William Henry Walker

[biggirlsblouse]

Hello!

After getting annoyed with the notorious John Smith retail brewer, I decided to have a wee crack at my "other" family tree - I'm adopted, and I have met both my biological parents and all, so I have been learning about my alternative history. I've really only just started, and because of the nature of my erm relationship (yes, I *am* the proverbial skeleton in the closet! Yay for DNA testing, hey?!) I am a bit limited in who I can ask for additional information, and the info I have is from my bio aunt who is the keeper of the family history.

Okay, congratulations for making it this far!

The story is thus... William Henry Walker was born in Farringdon Devon in 1848 to William Walker and Ann Hamlin Matthews, married Mary McLaren in 1875 in Victoria Australia and subsequently died in Victoria in 1908. BUT I can't find any record of William Henry's birth in Farringdon, nor can I find any evidence of his migration. And while I can track his mum's family back a few generations, I cannot find any record of his father. His father is also called William Walker, and apparently died in 1850.

Now the "facts" I have...

I have a copy of William Henry's marriage certificate - it states he was 26 years old, and born in Farrington, Devon and his parents were William Walker and Ann Matthews. I've just ordered his death certificate but I don't know whether that will have more information on it (haven't had a Western Australian death cert before!)

I thought I'd found William senior's death certificate (died in East Stonehouse Devon 1849, BUT that was not the William I was looking for (that one was only 19 months old)

So, I don't know where William Henry was born - whether he actually was born in Farringdon or he just lived there when he was small. And I cannot find any record of William senior, or what happened with Ann after William Senior died - I assume she probably remarried seeing as William Henry would have only been two when his father died.

Jodi

[suemalings]

How do you know (or what makes you think?) that William was born in Devon? Don't forget that Faringdon is only a small village so the actual birth registration would probably have been Exeter
Do you know what his father's occupation was or where he was born?
Do you have the details of the marriage between William Senior and Ann?

There seems to be a lot of marriages between a William Walker and Ann Matthews but mostly in Staffordshire or Norfolk.

[suemalings]

You say you have a lot of info. on William's mother. Can you tell us when and where she was born? Have you found her on any census returns?

[almach]

You say you have a lot of info. on William's mother. Can you tell us when and where she was born? Have you found her on any census returns?

These could be William's mother's (Ann Hamlin Mat(t)hews parents.

Baptism 9 Jan 1823, Clyst Honiton, Devon
Thomas Hamlyn Matthews, parents Abraham and Mary

Abraham and Mary with son Thomas and other children, no Ann though, but she could have been the eldest child and living away from home, either in service or married. Abraham is a farmer.

Farringdon 1841
Piece: 206l Book: 17 Folio: 6 Page number: 7

[helachau]

FMP (images/transcripts)
I've been chasing Ann Hamlin Matthews, bap 10 Dec 1820, parents Abraham and Mary, place Faringdon, father's occ. Yeoman.
An Abraham Matthews, age 55, buried 8 Feb 1845, place Woodbury (FMP has transcribed "Farringdon")

[Jomot1]

You say his mother is Ann Hamlin/Hamlyn Matthews, but am I right in thinking that the marriage certificate doesn't give a middle name for her, so to some extent you're assuming Ann Hamlin Matthews is correct as she's in the right place, right time?

Abraham died 1845 & probate was to Mary. Mary died 1846 and probate was to Thomas H Matthews, her son.

Unfortunately the wills themselves don't appear to have survived.

Thomas and assorted siblings are at Spain Farm House, Farringdon in 1851, but no Ann.

I've found that a lot of Australian certificates have incorrect information on them - sometimes to deliberately hide a true identity - so I'm not entirely convinced yet that the parents details are accurate. Even his own name may be false..... (hope I'm proved wrong!)

[helachau]

A newspaper death notices has Ab'm Matthews, Yeoman, age 55, dying at Bridge Farm, Woodbury, after a lingering illness, leaving a wife and 10 children.

[helachau]

deleted

[biggirlsblouse]

How do you know (or what makes you think?) that William was born in Devon? Don't forget that Faringdon is only a small village so the actual birth registration would probably have been Exeter
Do you know what his father's occupation was or where he was born?
Do you have the details of the marriage between William Senior and Ann?

There seems to be a lot of marriages between a William Walker and Ann Matthews but mostly in Staffordshire or Norfolk.

Hello!

the only "proof" I have about William Henry being born in Devon is what he wrote on his marriage certificate. I did receive his death certificate, and that had his place of birth as "Devonshire"

I can't find any proof of William Snr and Ann's marriage, and really cannot find any records of William Snr at all! I would have thought that if he was alive in 1847 or 1848 to father William Henry, he should show up on the 1841 census. But I couldn't track him down that way - although I was basing my assumption on him living in Devon, which could in fact be completely wrong!

Jodi

[biggirlsblouse]

You say you have a lot of info. on William's mother. Can you tell us when and where she was born? Have you found her on any census returns?

Hello!

I found a baptism record for Ann Hamlin Matthews, daughter of Abraham and Mary living in Farringdon Devon. The baptism was in 1820, so, assuming she was born around then.

There's loads of information about the rest of the family but Ann seems to have vanished from the records aside from having William Henry at some point.

Jodi