Remembering dad on what would have been his 103rd birthday.
Carl Maynard Rines
84 Years ago today…
A reminder came up on my Ancestry account, notifying me of the 84th anniversary of the marriage of my father Carl’s older sister Viola Margaret Rines to Ernest Ashton Pilbrow. I don’t have a huge number of photos from the extended Rines family but this is one of my favourite photos from my family album.
As per the info on the back of the image, the photo was taken in 1942. Viola and Ernest were married in Kingston on October 22, 1938.
Felix Fortineau L’Oiseau
Felix Fortineau L’Oiseau, aka Forge Bird, was the eldest brother of my maternal grandmother Alice Doris L’Oiseau.
Like many of my L’Oiseau relatives, Fortineau anglicised his name. It was never legally changed, but over the years he adopted the name Bird.
When I started researching my maternal line I compiled a list of all my grandmother’s possible siblings. Many of the names came from stories told by my mother, some came from my memory of people I had met as a child, and others from unproven family trees I had found online.
Over the years my research came together and I managed to untangle the misspelled and miss-pronounced names. I compiled a list of eight siblings and started working on proving their identities and relationships. Eventually, I had information on six of Alice’s siblings, but the eldest and youngest were proving a challenge.
The name Fortineau L’Oiseau was a name that appeared in numerous family trees online, but I couldn’t find any proof that he was a member of Alice’s family. Not a single tree I found had records to back up this assumption. I eventually found a marriage certificate that listed Alice’s parents as his parents, so I knew he was her brother. Unfortunately, that was all I could find at that time so I moved on to other research.
A recent inquiry about the L’Oiseau family from a cousin on my paternal side prompted me to take another look for the missing information. I had never been able to locate a birth or baptism for Fortineau by searching the databases, so I decided to look over the digitised images of baptisms for St Mary’s Cathedral on Family Search. It took a while, but I eventually found his baptism record and discovered that he had been baptised on May 6, 1894. I now had proof that he was Alice’s brother.
The question now was – What happened to him after his marriage? I don’t recall my mum ever mentioning him so I assumed he had left their hometown of Kingston or possibly had died before my mother had been born.
I started searching old newspaper articles using various combinations and spellings of his name. Narrow searches didn’t work so I did a broader search of the name Bird between 1900 and 1966. Eventually, I came across the following clipping:
Finally, the mystery of Fortineau L’Oiseau has been solved, and I now know the names of his five children. Although not my direct ancestors, researching these “collateral relatives” could provide information that may be helpful down the track.
Collateral relatives
When building a family tree many decide to only focus on their immediate ancestors. This approach is fine, but a lot of information on your immediate ancestors can be gained by focusing on “collateral relatives.”
So what is a collateral relative and why are they important?
A collateral relative is anyone you are related to who isn’t your direct ancestor. This could be an aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin, etc.
A collateral relative can be an important piece in a puzzle when researching your direct ancestors, possibly holding the key to the identity of that ancestor. If you already know the name of your direct ancestor a collateral relative may provide other details about that ancestor that will help you get an insight into the lives they lived.
In my research collateral relatives have not only provided important information in helping solve some of my brick walls but I’ve also gained information and images of known ancestors that I would never have found if it was not for these distant relatives.
Read more about the importance of collateral relatives here.
100 years ago today…
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the marriage of my maternal grandparents Joseph Freeman Jamieson and Alice Doris L’Oiseau.
Joseph and Alice were married on October 2, 1922 in Kingston, Ontario Canada. Very little is known about their marriage and no photos exist. The above photo was taken at the wedding of their daughter Shirley in 1953. I have previously shared this photo here on my blog, but it is the only photo that I have of them together.
There is very little additional information on their marriage certificate, but I do know that her younger sister Mary Ann L’Oiseau (Rawley) and her husband Sanford Rawley were in attendance as they are recorded as witnesses.
Joseph and Alice were married for 33 years and raised eight children together. Joseph died on August 5, 1955. Alice died on December 6, 1966. Both are buried at Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
52 Ancestors – Identity
The prompt this month for 52 Ancestors is Identity.
