Did he swim?

deeree · 03-02-2010, 10:31 PM

My problem concerns Alexander MILNE.
I've been puzzling over his arrival in Australia and other origins for years. Lots of people have tried to help, but so far I'm no further ahead. The things I know for certain are: he married Sarah Ann FRENCH at Scots Church, Dunkeld, Victoria in January 1871. His age at that time was given as 35 years, his wife was 17. His parents were Alexander MILNE and Mary DOVEY. Alexander (junior) and his wife had a family of 7 before she died in 1885. Alexander died in 1888. They were at this time living at Horsham. They are buried in pauper's graves at Horsham cemetery. The children were taken in by George SHEARWOOD and his wife. Alexander and his father in law, George FRENCH had worked as gardeners and jack of all works for the ARMYTAGE family at Dunkeld and Balmoral, Victoria where they were involved in a land scandal. They were 'dummy's' for Charles ARMYTAGE.
When Alexander died, his wife having pre deceased him, his mother in law, Emma FRENCH notified the death. She said he was 53 years old when he died. She said he'd been 44 years in the colonies and was born in Hertfordshire, England. She didn't know his parents names.
I found his birth at Little Munden, Dane End, Hertfordshire in 1833 in the IGI and subsequently in the parish registers at Little Munden. Alexander's parents and some siblings are on the 1841 and 1851 census' at Little Munden, but Alexander is not with them. Alexander's father died in 1852 and the family disappeared from Little Munden at that stage. I've not been able to find them again.
My mother believed that Alexander, her grandfather, had been transported to Australia as a convict. I think it's unlikely as transportation had been stopped by then, and although briefly reintroduced, Alexander would have been a boy if he came out in 1844 as his mother in law thinks, and I don't think they would have sent a boy then. He can't be found in the convict records.
Alexander's father was a gardener at Dane End House, Little Munden. The squire was Charles CHAUNCEY. It's been suggested that young Alexander may have come to Australia as a servant to a member of the CHAUNCEY family. I haven't been able to find any link.
My problem is that I haven't been able to find Alexander's passage to Australia. I'm working on the 1844 date, which could be wrong.
I'd be grateful for any help.
Thanks, Desley

RobinC · 03-02-2010, 11:01 PM

I've had a quick look on Ancestry and have found a public family tree which I'm guessing is yours as it gives the same info as is in your post.

deeree · 03-02-2010, 11:58 PM

Hello Robin,
Yes, some of the information in that tree was provided by me. Some of it was my early speculation that that relative has chosen to include in their tree as gospel.

birdlip · 04-02-2010, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by deeree

Alexander's father was a gardener at Dane End House, Little Munden. The squire was Charles CHAUNCEY. It's been suggested that young Alexander may have come to Australia as a servant to a member of the CHAUNCEY family. I haven't been able to find any link.
My problem is that I haven't been able to find Alexander's passage to Australia. I'm working on the 1844 date, which could be wrong.

I think this theory is more plausible than the convict idea. There was such a paper trail with convicts,its hard to believe he wouldn't have cropped up somewhere, even with the mis-spelling possibilities of the MILNE name..(MILL, MILLNER, MULL, MULLIN?) On the other hand, if he came out as a servant, it's possible he may not even have been named on the ships list. Not much help, sorry!

However, back to the gardeners boy/ servant idea... one of my ancestors came from Scotland in 1800 to work for a titled family in Northumberland. He soon became Head Gardener, as did his eldest son after him, and all but one or two of his large family either became gardeners or married gardeners from the estate or other estates nearby. Often, but not always, the people owning these estates were connected by marriage. We 'lost' one son, and eventually found him in the census on the Isle of Wight! (can't get much further than that from Northumberland!) It turned out that the house he was working at was owned as a summer residence by the family. He stayed there all his life, and brought his family up there. They all seemed to be incredibly loyal to the families they worked for.

If 1844 is correct, your Alexander should still be somewhere in England on the 1841 census, maybe working as a gardeners boy somewhere. Have you looked to see when the Armytages arrived in Australia? Is it possible they brought him over? Perhaps he worked for them all his life?

RobinC · 04-02-2010, 12:49 AM

I've found a Charles Chauncey in 1901 who was born in Ware, Hertfordshire and is listed as a retired colonel, living in London.

He was also 4 years old in 1841 and was living at Little Munden with the rest of his family:

Nathaniel Chauncey 50 Occupation is 'Lord'
Ann Chauncey 40
Ann Chauncey 20
Ellen Chauncey 20
Charlotte Chauncey 20
Maria Chauncey 15
Reginald Chauncey 15
Augustus Chauncey 15
Clara Chauncey 11
Katherine Chauncey 10
Bertha Chauncey 8
Gertrude Chauncey 7
Clrcschar Chauncey 5
Charles Chauncey 4

I'll have a look to see if any of the children went to Australia at any point.

RobinC · 04-02-2010, 1:13 AM

For some strange reason, the Chauncey's disappear after 1841. I have found a Nathaniel and a Charles Chauncey in Philadelphia during 1850 who match the right ages but their birth places are Connecticut and Pennsylvania, no sign of Alexander though.

birdlip · 04-02-2010, 3:13 AM

Originally Posted by RobinC

For some strange reason, the Chauncey's disappear after 1841. I have found a Nathaniel and a Charles Chauncey in Philadelphia during 1850 who match the right ages but their birth places are Connecticut and Pennsylvania, no sign of Alexander though.

Info from google maintains that Nathaniel and Ann lost a lot of money in a financial crash in the West Indies early in the 1840's. They retreated to London, selling Dane End to Nathaniels brother, Charles.

deeree · 04-02-2010, 6:12 AM

The CHAUNCEY's are an interesting family and some of them emigrated to Australia, but not at the 'right' time and Alexander has not been listed as travelling with them. At some stage the CHAUNCEY's became SNELL CHAUNCEY.
George ARMYTAGE came to Australia in 1815 from Derbyshire via Belgium. So he didn't bring Alexander out with him.
Gardening was definitely a family calling, both Alexander and his father were gardeners, and Alexander senior's father was a nurseryman in Finchley. Would someone please check the 1841 census for Finchley to see if young Alexander was with his grandfather William MILNE.

RobinC · 04-02-2010, 10:49 AM

The surname Milne throws up a lot of Scottish births and a few Irish births, could it be possible that Alexander Milne was born in Ireland and was still there in 1841 as he doesn't seem to appear at all on the English census.