Alias all his life

[Squaredancer]

It appears that someone was looking for him in the following year, too (If this is him, of course):

The Argus, Melbourne, 21 Mar 1964, has the following in the 'Missing Friends, Messages, etc.' column: "IF SIDNEY MEREWETHER, or Friends, will communicate his whereabouts, or any Information respecting him, to Hy. Franks, stationer, Geelong, something advantageous will be heard."

I wondered if there was any significance in the mention in the school register of his having died in Australia in 1863. Maybe he went missing for a while?

[Bevolson]

Thanks again
So this Robert Perrie cannot of course be Ellen and Jane’s father.
what a dangerous life he ledand I enjoyed looking him up anyway.

But the place of birth ‘Malta' on my g.grandmother’s marriage cert, and her birth cert with parents Pirrie/Perry and with her mother’s name ‘formerly Brown’ is verified.
Now much more detailed thanks.

Ellen's death cert says born Dundee Scotland but she was dead when that was written,
The entry married in Victoria is doubtful too.
I doubt her partner P.S.Merewether alias Charles Murray would go back to a Registry Office to repeat the Marriage. Being well educated he would be capable of tracing his own marriage certificate from a previous time in Melbourne.
I am aware this is ‘subjective speculation’ but the laws against gross indecency 1885 Labouchere Amendment 1885 had been passed.
His children were older and would be needing their parents' marriage to be legal.
There were several churches where they lived.
His English family did not find out about his children until he died.

Years later
The youngest child a girl called Eva writes by way of an explanation to a nephew.
Date of letter unknown but she speaks of her own grown up children so that gives me /1920ish.

She writes

'Uncle George died...(she is referring to P.S.Merewether’s Uncle George E Baker (1807-1891) he was the sibling of PSM mother from whom PSM was expecting to inherit money. I know this from a previous letter to PSM from his sister Emily in England.Uncle George Baker died in 1891)
...Emily and Dad 7.500 If Dad did not live till 5 years after Uncle died .
It went to Aunt Emily. Dad died in the january as money fell due the following April.Then again there was the princpal of grandma that each got...(unreadable might say intervals) from during their life. This too went to Aunt Emily. She never married and she was at Rose Cottage Bath when war broke out.’

(End of the subscribed part of Eva’s letter)

New topic
George E Baker’s Will
I would like to read some evidence from George E Bakers Will.
By the way Eva goes on to say in the letter that she is not up to date with their Christian names.(She means her fathers sibling and descendants.
The English family and the NZ family did not know each other.

An another new topic
One further mystery is The oldest first son of Dean Merewether PSM’s brother John does not exist past his time at Oxford University.
I have seen no evidence of his death.

Some ancestry.com members think he did time as a convict in Sydney Australia.
If it were true and if PSM was involved in the said crime it would link in with a reason for my g.granfather’s alias in NZ.

I do not believe it because the names are incorrect and so is the DOB of the 'John Merewether' criminal.

So if anyone on the forum wants to help me find him I expect it would be another thread.
I do have all his birth, christening, and alumni and some very interest hints and attempts at research from The Catholic church before anyone sees the need to race off ahead of me.

But
My next task is to search for

Robert Perrie

Forces War Records has

Worldwide Army Index 1841
Robert Perrie, Colour Sergeant, Service Number, 251, Malta, 77th Regt of Foot, arch. ref WO12/8178. This "fits" with the 1838 and 1841 births/baptisms Ellen and Jane

What fun

[helachau]

I appreciate your chasing Robert Pirrie, Colour Sergeant, as the next task but I've chased him extensively today and would appreciate checking out a fresh line.
Re John Merewether, wondered if you could confirm if his baptismal date is 27 December 1827?

[Bevolson]

Intruiging
Thanks Bev

[Bevolson]

I would love to do John the first son of dean John Merewether
Born 17th Aug 1823
baptismal date 26t Oct 1823

[Bevolson]

John Francis Merewether
from a photocopy of paper written by unknown
date unknown

born 17th August 1/2 past 2
christened at Hampton Court
Sponsors Rev F Baker by proxy
John F Worth.../ Mrs Baker by ? proxy
/// Francis Merewether his Uncle

London, England Church of England Births and Burials
birth Hampton Middlesex 1823

1841 Eng census St Michael Oxfordshire

Degree 27th May 1842
Oxford Matric 18years

Google John Newman notebook gave Merewether an MS a week before his sister Adelaide Merewether died

Look up Google for Pugin diaries reference to John M 1st son of the Dean borrowing money from Pugin's benefactor to go and train in Italy as a priest

Birmingham England Rate Books,1831-1913

Bev

[Jomot1]

This looks interesting!