Solving the Mystery of Cyril Clyde Orchard
When my mother-in-law Leslie died in 2013, I inherited a very large box of her family history research. She had spent many of her retirement hours researching my husband’s paternal lines, but her father-in-law, my husband’s paternal grandfather, Cyril Clyde Orchard remained a brick wall. Over the years she had recounted a few stories about Cyril, and her thoughts about his origins. She believed that his mother had come from a family with the surname Grace and that his father was an unknown Orchard.
Based on knowledge passed down by close family members, I knew that Cyril Clyde Orchard was born in Kyogle New South Wales in 1910, and that his mother was a young woman by the name of Sarah. At the age of three, Cyril was removed from his mother’s care and placed in the care of a woman by the name of Mrs Wall in Dirranbandi, Queensland. It was unknown why Cyril Clyde was removed from his mother as there were no records. There was a bit of speculation but nothing with any proof.
Three years ago, my husband took a DNA test with Ancestry, in the hope that it might provide some clues to help solve the mystery of Cyril’s origins. The results provided numerous matches, mostly distant. The few close matches were at the second cousin level. Using the Leeds Method I sorted his matches and I was able to identify his four grandparent’s lines. I could easily identify and connect matches that descended from his maternal grandparents, Stewart and Keen and his paternal grandmother’s Henningsen line. The fourth group had to be the Orchards.
Although the matches on the Orchard line weren’t ideal, it gave me a place to start. I studied each, looking at their trees and building out trees for those who didn’t have extensive ones. I looked at shared matches in the hope of finding a common ancestor or ancestor couple.
It took many months and countless hours but eventually I was able to construct a hypothetical family tree. Based on all the trees of the matches, I was able to find a pathway to two sets of ancestor couples – George Orchard and Caroline Mallett and John William Wallwork and Letitia Byron. Now that I had determined the MRCAs (Most Recent Common Ancestors), I had to start working my way backwards and learn everything I could about their children.
While I was working through the DNA, I was also chasing the paper trail. I had ordered Cyril’s birth certificate and through that I discovered that Cyril was born out of wedlock. His mother’s name was Sarah Orchard but there was no father’s name recorded. Now that I knew the Orchard name had come from Cyril’s mother, I knew the Wallwork line had to be his paternal line.
Through DNA connections I was able to determine that Cyril’s father was most likely one of three brothers, sons of John William Wallwork and Letitia Byron. Unfortunately, for now this is as far as I have been able to go, but I do have my favourite candidate based on details that I’ve learned.
Having done as much as I could with Cyril’s paternal line I was able to go back to working on his maternal line, which I now knew was the Orchard line. My next step was to determine who Sarah’s parents were.
As I knew little about Sarah, I compiled a list of every Sarah Orchard that I could find in Australia, and then I eliminated them one by one. Finally, I was left with a Sarah Orchard, who’s age according to the NSW birth index was closest to the age of Cyril’s mother as recorded on his birth certificate. Feeling confident that I had narrowed it down to the correct Sarah, I ordered a copy of her birth certificate.
Upon receiving the birth certificate, I discovered that Sarah was also born out of wedlock. Her mother’s name was Mary Ann, her father wasn’t named. I learned that Sarah’s birth had been registered by her grandfather John Orchard and a witness on the certificate was Ann Orchard.
Now, I knew that George Orchard and Caroline Mallett had a son named John, and he had married Anne Little. My husband also had numerous DNA connections to the Little family, so I knew I was still heading in the right direction.
I ordered Mary Ann’s birth and death certificates as well as a Marriage certificate. I also ordered the birth transcriptions for two children born to Mary Ann. The information contained in the various certificates, along with DNA connections, confirmed that I had managed to identify Cyril’s mother and her mother and connect them back to the ancestor couple George Orchard and Caroline Mallett.
Cyril Clyde Orchard was the son of Sarah Orchard, who was the daughter of Mary Ann Orchard. Mary Ann was the daughter of John Orchard and he was the son of George Orchard and Caroline Mallett. The Orchard family had immigrated from England in 1856. You can read their immigration story here.
So, having made good progress on the origins of Cyril Clyde Orchard my curiosity about his mother Sarah will steer me towards my next big project… Learning more about Sarah and trying to identify her father.
