To Australia

[Di&Trev]

I am looking for the immigration , whether voluntary or involuntary of a John Talbot Coram to Australia and eventually to Tasmania sometime before 1861. His family appears to have come from Wellington in Somerset. Can anyone suggest where I can start?

[Geoffers]

I am looking for the immigration , whether voluntary or involuntary of a John Talbot Coram to Australia and eventually to Tasmania sometime before 1861. His family appears to have come from Wellington in Somerset. Can anyone suggest where I can start?

I'd suggest that to begin with you try to narrow down the search period by seeing if you can locate him in earlier census returns.

If voluntary, he may possibly have emigrated with assistance under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. Records relating to this are stored in The National Archives (TNA) at Kew in document class MH12. Records are arranged by Poor Law Union and parish.

If involuntary, you might try to see if there are any indexed records in Australia. Otherwise it is a case of using records such as The Convict Transportation Registers at TNA, Kew in HO11. As well as the name of a ship on which someone sailed, it should show the date and palce of conviction which will help to find any surviving local records relating to the conviction (e.g. newspaper reports). You would greatly help your chances if you can narrow down the period in which he left England.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[ChristineR]

Do you have his death certificate?
A Victorian one will indicate how long he had been in Australia and which states. This will give you an estimate of the year you could start looking from, and to where. For example - it might say he was in Western Australia 3 years, Victoria 20 - so it is most likely he got off the ship in WA. Just a thought.

Christine
Vic Australia

[Di&Trev]

I don't have the cert yet , but I have the date and place. I will apply from the Tas Archives.
Thank you both for answering. And for the leads.
Merry Christmas, and may all our metaphorical walls fall down.

[Judy M]

Do you have his death certificate?
A Victorian one will indicate how long he had been in Australia and which states. This will give you an estimate of the year you could start looking from, and to where. For example - it might say he was in Western Australia 3 years, Victoria 20 - so it is most likely he got off the ship in WA. Just a thought.

Christine
Vic Australia

A death cert would definately be the way to go! Also when you have a death date & place check out local mailing list for Tassie ..You may be lucky enough to find an obituary in the local paper.
Many local family history societies are very helpful (with a small donation to help defray their costs)
My Somerset ancestors came to Australia via WA>Tas>Vic and SA>Vic so you may have to think around the square!

[Di&Trev]

Thanks Judy.
I've been in touch with Aus-Tas Mailing list, which is where some of the info came from already. But so far no-one has a clue where he came from before he turned up in Sorrell as a Warden and a storekeeper. But I'm ordering his death cert in the New Year so here's hoping!

[Judy M]

Thanks Judy.
I've been in touch with Aus-Tas Mailing list, which is where some of the info came from already. But so far no-one has a clue where he came from before he turned up in Sorrell as a Warden and a storekeeper. But I'm ordering his death cert in the New Year so here's hoping!

Di did you find him in 51 census?

[Di&Trev]

Hi Judy,
If you mean the 1851 UK census, in all honesty I haven't looked yet. Mainly because I don't have access to it myself but also because I'm not totally sure where to start looking. The Hugh Talbot Coram born in Wellington, Somerset was a clue to the birthplace of my John Talbot Coram that I only came across very recently, last weekend at this site
https://www.pbenyon.plus.com/H_m_w/Well/Bap_1.html
John Talbot married in 1861 in Sorell Tasmania, his own children are Herbert Reginald and John Christian. Herbert named one of his sons Hugh Talbot Coram which was why I picked up on it.

I don't know which census are available in Tasmania, I have his marriage and a few refs to him after that, appearances as a member of a board of enquiry into a fire and a trade directory ref but nothing prior to his marriage.

I'll get certs in New Year which might help to pin him down a bit more.

Thanks for your help and advice, I'll get there in the end! (Possibly, with any luck )

[ChristineR]

I don't have the cert yet , but I have the date and place. I will apply from the Tas Archives.
Thank you both for answering. And for the leads.
Merry Christmas, and may all our metaphorical walls fall down.

Now a Tassie certificate might not supply the information that you are after... check out this site, what you can expect on an Australian certificate, for each of the states. It was pretty late before birthplaces were recorded on the death certificates in Tasmania.

https://www.jaunay.com/bdm.html

I'm glad mine were in Victoria. At least the death certificate will give you the date and place of death - then you can see if he happens to have an obituary (as already suggested) or even a gravestone that mentions a birthplace - one can always hope!

ChristineR
Vic Australia

[Di&Trev]

Hi Christine,
Thanks for the useful site link. I've printed off the doc, I think it will prove invaluable in knowing which certs to order.