married at the Residence of John Pole, a shepherd, at Booleroo Station. This is the same place that Margaret Newbery nee Atkins was married at and as a result, there may be a link between the two people.

So what conclusions can be drawn from the above information? Not a lot, except:-

• Edward Atkins could not have remarried another woman in South Australia who already had daughters because this would have made them his step-daughters  and the obituary mentions his daughters.  All of the women had their father listed as Edward Atkins on the marriage certificates.

When the second source of evidence is examined, that is the death certificates of Jane McKinnon nee Atkins and Margaret Newbery nee Atkins, more light is thrown upon the mystery to solve it. Jane McKinnon nee Atkins’ and Margaret Newbery nee Atkins’ death certificates state that they were born in Clare South Australia. As a result, three theories are discounted straight away:-

• Edward Atkins was married to an unknown wife in England before he came to South Australia. His wife died and for what ever reason he left his daughters behind in England and he later arranged to bring them out to South Australia.

• Edward Atkins returned to England after the death of his first wife Hannah McLeod in 1843 and remarried in England to an unknown person who died in England before giving birth to three daughters in England.

So what theories are left?

• That Edward Atkins remarried after the death of Hannah McLeod and had other children by another unknown wife while he lived in South Australia. There is no evidence of this, because a marriage certificate cannot be found and as there are no records of birth in South Australia for the three daughters. As a result, their mothers’ name is not known. As a result, this theory seems unlikely at this stage. The authors mother, while proof reading this family history journal has come up with the theory that Edward Atkins deserted Hannah McLeod and then married Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford. As a result, the marriage was bigamous. This could also be a reason why Elizabeth Atkins left her husband when the three daughters showed up.

However, there is no evidence of this which only leaves the most likely possibility.

• That there were more than one child born to Hannah McLeod and Edward Atkins.

I was more than happy with the above, but I could not get Emily Puddy nee Atkins out of my mind, because of the connection between her and Margaret Newbery nee Atkins. The connection was:-

3. Both their fathers were called Edward Atkins.
4. And Emily Puddy was married at the Residence of John Pole, a shepherd, at Booleroo Station. This is the same place that Margaret Newbery nee Atkins was married at and as a result, there may be a link between the two people.

 Then I did a quick count of the grandchildren of Edward Atkins when he died in 1891. When I did this I realised I had a problem because something was still not adding up.

Then Kylie you did your chart on all the possible grandchildren of Edward Atkins and the numbers added up. Fantastic, great work on your behalf. However, there was still a problem we now had 8 children of Edward Atkins this cannot be right because the obituary stated he only had six 6 children:-

“Atkins.-On the 15^th November, 1891 at the residence of his son-in-law, Whyte Park, Wirrabara, Edward Atkins, aged 84 years. A colonist of over 50 years, leaving 1 son, 5 daughters, 47

grandchildren, and 3 greatgrandchildren to mourn their loss. Gloucestershire papers please copy”

How can this be?

Edward Atkins had a total of 69 grandchildren of which 46 were alive when he died in 1891. I am very happy with this number.  However, something still does not add up. I now believe that all the above children are connected in different ways.

• All have a father called Edward Atkins
• All were born before his marriage to Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford. Not sure when Emily Puddy nee Atkins was born. (any ideas on this?)
• The number of children they had by 1891 when Edward Atkins died adds up to 46 grandchildren for Edward Atkins.
• All of them lived closed by to one another that is the lower mid north of South Australia.
• Twins run in a family tree. My Aunty Sharon had twins (however one died) James Atkins had twins , Ann Pole had two set of twins, and Jane Mckinnon had twins.

Thus I believe they are all related, but as mentioned the obituary of Edward Atkins states he had only 6 children.

I now believe that not only was Elizabeth Mashford deliberately cut out from Edward Atkins’ obituary, but so was Mary Ross nee Atkins and Elizabeth Cox nee Atkins. If we cut these two daughter out of the obituary then the obituary makes sense that he was surrived by 6 children. but when in reality, Edward Atkins was surived by 8 children all together. Why would the son-in-law who lived in Whyte Park keep Mary Ross nee Atkins and Elizabeth Cox nee Atkins' children in the obituary, but cut out Elizabeth Mashford, Mary Ross nee Atkins and Elizabeth Cox nee Atkins?

I do believe there was a break down in the marriage of Edward Atkins and Elizabeth Mashford. I cannot prove it with evidence, but I think there are enough clues to go by that leans towards a possible break down. The clues isolated by themselves do not add up to a breakdown in the marriage, but added together, I believe  add weight to the argument that there may have been a breakdown in the marriage.