52 Ancestors – Conflict
When I first signed up for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge I planned to follow through and post something each week based on the weekly prompt. As it often does, life gets in the way and I found myself missing the first weeks of June. So, rather than playing catch-up, I decided to switch and follow the monthly theme instead.
The theme for June is Conflict which can be interpreted in many ways. I decided to turn inward and face the inner conflict that I’ve experienced over the past four years and finally share my DNA story.
Up until Mother’s Day 2018 my family tree was pretty straight forward. I had a mum and a dad and I had identified several generations of ancestors. I knew exactly who I was and where I came from. The only mystery in our family was the origins of my husband’s paternal grandfather.
My daughter and I had discussed doing the Ancestry DNA test with the hope that it would provide some clues into the origins of my husband’s grandfather, Cyril Clyde Orchard. My daughter was keen to take the test, so I ordered one for her. The test arrived in March, she spit in the tube and we sent it in.
Shortly afterwards my daughter headed off to the UK and life continued as usual. On Mother’s Day Sunday I woke up to a message from my daughter that her results were in and I should go check it out.
As I looked through her DNA matches. I noticed three close family matches that I didn’t recognise. I didn’t think much of it at first, then I started digging a little deeper and noticed that she didn’t have a single Rines match. There were Jamieson and L’Oiseau matches but out of the thousands of cousins she had, there wasn’t a single Rines.
I’ll never forget the moment the penny dropped, and I realised what was happening. My dad Carl was not my biological father. I was devastated. At that moment I felt like I had just lost my dad all over again. It took me weeks to process the information and even longer to accept the reality. My whole identity was now in question. At least that was how I felt.
I ordered a test for myself, even though I already knew the truth, and my journey of discovery began.
So why am I sharing this story? As a family historian I feel that it’s important to be truthful and as accurate as one can be when presenting a family tree. My family tree is public on Ancestry and my DNA is also set to public. (My DNA matches can see we connect). At first glance one can see my parents are Helen Jamieson and Carl Rines, but if you have a really good look around you can see that I have a second father and more ancestral lines.
Carl will always be my dad. He was the man who raised me and was there for every important event in my life. He knew the truth, but he never once treated me as anything other than his daughter. He loved me as his own and I as far as he was concerned, I was his.
My parents took the secret to their graves. And although I would love to be able to know more about the situation, it’s probably better that way. I am who I am, and I have three parents. My dad, my mum, and my biological father. At least that is the way I now see it.
So, from a family history perspective I now have even more ancestral lines to research.
The above photo of me was taken Christmas 1968. My mum gave it to me the year after my dad died. It was the only photo that Dad carried in his wallet – He carried it for over 30 years. If ever I need perspective, I just think of this photo.
Week 21 – Yearbook
The prompt at 52 Ancestors this week is Yearbook, so I decided to try to find information about my mother’s high school years.
According to my mother, she attended high school at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute (KCVI). For most of my life I was told that she had to leave high school in year 10 to help her mother when her youngest sister was born. As mum got older the story changed and she talked about graduating from year 12.
To try to solve the mystery, I turned to the website KCVI and QECVI Legacy Website. Although I was unable to find any mention of my mother, the website which holds copies of old yearbooks, gave an interesting insight into high school life at the time my mother would have been attending.
Week 20 – Textile
The decline of the woollen mills in Bradford- Upon- Avon was likely a contributing factor in my husband’s fourth great grandfather, George Orchard, deciding to leave the UK and move his family to Australia in search of a better life.
George Orchard and Caroline Mallett
George Orchard was born in Bradford-Upon-Avon, (Bradford) Wiltshire England in 1817. Although the exact date of his birth is unclear, he was baptised at Holy Trinity Church in Bradford on April 7, 1817.[1] George married Caroline Mallett on Feb 02, 1836, at Holy Trinity Church in Bradford.[2] Their first son Henry was born shortly after their marriage on March 03, 1836.[3] Over the next 21 years, George and Caroline lived, worked, and raised their children in the town.