From FindmyPast, Scotland, Poor Law & Poor Lists
1856, Paisley, Series 11 Statement 8288
Helen Perrie aged 14 (1842) born Malta, Residence: Helensburgh
Jane Perrie aged 12 (1844) born Malta, Residence: Helensburgh

There is another one with no year given or PoB, but Helen is aged 12

1851 at 24, George Street, Greenock, Renfrewshire, in a household headed by John Pirrie aged 39:
Ellen Pirrie 12 Niece, Weavers Assistant, born Ireland
Jane Pirrie 10 Niece born Malta

[Bevolson]

Thanks very much

What The OP short for?

Ha ha

You have summarised what I know well.

Impossible to tell you everything I know.

I still have questions not mentioned yet about Hereford Cathedral.

I did not expect so much help and I am not used to so much help.
I have never used a forum before.
I did want to tread carefully because I did not want to swamp the forum and burn everyone off.

Then I tried to answer every side topic the forum produced.

Also I thought it best to narrow it back to 2 war records.

After-all where should one start?
The main question for me is always why did he change his name?
The answer may never be totally factual given that the man is not here to tell us and even if he was why would he?

Previous research about NZ was with a friend ex The local museum. She located the children’s christenings and the two children named Murray.
She introduced me to Papers Past.

Note everyone was Christened together on the same day in 1886.
Mary Anne Murray had already left home
We engaged a professional archivist and found zero information in NZ.

I love the fact that someone was looking for him. Perhaps his English family?
I did not know he was mining in Victoria at Fryers Creek in 1853. It is no surprise. It does fill the gap between his arrival in NZ aged 18yrs in 1851 and his establishment in Hokitika very early in our goldrush.

The goldrush in Hokitika was after Victoria.
Sid, as his English family called him, first appeared in the NZ records with a General Store at Pipers Flat.

I owe the following information to the local Museum at Hokitika

Hokitika Museum , Hokitka research
Reference: Directories

Harnett and Co. West Coast goldfields Director 1866-67
Murray, Charles, General Store, Pipers Flat

Stephens and Bartholomews Directory 1867-1920
Charles Murray,General Store, Pipers flat

My family has a beautiful photo of horses pulling the tram along wooden rails. Running from Hokitika to Pipers Flat.

The photo is in a wonderful book which I have left behind in the South Island.
I will let you know the Title.

Bev

[Bevolson]

Excellent Book
The Diggers’ Story
Accounts of The West Coast Gold Rushes
Edited by Julia Bradshaw Hokitka Museum

can be purchased there or at Local bookshop

The illustration/photo to which I referred shows I quote
The tramway at Piper’s Flat, Stafford district c. 1869.
It cost 5s to travel from Hokitika to Piper’s Flaton the tram(a two hour journey), while freight was 2s per 100 pounds.
Hokitika Museum 1502

I can see the Tram Station a hotel and what looks like residences and a shop.

Two of my grandchildren own a framed print of the photo.

Bev

[Jomot1]

Going back to the 1851 census in Scotland where Ellen and Jane are with their uncle, I think that this may be his baptism:
27 Oct 1811 (born 13 Sep 1811) Abbey, Paisley, Renfrewshire
John Pirrie s/o William Pirrie & Mary Smith

Which would make this Robert’s baptism:
6 Mar 1808 Abbey, Paisley, Renfrewshire
Robert Pirrie s/o William Pirrie & Mary Smith

There were also the following children baptised to the same parents at Paisley High Church
William Pirrie baptised 8 Jan 1807
Moses Pirrie baptised 06 Jan 1810
Benjamin Pirrie baptised 2 Aug 1813
Mary Pirrie baptised 21 Jul 1815
David Pirrie baptised 24 Jun 1819
Campbell Pirrie baptised 30 May 1821
Alexander Pirrie baptised 24 Feb 1824

Although oddly I have another John Pirrie baptised to the same couple at Paisley High Church 19 Apr 1817.

The age doesn't quite agree to the baptism, but there is also a burial in Abbey 30 Sep 1851 of a Robert Perrie aged 40. It may be a different man, but it may be worth purchasing a few credits on Scotland's people to try & rule him in or out.