1. Mary Atkins gave birth to her first child Edward Atkins at Gladstone in 1877 and not at Wirrabara where Edward Atkins was living. Did Mary Atkins and her mother leave Edward Atkins by 1877?

2. John Lewis died at his mother’s residence at Gladstone in 1888. Thus Elizabeth Atkins had her own home separated from her husband.[1] It is known that in 1875[2] she signed over some land in Gladstone to her son George Lewis so she may have been a woman with financial means and could have lived in her own home in Gladstone separated from her husband.

3.  Mary Atkins married Charlie Ross in 1888 she left her father’s name out of her marriage certificate. Her father was alive at the time of his daughter’s marriage so this could be a clear indication that Mary Ross nee Atkins had disowned her own .

4. Not one of Edward Atkins’ children from Elizabeth Mashford or his wife placed an obituary in the papers for Edward Atkins.

5. No story has ever passed down my family tree that Edward Atkins had any other children except Elizabeth, Mary and James. The story of Elizabeth Mashford's first marriage was passed down as family history which included George Lewis, but never any of the missing daughters.

Why there was a breakdown? We will never know and we can only speculate, but we will not know the truth easily. However, some reasons could be:

• Maybe there was a fight between Edward Atkins and Mary Atkins about having a child out of wedlock and Edward Atkins was a narrowed minded bible thumbing Christian and believed his daughter brought shame upon the family. Living in a small town like Wirrabara everybody would have known. Elizabeth Atkins nee Mashford sided with her daughter and both mother and daughter moved out of the home.
• Edward Atkins was the real father of the Mary Ross nee Atkins child?
• Mary Atkins accused her father as being the father of her child for some reason when he was not the father.
• There was a fight between Elizabeth Mashford, her children and the missing daughters of Edward Atkins.
• These above speculated reason could be the reason why Elizabeth Mashford, Elizabeth Cox nee Atkins and Mary Ross nee Atkins were cut out of the obituary because Edward Atkin's missing daughters took their father side in any argument with Elizabeth Mashford children and never wanted to have anything to do with them. This could explain the reason why no family oral history was ever passed down my family tree because Mary Ross nee Atkins or James Atkins never talked about their half sisters again.
• I think James Atkins name was kept in the obituary because he was the only male alive of Edward Atkins and the Atkins name had to be carried on by him. So regardless if James Atkins was involved in a fight or not he was important to be placed in the obituary because of his last name.

I also want to raise some issues about Hannah McLeod. I find it strange that not one of Edward Atkins daughters was called Hannah nor were one of Edward Atkins female grandchild were called Hannah. It seems to me that names were passed on down the family tree and this did not happen in this case. Should we re look at the marriage between Edward Atkins and Hannah McLeod do we have the right marriage here?

As an aside, the story of John Pole was a sad one. He was killed in a shooting accident. His wife remarried and then had her neck broken in a accident and one of their sons died in an awful death. There is a article 1917 newspaper about the Pole family. Very sad.

And then Kylie added her invaluable input:

In looking at the obit for Edward, we are missing three daughters.  I agree with Ros – that’s a lot of breeding for three women.  I approached it from the view, as with the grandchildren, we are only counting the ones alive “to mourn their loss”.  Also for a misprint or a miscount for that matter.

Anyway Luke, all the women I included did fit using your same criteria, as per the following:

(4) John Pole, 25 years at the time of his marriage. His father was called Richard Pole. John Pole married Ann Atkins on the 23/12/1887. Ann Atkins was 20 years of age when she married in 1887. Her father was listed as Edward Atkins. She was married at Registry Office. If Ann Atkins was 20 years of age in 1887 then she was born in the year 1862. This does not match the timeline of Edward Atkins because he was already married to Elizabeth Mashford. As a result, Ann Atkins is not one of Edward Atkins missing daughters. There is no record of a birth for Ann Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”.

Your theory is spot on except I think that it is 23/12/1867.  This is a cut and paste from Ancestry.com .  I also think it is just as well if they did marry in 1867.  They had 10 kids by 1887!   So if she was 20 when married, Ann was born in 1847.  She is definitely a contender.

Name:	Ann Atkins
Father's name:	Edward Atkins
Spouse Name:	John Pole
Spouse's Father's Name:	Richard Pole
Marriage Date:	23 Dec 1867
Registration Place:	Frome, South Australia
Page Number:	278
Volume Number:	73

(6) Henry Coches, 31 years of age at the time of his marriage. His father was called Charles Coches. Henry Coches married on the 9/2/1880 to Elizabeth Atkins. She was aged 22 years and her father was called. Edward Atkins. The couple married at St John Church at Laura. If Elizabeth Atkins was married at the age of 22 in the year 1880 then she was born in the year 1858. Elizabeth Atkins dates do not match the timeline of Edward Atkins because he was married to Elizabeth Mashford in 1857.