On the 1841 census, George and Caroline are found living in Kingston Square, Bradford. George’s employment is listed as dyer.[4] In the 1851 census, they are living at 165 Morgan’s Hill, Bradford with George’s employment listed as wool dyer and Caroline’s occupation listed as wool picker.[5]
Bradford, an industrial town, had for centuries been a thriving community based around the woollen cloth industry. By the beginning of the 18th century, there were 25 clothiers. The population of Bradford was increasing, with many moving to the town to work in the thriving cloth industry. The industry continued to thrive into the second half of the 18th century, but by the beginning of the 19th century the number of clothiers had reduced to 17 and by 1830 there were only six. This decline in the cloth industry resulted in hardship for the town, as it had been the only industry for nearly three centuries.[6] In 1848 Kingston Mill, one of the largest woollen mills was sold to Steven Moulton to open a rubber mill. According to Explore BOA, “The town offered everything he was looking for” including “redundant woollen mills”, and “a skilled (and unemployed) workforce used to factory conditions.”[7]
It can never be known for sure why George and Caroline decided to leave England and settle in Australia. It is likely the decline in the woollen industry which had employed both George and Caroline for over a decade was a determining factor.
Although their financial position at the time of emigration is unknown, according to James H Treble in the book Urban Poverty in Britain, the average wage of a labourer in 1857 was 15 to 17 shillings per week.[8] According to the passenger list of the ship the Orchards sailed to Australia on (the Zemindar), George paid £2.10 for his passage.[9] This amount, based on the average wage of a labourer, amounts to approximately three weeks’ wages. Although they were relatively poor, they had managed to save at least a small sum of money for passage, and to make necessary purchases upon arrival.
On May 20, 1857, George and Caroline Orchard and five of their children, George 16, Maria 14, Arthur 12, John 9, and Samuel 7, left Plymouth for Sydney on the ship the Zemindar.[10] According to history recounted by a family member, “the Orchards had come to Australia to start a new life for they had heard there was enough firewood for everyone’s fires and all the tea you needed.”[11]
According to stories passed down by family members, the Orchard family were originally booked to sail on the Dunbar but had to change their plans and delay their departure by three days. Maria had fallen ill with red spots, so they booked on the Zemindar instead. The two ships raced each other trying to be the first to arrive. It wasn’t until the family arrived in Sydney that they learned the fate of the other ship.[12] On the night of August 20, 1857, the Dunbar which had departed Plymouth on May 31, 1857, was driven into a reef as it attempted to enter Sydney harbour. All but one of the 121 on board perished when the vessel broke up and sunk.[13] The Zemindar arrived in Sydney on August 23, 1857, after a voyage of 95 days.[14]
Maria later recounted the horrific scene that they encountered upon arrival with bodies floating past their ship and expressed the sentiment that someone must have been looking out for them.[15]
Research to confirm the departure dates of the two ships question the facts of the story as handed down from family members. It is possible that some elements of the story are true; they may have originally wanted to sail on the Dunbar, but that is something that may never be known for sure.
On the Zemindar’s passenger list there is a notation that Caroline had an uncle living in Sydney.[16] Her uncle, James Maltman who had been transported to Australia for life for housebreaking, arrived on the Planter in 1832.[17] No other information has been found, so it is unknown if the family had any meaningful contact with him.
Upon arrival in Sydney, George purchased a dray, loaded up their possessions, and headed north.[18] Sadly, it wasn’t long until tragedy struck. In November 1857, George and Caroline’s son George had been riding on top of the dray. He fell off and was run over by one of the wheels.[19] According to the diary entry of Andrew Brown dated Nov 20, 1857, George died on November 19, 1857, after holding on for nearly two weeks before finally succumbing to his injuries. During the time he laid dying, the family kept a constant vigil of prayer at his bedside.[20]
Following the death of George, the family continued their journey north. George worked as a Shepherd at Redbank near Paradise Creek, and at Rosebank. Other jobs he did were fencing and tin mining although not much is known about either of these employments.[21]
The family eventually settled in Tingha and the remains of the family home can be found on Guyra road.
