Family Tree

Where are the Vidler, Smith and Jeffrey families?

Geoff Albert Thomas Hawson, Orville Clarence Vidler, Phillip John Smith, William Jeffrey , , 0 Comment
Where are the Vidler, Smith and Jeffrey families?

Where are the Vidler, Smith and Jeffrey families?

Missing one third of my Family – from Albert Thomas Hawson and Lucy Ellen Jones.

Thomas Wood Hawson had six children.

I am familiar with my Grandfather Cecil Robert Hawson and his sister Agnes Mary Dora who married a Ginn and I have been in contact with the Ginn family over the years.

Joseph Walter married Ada (known as aunty Ada and adored) but no children. She visited us in our homes over the years. Unfortunately, I did not write down or remember the stories she told us of the family

Charles Ernest married but had no children and died at age 37 the third generation to have a male die at age 37.  Elisabeth (Auntie Bessie) never married and we visited her often.

Albert Thomas Hawson

married Lucy Ellen Jones in November 1905 and had 4 girls and  the Hawson name disappeared. It became Vidler, Smith and Jeffrey and by now many other surnames I presume. For some reason, this side of the family never featured in my dad’s visiting like his sisters and Ginn cousins.  Why? I don’t know.

 

Now with the 150 year anniversary of Thomas Wood coming to Australia, I would like to touch base with this side of the family.

Where are they?

Does anyone know them?

If so, go to my contact page and let me know.

Breaking News November 2019

I have had contact from Kathleen T from the Vidler side & Phillip K from the Smith side. How great. I am waiting on contact with the Jeffrey line now. Once I have that there will be an element of completion and catch up.

I will eventually try the newspapers and historical societies, but if there is a family member, who is keeping the records, please contact me.

Just for information here is a photo of the family (minus Thomas Wood Hawson of course as he died in 1885. Believed to be September 1913 at the wedding of Joseph & Ada. (Both babies born May 1913)

Vidler Smith Jeffrey descendants missing

The legend to the lineup is as follows.

BACK ROW (L to R)

William G Ginn, Walter Hawson, Ada Hawson (nee Williams, wife Walter), Albert Hawson, Ernest Hawson (Later married to Mary Dobbin), Cecil Hawson.

SITTING (L to R)

Dora M.A.Ginn (nee Hawson) & Doris E.Ginn, Lucy Hawson (wife Albert)& Dora Hawson*, Catherine Hawson (Mother & Grandmother), Elizabeth Hawson(Sister) & Irene Hawson* (with Dora, children of Albert and Lucy), Cis Hawson(nee Patrick wife Cecil) & Victoria Hawson.

 

 

Thomas Wood Hawson : How did he get here?

Geoff Genealogy Research, Storm King, Thomas Wood Hawson , 0 Comment

Problems I have had in finding out about my ancestor

It started with the family bible

which had Thomas Wood’s date of birth, date of marriage and date of death. Finding out about his family was a bit more difficult. I did find people in Australia who had the same surname and it was a little hard to get good details (remember this was the pre internet era and letters were the way to communicate).

Gazetter excitement

I remember how excited I was when I found the small village of Wombwell listed in a Gazeteer. I thought it might all fall in to place. Alas, it was not so.I did find a person who had the name Dr Harry Reginald Wombwell Hawson. This was the same name as the town that TWH was born in it seemed to be appropriate to contact him. I did not get a lot of information but did hear that there was a relative of his, Harold Hawson who travel led to Mildura and later went back to England.As this correlated with another source in Australia who had the same information, it seemed that we had started hitting pay dirt.

Solicitor’s letter from Yorkshire

My father received a letter from Rotheras solicitors in Yorkshire talking about the will of a George Hawson deceased and this filled in some more details. Unfortunately, the amount of money left in the will after being distributed was very little.

Contact with cousins etc and the internet

I was able to get a birth certificate and establish some details and make contact with a cousin Judy Binns (nee Hawson). Nothing gave me any details as to how and when TWH arrived in Australia. The computer age has delivered some rare findings and coming across the website of Les Thornton allowed for a connection that goes back to a Richard Hawson died 1621 at Torworth near Blyth, North Nottinghamshire. In his genealogy, he states that Thomas Hawson (son of George Hawson ) married a Hannah Wood and this I knew from the birth certificate on TWH that these were his parents.

That doesn’t help find out how he got here!

Wonderful, but how and why did he get here? Searching the immigration logs of ships was not helpful, and I did not know the dates. TWH’s death certificate stated that he was 17 years in the colony which gave an approximate year, but still nothing definite.  He seemed to be the only child (grandchild) of George Hawson who appeared to not get an inheritance of money in George’s will. About 2 years ago, I attended a talk by Carmel Joyce in our local Library and she said that many people of that time had received land orders. I searched for this and found a Thomas Wood Hawson who had arrived on the Clipper ship Storm King.

The puzzle was almost finished. How but not why!

Was he not listed on the Immigrant ships to Qld?

Well of course he was. Only his name was transcribed as TW Hanson He left England just before his 21st birthday. I have no idea what caused him to make that decision and I am hopeful that one day I might find some newspaper evidence as to why or indeed a relative form the UK may have a clipping in a shoe box that explains it all. There is no oral tradition in the family as to why and other descendants of George and Thomas do not know. Perhaps something caused him to fall out of favor with George, and to escape the embarrassment of not receiving his 200 pounds inheritance on his 21st birthday, he decided to escape to Australia and start a new life.

What is the moral of this story?

Start early in life if you can. Use the internet. Join a Family History Society (FHS)and attend some courses.Talk to your older family members while they are still alive and can still remember details. Then record the details and ensure that the information is not lost as not everyone is interested in your Family Tree. If so, maybe arrange for your research to be forwarded to your FHS.