There is no record of a birth for Elizabeth Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”. As a result, Elizabeth Atkins could not be one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins.  Are you sure?

I thought this was Elizabeth Cox.  It was her children I included, her last was Joseph Mashford.  So yes she was born Dec 1857 I think, but she is Elizabeth’s daughter, please tell me if I am wrong here.  My other reason for this guess is that Coches only appears in the SA index this one time, according to Ancestry.com.  There are only two other entries in Australia out of all Ancestry.com records.  Do you have a different marriage record for Elizabeth Cox?

(8) Edward Puddy was aged 26 years when he married. His Father was called Robert Puddy. Edward Puddy married Emily Atkins on the 4/5/1872. Her father was called Edward Atkins. However, her age is not recorded. The couple were married at the Residence of John Pole, a shepherd, at Booleroo Station. As there is no age for Emily Atkins at time of her marriage it is not known when she was born. As a result, she cannot be a contender as one of the missing daughters of Edward Atkins. There is no record of a birth for Emily Atkins in the “South Australian Birth Index Of Registrations 1842-1906”.

I found the following death notice

PUDDY.—On the 12th August, at Wirrabara. Emily Paddy, relict of Edward Prentice Puddy. late of Wirrabara, leaving four daughters and five sons to mourn their sad loss, aged 80 years. Sadly missed

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931-1954)

Monday 20 August 1934

This makes her year of birth circa 1854.  Once again in the right range.  She is also a contender.

So we have:

Jane Atkins born c1845 married John Mckinnon         died 1928 

Margaret Atkins born c 1847 married Jasper Newberry  died 1911

Ann Atkins born c 1847 married John Pole

                                    Remarried 1888 Henry Hatch  I could find no children for Henry Hatch and Ann may have died in 1889 aged 40 at Glenorchy.  So she may not have been a twin.

Sarah Atkins born c 1850 married James Stacey  died 1896  (birth circa 1849)

Emily Atkins born 1854 married Edward Puddy  died 1934

Plus the three that we know about from Elizabeth.  Now the problem from the above is that we needed two dead by 1891.  I think it would be strange for a man not to count a daughter but to count the grandchildren especially the bastard if that was the reason.  But if it was Mary that is only two more children, so even if we exclude her children, we only need three more.  Ancestry.com is down at the moment but I will check that and the SAGS index later.  I used Ros’s method of (pregnancy) every two years to find a few extra that contain alternative spellings but there is still room for more.  We know from the death certs that we have the Mckinnon and Newberry lists correct.  Three more to check.

The above also could be ambiguous as to whether it is Hannah or not, without exact dates it is difficult, but if Hannah died with little Henry in Nov 1843, and Jane was born in 1845, there is time for Edward to remarry.  I can definitely see a marriage that was so short, and resulted in such a sad end not being mentioned and passed down.  Then again I cannot find any other marriages for Edward.  Without birth certs I am not sure how we will ever find out. 

I too had noticed the lack of a Hannah in any of the names, that of course could be a simple dislike of the name on the part of Hannah.  However, a few suggestions, one of the daughters is Emily, and everyone but Jane has a daughter Emily.  One of the daughters is Sarah, she named two daughters Sarah and Jane had a daughter Sarah.  Mary and Ann are also well represented.  It would help if we knew Edward’s mothers name.  It certainly leaves room for speculation.

NB: I think the names Emily, Sarah, Mary and Ann are an important focus for more research into Edward's family.

As to these women not ever being mentioned, Luke do you remember that story about George Lewis dying young, the Pole family reminded me of that, and also a story I was told, I can’t remember the details, something about someone falling of a cart and being run over and dying, but he wasn’t really a relation, well almost but not really and then there was a few other things that happened to them.   I couldn’t keep up with the relationship and didn’t take down the details, it just sounded like some gossip.

 If this is who they were talking about, I know why I couldn’t keep up.  Also when my husband’s Great Aunt talked about the family, she spoke of the Lewis line as station people from the Laura area.  I remember I was surprised to find so few after the way she spoke of them.  But I thought there was plenty on George’s wife side and perhaps she was talking about some of them.  I now wonder if she was talking about these people.  The Puddy name sounded familiar; a rather unusual name.