Caroline died at Kangaroo Camp, on April 11, 1872, the cause of death is listed as Dropsy.[22] George went on to live a long and healthy life.[23] According to family history, he was the first person in Tingha to receive an aged pension when it was introduced.[24] (The first aged pension was introduced in New South Wales and Victoria in 1900).[25] George died in Tingha on Nov 23, 1904.[26] He was buried in Tingha cemetery and a wooden cross was erected to mark his grave. During bush clearing years later, an out-of-control fire destroyed the cross, so the exact location of his grave is unknown.[27]
Footnotes
[1] Baptism transcription for George Orchard, 18 April 1817, Bradford on Avon, England, United Kingdom, Wiltshire Baptisms Index 1530-1917, FindMyPast.com, accessed 10 June 2021.
[2] Marriage transcription for George Orchard, 02 February 1836, Bradford on Avon, England, United Kingdom, England Marriages 1538-1973, FindMyPast.com, accessed 10 June 2021.
[3] Christening transcription for Henry Orchard, 1836, Bradford on Avon, England, United Kingdom, England Births and Christenings 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org, accessed 16 June 2021.
[4] Census record for George Orchard, aged 25, Kingston Square, Bradford, Wiltshire, England, 1841 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1066/2, Ancestry.com, accessed 16 June 2021.
[5] Census record for George Orchard, aged 35, 165 Morgan’s Hill, Bradford, Wiltshire, England, 1851 England and Wales Census, The National Archives, HO107/1066/2, Ancestry.com, accessed 16 June 2021.
[6] Ross Dunning, ‘The Woollen Industry in Bradford’, Wiltshire OPC Project, 2013, https://www.wiltshire-opc.org.uk/Items/Bradford-on-Avon/Bradford-on-Avon%20-%20Woollen%20Industry%20in%20Bradford.pdf, accessed 12 June 2021.
[7] Explore BOA, ‘The Hall’, https://www.bradfordonavon.co.uk/explore/the-hall/, accessed 12 June 2021.
[8]James H. Treble, Urban Poverty in Britain 1830-1914, Routledge, Oxfordshire, UK,pg 15, Google Books, accessed 12 June 2012.
[9] Passenger list entry for George Orchard and family, Zemindar, arriving Sydney, 23 August 1857, New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896, Ancestry.com, accessed 18 May 2021.
[10] Passenger list entry for George Orchard and family.
[11] Melissa Nelson to John Cornelius Thorn, letter, 1996, Transcribed copy held by Rhonda Audsley, Ancestry.com, accessed 05 June 2021.
[12] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
[13] New South Wales State Archive and Records, ‘Wreck of The Dunbar’, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/stories/the-wreck-the-dunbar, accessed 12 June 2021.
[14] Passenger list entry for George Orchard and family.
[15] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
[16] Passenger list entry for George Orchard and family.
[17] James Maltman, Planter, 1832, Bound Indentures 1832-1833, New South Wales State Archives, NRS12188, pp. 93-94, New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842, Ancestry.com, accessed 12 June 2021.
[18] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
[19] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
[20] Diary entry for 20 Nov 1857, Andrew Brown, ‘Andrew Brown Journals, 1838-1893’, State Library of New South Wales, Microfilm, MAV/FM4/3096 (B 968-972), transcribed excerpt held by Diane Archer, NSW.
[21] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
[22] Death Certificate of Caroline Orchard, died 11 April 1872, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 4399/1872.
[23] Obituary for George Orchard, Armidale Chronical, 30 Nov 1904, clipping held by Diane Archer, New South Wales.
[24] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
[25] Australian Bureau of Statistics, History of Pensions and Other Benefits in Australia, https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/8e72c4526a94aaedca2569de00296978!OpenDocument, accessed 17 June 2012.
[26] Death registration of George Orchard, died 23 November 1904, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, 14991/1904 (index only; no image currently available), Ancestry.com, accessed 05 June 2021.
[27] Nelson to Thorn, letter, 1996.
Week 19 – Food & Drink
The theme at 52 Ancestors this week is Food & Drink. I grew up in the 70s, the era of Jell-O salads, salmon mousse, Hamburger Helper, TV Dinners and Cool Whip. Yes, I know TV Dinners were invented in the 50s but they became really popular in the 70s, and they often found their way to our table when I was a kid.
