Moffats in Melbourne

[Squaredancer]

Hi

Has anyone got Moffats in Australia (particularly in Melbourne) in their family tree? One of my great-great uncles, William Turner Moffat, emigrated there in the early 1850s (I haven't found exact date yet), married and had eleven children so hopefully there might be some relatives out there...

[CassieK]

There is this record on the Unassisted arriving Victoria - age is a bit out though.
https://proarchives.imagineering.com....sp?searchid=23
MOFFAT William 27 years arriving June 1853 on the Roderick Dhu
Port B Fiche 040 Pge 001

Have you found him on the 1851 census? I note that the IGI entry has him born Yorkshire. It would narrow down the period he arrived in Aus. from "early 1850's" to between 1851 - 1854

He married in 1854 -
MOFFAT William Turner
HUTCHISON Isabella
1854 Reg#2713

Death
MOFFAT William Turner
Father Alexander Mother Mary TURNER
69 years at Brighton 1892 Reg#9330

Burial record
https://www.deceasedsearch.com/index.php
> Select St Kilda Cemetery

St Kilda Cemetery
MOFFAT William
Date of Service 8 Aug 1892
Age 68 years
Burial Type - Burial
Location Details - Presbyterian - Monumental Grave Compartment A Grave 199
Public Grave No
Tenure Date - This memorial is held in perpetuity - for all time

His death certificate should detail the years in Australia ie if known to the informant. You can purchase an image online and immediately download
https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bd...=purchaseImage

Isabella is buried in the same grave. She was buried on 6 Dec 1911 aged 79 years.

I hope you find a descendant or two.

Cheers
Cassie

[Squaredancer]

Hi Cassie

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately the William you found arriving in Australia isn’t my relative – mine would have been 29 in 1853, having been born 8th February 1824. The birthplace of Snaith, Yorkshire, is correct (I have a family document which confirms that the info on the IGI is spot-on).

I knew that he was a draper, and that he was a co-founder of the Melbourne store Robertson and Moffat. On the Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program an article in the Melbourne Argus of 28th June 1922 under the heading “Items of Interest” states that Robertson and Moffat Pty. Ltd., the well-known Bourke Street drapers, were celebrating their seventieth anniversary that week. The article mentions that the firm was founded in 1852 by two partners, Mr. J Robertson and Mr. William T. Moffat, and that Mr. Robertson died very soon after and the business was carried on by Mr. Moffat who subsequently had partners Mr. Chas. Coles, William Peacock, and Mr. Alex. Halley.

As William co-founded the store in 1852 he must have arrived prior to that date. I thought originally “early 1850s” but on further thinking, maybe he arrived earlier, during the 1840s perhaps?

Thanks for the deseasedsearch.com site – I found the burial records of 2 of W T Moffat’s sons there too, and one of his grandsons, and possibly other family members. It would be nice to find some live relatives for a change!

(I know this forum isn't for searching for particular living persons, but I don't know the names of any relatives who might still be in Australia - I'm just hoping that some might turn up so we can exchange family research info )

[CassieK]

Hi

The additional info would have been most helpful in the initial request So I have the correct William T but not his shipping record? Incidentally the ages on shipping records, especially the unassisted, are often incorrect.

I have searched some earlier shipping records that aren't online and can't see William's arrival.

William's death certificate would show years in Victoria ie if known to the informant. Perhaps that may give you more of an idea of the year of arrival.

I have found a few bits that may interest you and the first one would support William's emigration pre 1852.

MOFFAT
Event Mentioned 1835 - 1852
Source:
The chronicles of early Melbourne 1835 to 1852: historical, anecdotal and personal. By 'Garryowen'
Author/compiler: Finn, Edmund. Pge 833

A research request to the Genealogy Society of Victoria would help you with the above as the above book is in their library.
https://www.gsv.org.au/research/research


MOFFAT, ALEXANDER.
Event Missing friends
30 JAN 1854
Place: Victoria
Source:'Argus' missing friends index 1854-1855.
Compiler Button, Marion.
Comment - OF SOUTH SHIELDS, BROTHER WILLIAM

This is an index of names appearing in the Missing Friends [paid advertisements] of the Argus newspaper. It was often a way of notifying/contacting family and friends you had arrived in the colony.

Perhaps a request to the State Library of Victoria for the complete advertisement.
https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/services/

and finally

Government Gazette 136 Friday 27 Oct 1893 [Trademark registrations ]

3629 - Ladder Tape for Venetian Blinds - Robert Whyte, John Peacock, Charles Coles, Alexander Halley, John Moffat and Robert Whyte, trading as Robertson and Moffat of 326 Bourke Street, Melbourne
3 Oct 1893.