The other hope is that the local papers have a more detailed obit for Edward.  There are no papers for Gladstone or Laura on Trove yet.  Also the Register in Trove has a lot more corrections to be done. 

A few more months and we may have more information to deal with.  I have never seen multiple obits for any of the family during this period, only one was put in, usually repeated about two weeks later.  While the loving wife is an obvious omission, it includes one of her daughters as well as her son. 

So lets see if we can find the three extra grandchildren first.

---

[1] South Australian Advertiser Thurs 16^th February 1888 p 4.

[2] South Australia certificate of title Vol CCXXX 190.

Another family mystery solved

 Above: Edward Atkins was one of South Australia's earliest settlers and would have lived in settlements like this.

Another piece of the puzzle has been put in place. There has been more progress through the efforts of fellow family researcher, Kylie Nott who has found a death record for Mary Cann Mashford.

My great-great-great grandmother died in South Australia on November 14, 1850, just eight weeks to the day after her son George May Mashford died. John Cann Mashford had died a year or so earlier so it was a difficult time for Elizabeth Mashford Lewis. Within three short years of their arrival in the colony, Elizabeth had lost two brothers and her mother.

Mary Cann Mashford’s death is recorded by Josiah Mashford so we know we have the right person.

Given the fact that 24 year old George died just two months before his mother, one wonders if both died in the all too prevalent cholera and typhoid epidemics which ravaged the colonies and the times. No doubt the death record will tell us. However, having lost 26 year old John exactly 12 months and two days before the death of George May, Mary may well have died of a broken heart. 

However, as is the way of things with ancestry research her age doesn’t fit with previous information giving her an age of 61 at the time of her death which would have her born in 1789 and the age of 29 in 1818 when she married John Mashford. The 1841 census has her listed as 48 which would have had her born in 1793, but, if the death record is correct, she was actually 52.

The curious thing about this is that her marriage certificate registers parental approval which is normally linked with being underage. I have sent a query to the Devon researcher who has been helping out to ask if there were other reasons why parental approval would be required. One thing which springs to my mind and which may be completely off the mark, is whether Mary Cann was a ward or niece who worked for the family and therefore required permission to marry.

 Above: the first settlement in South Australia was at this point on Kangaroo Island.

The age discrepancies raise important questions and given the number of Canns in Devon at the time and how common names were, particularly Mary, with a nine year difference between the age of this Mary Cann and the Nymet Rowland Mary Cann previously mentioned, born in 1798, who married John Mashford, there is a chance that we may not have the correct Mary Cann in Devon.

The other piece of information is that a birth was recorded in Adelaide, on November 17, 1843 for a Henry Atkins, mother Hannah McLeod Atkins and father, Edward Atkins. This of course puts into question a birth year of 1843 for Jane Atkins McKinnon unless they were twins although surely this would have been recorded. An earlier mention of Jane did give her birth year as 1845 and this would work with our other calculations for the children of Edward and Hannah.

We also have a record of an arrival for a Hannah McLeod on the Eliza, from London, May 14, 1840 with a Daniel McLeod. This could be a brother as usually husband and wife would be mentioned as such but there is always the possibility that Hannah and Daniel were married and that Daniel died sometime between May 1840 and 1843 when Hannah married Edward Atkins

An E. Atkins is listed on the same ship, perhaps as a member of crew and this may well be our Edward which would fit with his more than 50 years a colonist at time of death. Fifty one years to be precise.  This would also make my great-great-grandfather one of the earliest colonists in South Australia, arriving just six years after the colony was established and four years after the first settlement and the founding of Adelaide.

In 1840, the year Edward arrived,  the Adelaide to Port Adelaide road was completed and the City of Adelaide council was elected with James Hurtle Fisher as mayor. The free passage immigration scheme, on which Edward Atkins and Hannah McLeod probably came to South Australia, was terminated due to lack of funds.

At this time there was a total of 1,013 hectares of cultivated land, some 959 horses, 16,050 cattle and  166,800 sheep. The population, excluding the indigenous Aborigines, numbered some 15,485 in the January census although neither Edward nor Hannah are mentioned in it. Perhaps by 1841 Edward had gone north to the Clare Valley to seek his fortune.

In the following year the Governor George Grey arrived in the colony and Edward John Eyre crossed from Fowler's Bay to Albany in Western Australia. A silver and lead mine opened at Glen Osmond, the first Australian mine and the South Australian Savings Bank was opened. 

The Adelaide Hospital also opened its doors and records show a total of 2,720 hectares under cultivation... some of it probably in the hands of Edward Atkins.