Although all the above mentioned foods were popular when I was growing up, the things I remember most from my mother’s kitchen was the smell of a big pot of chilli or homemade chicken soup simmering on the stove.
Mum was a practical cook. She grew up in the 30s so her style of cooking reflected this. Dad was a meat potatoes man so most nights the main meal consisted of mashed or boiled potato, two vegetables, and meat. Shake n’ Bake chicken made a regular appearance as did meatloaf, and liver with onions.
We rarely ate rice, although I do remember Rice A Roni sometimes being on the dinner table. The only pasta that was popular was macaroni. We sometimes would have Kraft Dinner but mostly mum would make a macaroni casserole. The thing I remember most about mum’s macaroni casserole was that everybody liked it… except me. The casserole consisted of cooked macaroni, canned tomatoes, ground beef, celery, and a bit of onion. All topped with a thick layer of cheese and baked in the oven. I can’t remember her using many herbs at all in her cooking. Mostly she seasoned food with a bit of salt and pepper and maybe a tiny bit of garlic. This casserole made a regular appearance and I remember the only bit I would eat was a bit of cheese on the top. Thankfully, bread and butter was always on the table.
Another dish that mum made that everyone liked except me was one she called Hash. This consisted of ground beef, diced potatoes and a bit of onion. The beef was browned with some onion then the potatoes were diced small and added along with water. No herbs or spices that I can remember, just a bit of salt and pepper. Dad loved it and I remember my Uncle Sam, mum’s younger brother loved it too. Whenever Uncle Sam and Aunt Helen would visit, the subject of mum’s Hash would always come up. Aunt Helen would jokingly remark that only my mum made Hash the way he liked it.
Although I remember hating mum’s Hash I was also curious about it at the same time. I often asked mum why it was called Hash and she always just said “because that’s what it’s called.” Years later I came to the conclusion that the appeal was probably based more on nostalgia, than anything else. It was one of those those dishes you ate as a kid, and it was the memories attached to it that you loved the most. As I studied and learned more about my French Canadian heritage I discovered that this dish called Hash that mum always made, was most likely something Gramma Jamieson had also made. I suspect it may have been a version of Hachis or maybe it comes from the French verb Hacher meaning to cut up.
Takeaway food wasn’t something that I remember having very often, but when we did it was usually fish and chips from Division Fish and Chips. The fish was batter heavy and greasy, but I loved the chips and the vinegar based coleslaw. I remember it came as a side in a tiny paper cup and for me that was the best part of the meal.
Although I did learn the basics of cooking from my mum, my style of cooking is nothing like my mother’s. I love experimenting with new ingredients and use lots of herbs and spices. Occasionally though, I will make a pot of chilli or chicken soup, two of my favourite comfort foods.
Week 18 – Social
The prompt at 52 Ancestors this week is social. Once again I found myself wondering what on earth I was going to write. But then it hit me and I knew exactly what I wanted to write about… The social pages!
In early January I discovered that my hometown newspaper was finally on Newspapers.com. Since then I have spent many hours searching through the old issues. At first I thought that I would mostly utilise the obituaries, but I have found the social pages not only informative, but also entertaining.
The social (society) pages is the section of the newspaper dedicated to the daily activities of the citizens of the district. Here you will find out who went where, who visited who and so many more delightfully mundane goings on.
One of my favourite articles to date is a write up about The Jamieson Family Reunion.
As I read the article I immediately made the connection to two photographs I have in my collection.
Although I could identify many in the first photograph as my aunts, uncles and cousins, the second was a bit more of a challenge.
I knew the man on the bottom left was my great uncle Melville “Yammy” Robinson Jamieson. Although I had never met him I had seen pictures of him in the local paper as he was a bit of a local sports personality. I suspected the man next to him was his brother Gordon as I had seen a photo of him on Ancestry.com.
The article above leads me to believe that this is a photo of five of the Jamieson brothers. Unfortunately, of the remaining three, I don’t know which is which, but hopefully I will eventually be able to put the correct name to each one.
Branches of my tree 