I noticed a few other MOFFAT items....you may have already found them.

and the purchase by Myers of Robertson & Moffat
https://ndpbeta.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/ar...rchTerm=moffat

Death in 1918 of son of William T MOFFATT
https://ndpbeta.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/ar...rchTerm=moffat

Sale of the long dated leases to the Myer Emporium
https://ndpbeta.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/ar...rchTerm=moffat

and it seems that William Turner's son who had the same name settled in USA
https://ndpbeta.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/ar...rchTerm=moffat

Enjoyed learning a bit about your ancestors. I will ask my 98 year old father if he remembers the name Robertson & Moffat.

Do you wish to take this family further ie marriages, deaths of Wm T's chn etc.?

Cheers
Cassie

[Lenore]

There was at least one William Moffatt in Melbourne in 1852, as he signed a petition published in the Argus on 14 Aug 1852 against the squatting interests in the colonial government. It would be the sort of petition that a small businessman would sign. https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4786723

Again, a William Moffatt advertised for a friend (or acquaintance) who had come from Airdrie in Scotland for Van Diemens Land 32 years earlier. Moffatt in this instance could be contacted through Thomas Napier, who had started out in Tasmania. This suggests it might be worth looking for Moffatt's arrival in Tasmania first.https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4792526

Best wishes,

Lenore

[TheOtherGuy]

Hello there,

A lucky google search on my Moffat family history revealed your post. I am a Melbourne Moffat! Though unfortunately it seems we may not be related. I am (I believe) descended from the William Moffat CassieK mentioned as having arrived on the Roderick Dhu in 1853. This William Moffat was born in Cornwall in 1825 (matching up with the age published on the ship's manifest).

I am in the process of organising a history of the Moffats of Cornwall and their emigration to Australia. It probably won't be of much use to you, but you can always get in touch if you need to rule in or out some members of your own tree!

One excellent resource is the Clan Moffat database. It is a growing distillation of UK census records and parish registers that is very well cross-referenced and also contains many Moffats born in the US, and Australia. It is definitely worth checking out.

Good luck

Simon

[rlpmrb]

Hello,

I originally come from Melbourne and I am a Great Granchild of William Turner Moffat.
I think I have all the details of our family and will send them to you if you wish as a .paf file.
I have also done some research into the Moffats from North Shields Alexander Moffats Father was Peter Moffat and he had quite a large family which was the norm in those times. It is all detailed in the .paf file.
My email address is bob DOT moffat ATbigpond DOT com if you wish to contact me regarding the .paf file.
From my memory of discussions with my Mother and father William Turner Moffat came to Australia as a ships boy and jumped ship.
The year he arrived I am not certain. The Marriage aboard ship was in Hobsons Bay ajacent to Melbourne and he was a keen sailor and founding member of the Hobsons Bay Yacht club, by the time of his Marriage it sounds as if he was doing quite well.

Hope to hear from you soon

Kind Regards

Bob Moffat

[Squaredancer]

Hi Bob

I am delighted to hear from you – I just knew there had to be some relatives out in Australia!

I would be very pleased to see your research and learn some more about the family in Australia, and about what you’ve found out regarding the Moffats from Northumberland.

Hopefully our research will tally, with something to add to each other’s findings. I’m particularly interested to hear about Peter Moffat - there's been a bit of speculation among researchers as to who Alexander's father was.

I’ve sent you an email, but thought I’d post on here as well as it’s great to share a success story. Wonder exactly how we’re related to each other – some kind of cousins umpteen times removed, probably…

Susan

[Squaredancer]

Hello there,

A lucky google search on my Moffat family history revealed your post. I am a Melbourne Moffat! Though unfortunately it seems we may not be related. I am (I believe) descended from the William Moffat CassieK mentioned as having arrived on the Roderick Dhu in 1853. This William Moffat was born in Cornwall in 1825 (matching up with the age published on the ship's manifest).

I am in the process of organising a history of the Moffats of Cornwall and their emigration to Australia. It probably won't be of much use to you, but you can always get in touch if you need to rule in or out some members of your own tree!

One excellent resource is the Clan Moffat database. It is a growing distillation of UK census records and parish registers that is very well cross-referenced and also contains many Moffats born in the US, and Australia. It is definitely worth checking out.

Good luck

Simon

Hi Simon

I know this is a very long time after your post but I'm hoping you'll get the email telling you I've posted

On re-reading old posts about "my" Australian Moffats, I realised that I hadn't asked you what the occupation of your Cornish Moffat ancestor who went over on the Roderick Dhu was. This is (hopefully!) to aid me in a bit of elimination work.


Looking forward to hearing from you

Susan

[Dundee10]

I am not Simon, but the William MOFFAT on the Roderick Dhu was a Draper and he was English, no exact County is recorded.