Edward and Hannah were amongst the earliest settlers to seek their fortune in Australia but the Mashfords were not too far behind. One thing which does seem unusual is that

if Hannah and Edward travelled on the same ship,and were both single, that they waited three years before marrying.

If a death record could be found for Daniel McLeod during this time it would lend weight to the theory that Hannah and Daniel were a married couple, despite this not being mentioned in the shipping register.

Then again, there were quite a few McLeods in the colony, some arriving as early as 1836 and perhaps Hannah was to be re-united with a husband in South Australia who had only a few short years to live. Or perhaps Edward went north to make his way and Hannah waited for him in Adelaide.

All conjecture of course and none of it crucial to the research

given that Hannah McLeod is not a direct descendant and there is no shortage of relatives appearing in our search.

The relative overload is hardly relative

I have received death certificates for Jane McKinnon and Margaret Newberry whom we believe were two of Edward Atkins daughters and both are shown as being born in the Clare Valley.

One slight hiccup might be the fact that Jane McKinnon, as referred to on the McKinnon family website is listed as arriving in South Australia as opposed to being born here. However, since I have the Jane McKinnon death record from details made available on that site I am wondering if they did not access a death record and instead mistakenly linked their Jane Atkins with another Jane Atkins who emigrated.

The Clare connection puts these two in the highly likely category and I think this puts to rest the theory that Edward returned to England after Hannah died and his other 'three daughters' mentioned in his death notice, were born there. This also leads me to believe that they are the daughters of Hannah McLeod Atkins.

We have no death record for her but then we have none for Edward Atkins either, despite having his death notice. This also suggests that living as they did in the Clare Valley and later Wirrabarra Forest, it was difficult to register deaths officially. 

The reason I believe Hannah McLeod lived longer than we thought is because two things were pretty much givens at the time; you got married and you had children and for men particularly, when they were widowed and left to care for children, they remarried quickly.

This makes me think that Edward's first wife Hannah may have died, perhaps in childbirth, a year or so before he married Elizabeth Mashford Lewis.

Jane was born in 1843 and Margaret in 1847. There is a record of an Edward Atkins arriving in South Australia December 31, 1842 and there is every chance he met Hannah on board or shortly after arrival. Although his death notice for 1891 states he is a colonist of over 50 years which means he had to have arrived in South Australia prior to 1841. However, time appeared to be more fluid and facts more flexible in the 19th century and it is much more likely that if he married in 1843 that he had arrived in the previous year.

Edward and Hannah married in 1843, perhaps because Hannah was pregnant with Jane, and by 1849 Edward is registered as living in the Clare Valley. With both girls born here it's a good bet that he and Hannah moved north to Clare shortly after they married or perhaps even before and they returned to Adelaide for the wedding ceremony. It is also a good bet that there were more children and we certainly know there was one more daughter because she is mentioned in the death notice.

ATKINS.— On the 15th November, 1891 at the residence of his son-in-law, Whyte Park, 'Wirrabara, Edward Atkins, aged 84 years A colonist of over 50 years, leaving 1 son, 5 daughters, 47 grandchildren, and 3 greatgrandchildren to mourn their loss. Gloucestershire papers please copy.

One other avenue to pursue for records is the Anglican Church archive to see if they have baptism records for the girls born in Clare.

We have a record from the South Australian Marriages Index of Registrations for  James Stacey, 26 years, father Charles Stacey, married 8/4/1872, To Sarah Atkins, 22 years of age, Father Edward Atkins, at Saint Mark’s Church Penwortham.

 

This seems to fit. The father is called Edward Atkins,lLiving in the Clare valley and got married in the same church as Edward and Elizabeth Mashford did. If Sarah Atkins was 22 years in 1872 then she was born in the year c1850. This matches up with time line of Edward Atkins.

There is a death record for Sarah Stacey, 47 years, North Koolunga, 30/7/1896, rel James Stacey, Dist of Clare. This is the same person as above because if she died in 1896 at the age of 47 then she was born in the year c1849.

Sarah Atkins Stacey is a good bet for the other daughter because she was alive at the time of his death. Also, North Koolunga where she died is in the region where Edward Atkins lived.  

Another possibility is Ann Atkins Pole, if the given age at marriage is wrong. It is less likely but the name Pole re-appears and so it must be considered.

John Pole, 25 years, father Richard Pole, married 23/12/1887, Ann Atkins, 20 (or 30) years of age, Father Edward Atkins at Registry Office. P1509. If Ann Atkins was 20 years of age in 1887 she was born in the year 1867.

However,if the age is wrong and she was born in 1857 it is possible and it is plausible in that this is the year Edward married Elizabeth Mashford Lewis.... he may well have been a widower, his wife Hannah dying in childbirth, left with a baby and two, three or more small children. I have not requested a death certificate for this one but I will do so.

Another possibility is Emily Atkins Puddy. Edward Puddy, aged 26 years, Father Robert Puddy, married Emily Atkins, age not recorded, on the 4/5/1872, Father Edward Atkins, at Res of John Pole, shepherd, Booleroo Station.  This was where Edward Atkins also worked as a shepherd.

And here, because of this and because of the Pole link and the fact that she married at the same place as Margaret Atkins Newberry, we need to take it into consideration.

So we have Jane 1843 and Margaret 1847 as very likely and Sarah, born 1849, extremely likely;  Emily, born between 1850 and 1852 as a possible and Ann born 1857, also possible.

Most women gave birth roughly every two years in the 19th century because breast-feeding until at least 10 months was a form of natural contraception. This suggests that Hannah and Edward probably lost one or two children between 1843 and 1847 or had at least one other living child and there were further pregnancies in 1853 and 1855, if not 1857.

 I think the number of grandchildren at the time of Edward's death, particularly given the ages of his children by Elizabeth Mashford, suggests that there were more than three children who survived to adulthood.

It is highly unlikely that Edward lost Hannah early in their marriage and married again. Family oral history records one marriage before Elizabeth Mashford and this suggests that Hannah lived until at least 1856 if not 1857, given the habits of the time which had widowers, particularly those with children marrying within months of losing their wives. In fourteen years of marriage Edward and Hannah probably had seven children, or at least seven pregnancies. 

So, along with Jane McKinnon and Margaret Newberry there is a good chance that Sarah Stacey, Emily Puddy and Ann Pole are also Edward's daughters. Edward left forty-seven grandchildren and given that at the time of his death James, Mary and Elizabeth might have had half a dozen, or no more than ten between them.... I haven't checked carefully but suspect it was only about seven.... it leaves nearly forty to be provided by three other daughters.

Jane and John McKinnon had eleven children and Margaret and Jasper Newberry had three. NB: New material became available in January 2013 revealing that Margaret and Jasper had more than three children, including a son. These details are published in January 2013.

It is hardly likely that the one unknown daughter living at the time of Edward's death had twenty-six children which suggests that there were other children who had married and had children of their own, but had died before him. 

The relative overload at this point is hardly relative but it is all a part of the picture of my family ancestry. There is always the chance that connecting with other family members information will emerge as it did with Kylie Nott, George Lewis's descendant, who provided the previously unseen photograph of Elizabeth Mashford Lewis Atkins.

In trawling through the past the threads become more complicated but more rewarding.

Confirmation of the Cann connection

ABOVE: Nymet Rowland woodland.

It looks like the Devon researcher has confirmation of the Cann connection in Nymet Rowland for the mother of Elizabeth Mashford Lewis Atkins.

This takes us no further toward explaining the family story of Elizabeth being a 'Lady' with noble parentage on her father's side but it does take us a step closer in tracing the family tree.

John and Mary Cann, as recorded in the Nymet Rowland records, which is a very tiny parish (pic of church below) it seems, with well kept records, had the following children:

Mary baptised 20 August 1798 who marries John Mashford and who we think is the mother of great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Mashford Lewis Atkins;

Stephen baptised 27 April 1800 -whose signature is on his sister's marriage certificate to John Mashford as witness - and

William baptised 31 March 1802.

We still have no death records for Mary Cann Mashford despite having traced them for most of her children. She seems to have disappeared after landing in South Australia in 1847.

She may well have re-married and changed her name and died in South Australia and if the children did not post death notices for her, there is no way of tracing her. She may also have moved to New Zealand with Jane but that is an avenue I have not yet pursued.

But clearly, my thought that the illegitimacy and 'noble links' may have belonged to Mary Cann Mashford have been disproved. Which leaves us pretty much nowhere in terms of putting that family story/myth to rest but it does leave us more advanced in terms of tracing the family lineage. 

In terms of where the 'May' name fits, as with George May Mashford, we have no clue other than a suggestion by the researcher that it may have been the surname of a god-parent, a May family being resident in the area at the time.

So many names, so many dates, so many relations!

Above: Elizabeth Mashford (Lewis) Atkins

Not a lot has happened in terms of research but the process continues to plod along. One of the things I did a couple of months ago was to join the Devon Family History Society although I have not yet had time to do much research online myself.

They did however send a very nice note welcoming me and since then I have had the help of one of their researchers, who has a family connection, which may well bear fruit. I started out looking for Charlie Ross, my Greek great-grandfather, and I still have that research to do, but I have been distracted along the way tracing the family of Mary Atkins Ross, his wife. That is partly because it is much easier to trace family who came from England than it is to trace them from Ithaca ... I think I am going to have to spend time there to do that .... but also because I knew nothing about that side of the family, other than the 'family story' which has been tantalisingly difficult to prove.

Then again, when I began this I did not have a photograph of my great-grandmother let alone great-great-gran Elizabeth and now I have one of each. And I have one of great-great-grandfather Edward Atkins. The sad thing is I do not have one of Greek Charlie Ross and that would be quite an achievement. But, who knows? I never cease to be surprised at how things come out of the 'woodwork' in this process.

So, here we are, with the list of names, dates and details growing longer by the month.
Sandra wrote:

I too have a connection with the surname of Mashford - my father's maternal grandmother was Catherine Mashford, born 1849 in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth. Incidentally that is also where my father was born! I can only trace my Mashford line back to a marriage of John Mashford at Kenton, near Exeter, in 1752. I have no leads as to where John was born, although I suspect that it was in the Coldridge (mid Devon) area.

I note that you also show your interest in the surname of Cann and from that I deduce that you descend from the marriage of John Mashford (son of John Mashford and his wife, Mary Labbatt) and Mary Cann. I am aware that several members of the family emigrated to Australia in the 1840's. John's nephew Joseph (only surviving son of John's brother Josiah) also married a Cann, namely Susan. Their daughter Ellen Jane Mashford married 1887 Charles Gove and emigrated to Queensland, Australia.


I am in intermittent contact with Fred Mashford of Whyall Norrie, South Australia and have been able to help him with his Mashford ancestors. His line backwards is the only one that poses few problems and is originally centred around Exbourne (mid/west Devon) and does not appear to tie in with those in the Coldridge area.

One of the problems with this sort of research is that weeks or months pass before any more work is done and names, dates and details disappear in a haze of different families, generations and events. I am thinking that I need to compile a name, date, event record as I go along. I have found that while the purpose of the blog was to record all of the research, and it does that, it is difficult to easily access records written in the past year or so.

Now, there is always a possibility that Fred Mashford is connected to our lot because Whyalla is in the mid-north, not far from Wirrabarra Forest, Gladstone and the Clare Valley. Sometimes the only way to make progress is to go off at a tanget and there are certainly a few tangents here. I sent a link to the blog which I am hoping will be forwarded to Fred Mashford just in case there are connections which are a little more concrete. The other course to pursue is the Queensland Canns, just in case they have information on Mary Cann Mashford.

Left: Edward Atkins

I replied:

Yes, my great-great-grandmother was Elizabeth Mashford, the daughter of Mary Cann and John Mashford. At least we think she is their daughter. A story has come down through our family that she was the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and she came to Australia because of this.... the wife of the said nobleman, urging it.


John and Mary (Cann) did have a daughter called Elizabeth who fits our Elizabeth's time frame and she was in her 20's when she emigrated which makes the 'story' a bit hard to believe. In addition, she travelled to South Australia with her mother Mary and her brothers George, John and Josiah and her sisters Jane and Mary Ann which also makes the illegitimacy story, or rather, the reason for emigrating odd. We have the shipping records listing them all, arriving in Adelaide in 1847.


I have wondered if perhaps Elizabeth was not a daughter but a niece although there are no death records for the Elizabeth born to John and Mary Cann so this seems unlikely.

I am now wondering if the illegitimacy story related to Mary Cann Mashford given that we have had one other family story proved correct but about Elizabeth herself and not her daughter Mary's husband, Charlie Ross, about whom it was told. The family story said Charlie died of gangrene poisoning but death records reveal he died of a heart attack and Elizabeth Mashford (Lewis) Atkins died of gangrene poisoning. So this makes me wonder if the family story is true, but about the wrong person.


At this stage I am trying to find out more about Mary Cann. Her brother Stephen Cann signed her marriage certificate but I do not yet know Mary's mother's maiden name.
We have some guesses because her first born George has the middle name of May and given that John took Mary's maiden name and Joshua took the middle name of Labbatt or Labbett, there is a good chance that Mary Cann's mother was a May.

I have since looked into my somewhat incoherent files and realised that Luke Scane Harris had some information on Mary Ann Mashford as follows:

At some stage, Maryann Mashford moved to Victoria and married a William Mollison Strachan on the 14th July 1855 aged 24 years . She had four known children whose names are as follows :-

• Josephina Stranchan, Born Richmond 1856 .

• William Donald Stranchan, Born Richmond 1859 .

• Donald Stranchan Born, Richmond 1860 .

• James Stranchan, Born Richmond 1863 .

There is a record of a death of a Maryann Strachan in 1897 in Carlton Victoria .
 
He also lists Josiah Mashford's children although this does not include a Joseph Mashford so either he is not listed, or the record has not been found, or names have been mixed up. Yes, it does get confusing.
 
Josiah Labbett Mashford had four children, as far as we know, probably with Fanny Heyward whom he married in Adelaide in 1852, although not necessarily because  when he married Bridget O'Neil, on June 15, 1885 at St Ignatius Church, Richmond, Victoria, he lists himself as a widower, but wasn't and states on the marriage certificate that he had two children:.
 
The four names we have so far are:
 
• Mary Maria Mashford ,Born Maldon 1854 .


• Henry Charles Mashford, Born Coch? 1862 .

• George Herbert Mashford, Born Bealiba 1870 .

• Isabella Mashford, Born Bealiba 1872 .

Above: Mary Atkins Ross (left), Edward Atkins and Elizabeth Atkins Cox.

And today I had a reply:

Sorry for the delay in letting you know that I did get to the Record Office last Thursday but was unable to check Chawleigh registers as all the readers were booked. Will keep trying!

Devon Family History Society has spent several years indexing all Devon marriages from 1754 to 1837, baptisms from 1813 to 1837 and burials also from 1813 to 1837. There is a very small proportion not covered as the registers are still at their respective churches but all our hard work has now been made available on Findmypast and I have a full subscription so can access these records at home. Nymet Rowland is one of the more unusual parishes in that burials have been taken for a wider period - hence the knowledge of the Stephen burial above.


In 1841 census Mary Mashford, nee Cann is shown as age 48 - do you have anything that might corroborate/refute this age? Also do you know if any of the Cann clan also emigrated?


Hmm, so the Stephen and Mary Cann birth records I found may not be our lot. Then again, they may be. The dates and place are close enough to be right.

My reply was:

According to our research, John Mashford married Mary Cann on May 29, 1818 in Coldridge, Devon. John died some 18 years later at the age of 39 and was buried on May 5, a few weeks before their wedding anniversary, in 1836 in Coldridge, Devon in the parish of Coleridge. Within eight months their youngest child Emma would be dead. One-year-old Emma was buried on January 25, 1837 in Coldridge, Devon.


Mary Cann Mashford was a widow with six surviving children: Elizabeth, aged 16; John Cann, aged 13; George May, aged 10; Josiah Labbett, aged 8; Mary Ann, aged 5 and Jane, aged 3.


She is next recorded as a publican so perhaps there was some money left when John died for this. Her son Josiah also became a publican in Australia so this is a link which suggests it is our Mary.


However, as we have found and I am sure you know, ages change frequently on marriage records at least and no doubt on census records. And they may well be wrong on death records but we have done better in our tracking birth dates by using age at death.


The next information we have is a report of passengers arriving in South Australia in 1847 on the Princess Royal:


This lists Mary Mashford and child (Jane, who remained in Australia and married and later moved to New Zealand)


Mary Ann Mashford (who also remained and married) Jane and Mary Ann sailed for Melbourne in 1848, returned briefly the following year and then returned to Victoria.)


Elizabeth Mashford (my great-great grandmother who married Peter Lewis in 1848 and Edward Atkins, my great-great grandfather in 1857)


George May Mashford (who died in Adelaide in 1855) NB. Later found to be September 14, 1850.
John Cann Mashford (who died in Adelaide in 1849.
Josiah Labbett Mashford (moved to Victoria, married twice, ran a hotel, went bankrupt, was cited for bigamy, died in Melbourne at an advanced age.)


We have found no record of Mary Cann Mashford's death in Australia although even as I write this I am thinking that we have not checked New Zealand where Jane moved in the 1870's or so. NB: Mary Cann Mashford died Adelaide, November 14, 1850.

So now it is a matter of waiting to see what else comes out of the research woodwork.

A respite of sorts

I have not been able to do much research and I am in the process of getting a UK researcher to do some hunting for me on Edward Atkins' origin and possibly, looking further into the Elizabeth Mashford story.

I am hoping that I will soon have Edward's death certificate and one for Jane Atkins McKinnon and that it may lead us further on the path.

I haven't had the time to do a Trove hunt which has been useful in pulling up information, but intend to do so soon.

Meanwhile, watch and wait. It is easy to forget how much we have learned so far while pondering how much we still do not know.