Mysterious David Adams Found

I have been trying to find my grandmother's paternal Uncle for so many years now I can't remember how long.  

David Adams, whose death details we couldn't find, was the only child of George Adams and Catherine Barry whose death and further life movements we hadn't found.

Christine Stafford nee Adams, my 3rd cousin once removed and I had all but given up hope but every few years a small snippet of information would show up in searches just to tease us I'm sure.

After his birth registration details in 1866, the next bit of information on his whereabouts was that he was a witness to the marriage of my great-grandmother Mary Agnes Morgan to his older brother, John Adams in  Essendon, Victoria in 1887.

Christine had later found some newspaper articles that mentioned a young David Adams in the Flemington area of Victoria where our Adams ancestors lived.  

We still don't know for sure if this was our David though.

David's father, George Adams, died in 1921.

David was one of the beneficiaries in his Will.

He was also a beneficiary in the Will of one of his sisters, Margaret Mansfield in 1926, so we knew he must have been still alive.

I hadn't found any more family Wills.

The last hint was nearly 12 months ago when I came across an obituary for David's sister, Catherine McFadyen who died in 1946, that mentioned her brother, David Adams in Sydney.  

Family Notices (1946, September 7).
The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 9.
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206366530

Yesterday a new record hint in ancestry.com.au came up for him.

A marriage was recorded in The Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011 which had been added to ancestry. (I'm not sure when)

This record actually showed a marriage certificate for a David Adams to an Evelyn Maude Sutton in 1938.  I thought Nah ......

His age was 71 years and he was a builder who lived in Sydney.  

Well that occupation ran in the family but I had previously found another death for a David Adams, builder so I wasn't convinced.

Hopeful.

Born in North Melbourne, Victoria, tick.

He was a Widower which would explain his age, tick.

The big YES came at his parent's names, George Adams, builder and Catherine Barry.  

BIG TICK and BINGO!!

It took a while to sink in but you can imagine the happy dance!

After all these years I couldn't believe he had been found.

I had actually looked at the marriage record previously for these two but due to financial restraints, I can't spend willy-nilly on BMD certificates.

Chris Goopy, a genealogy blogging friend, once said David would help us find him when he was ready.  

He did!

I hooked up with my cousin Christine in messenger and we both began a frantic search for other information.

In the excitement, I can't remember now who found what but we found his death and funeral notices in April 1951.

"Family Notices" The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) 27 April 1951: <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18210317>.

"Family Notices" The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) 27 April 1951:  <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18210317>.

Further searching of the electoral rolls determined that David's sons were John Lockyer Adams and David Bernard Adams.

Christine found his death notice in 1987.

John married Eileen Marie Holmes in 1928.

I haven't found David Bernard Adams death as yet but we are fairly sure he married a Maisie Lilian Belcher.

On looking in ancestry there doesn't seem to be any of his descendants researching or as obsessed interested in the family history as I am.

Hoping this blog post may attract contact by David's descendants one day.

David ADAMS - back to the drawing board

In my post last week on 'David ADAMS breakthrough - I hope' I was excited at finding mention of my great-grand-uncle David, living in Sydney, in the newspaper death notice of his sister Catherine McFadyen in 1946.

Up until then the last trace of him was a mention in the Will of his sister Margaret MANSFIELD in 1926 but that revealed no address for David.

I felt quietly confident that a David ADAMS who married Juanita Agnes ADAMS was the one.  He was a builder, as was his father.

But alas, on purchasing his marriage certificate this David ADAMS was aged 37 and born in Manchester, England about 1870 to parents David and Jane Ann nee Holloway or Halliday?

parents of David ADAMS and Juanita HERRICK

Our David was born in 1866 in Victoria, Australia to parents George ADAMS and Catherine BARRY.

The next David to look at is one who died in Narrabeen, NSW in April 1951.  He also was a builder.  In the electoral rolls in 1943 & 1949 a David and Evelyn Maude Adams were living at 56 Wimbledon Ave Warringah, Narrabeen.  

Family Notices (1951, April 27). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 20.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18210317

The only David Adams deaths listed in the NSW BDM website in 1951 are: DAVID ADAMS #8490/1951 father DAVID mother ANN registered at MANLY and EDWARD DAVID ADAMS #28008/1951 father EDWARD GEORGE mother DOROTHY MARY registered at PETERSHAM.

There are no NSW deaths for just a David Adams from 1946 onwards with father George nor even just a David Adams from 1946 with no father listed.  Sigh.

David Adams breakthrough - I hope

Trove comes up trumps again!

Our mysterious David ADAMS, born 1866 in Hotham, Victoria to George ADAMS (builder) and Catherine nee BARRY,  had seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.  

Until now.

Our last known record of David was a mention in the will of his sister Margaret MANSFIELD in 1926.  Unfortunately, no address was given for him in that document.

In my most recent visit to Trove, a death notice for another of his sister's appeared with the words "Loving sister of David ADAMS, Sydney"

So now we know that David was still alive in 1946!

Family Notices (1946, September 7).
The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 9.
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206366530

I went through every David ADAMS in Sydney electoral rolls.  

There were only about four probables.

The one I feel is most likely our David married a Juanita Agnes HERRICK in Victoria in 1907 marriage registration number 7751.

They were living at 51 Carr St Crows Nest Sydney.

Electoral roll entries

1913 at Crows Nest Road. builder. 

1930, 1933, 1943 & 1949 they are living at 51 Carr Street Nth Sydney no occupation.  

1958 Juanita is still at 51 Carr Street, no David.

Juanita died in 1959 death registration number 15980 in North Sydney.

RE the estate of JUANITA AGNES ADAMS, late of (1960, May 13).
Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001),
p. 1470.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219905814

I then found the following probate notice for a David Adams also in Trove.

Executor was a Henry Herrick EDWARDS.

Advertising (1953, July 6).
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 11.
from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23254192

This David died on the 21st of January 1953 in Sydney but it seems that a copy of his Will is also at the Public Records Office of Victoria. Perhaps because his lawyer was in Victoria.  And .... David was a retired Builder.

Another hopeful clue is the link to Victoria.

His Will file number - 468/443

VPRS 7591/P3 unit 16, item 468/443

and Probate - 468/443

VPRS 28/P4 unit 609, item 468/443

Unfortunately, the only New South Wales death I could find for a David Adams in North Sydney in 1953 was registration number 1564 listing parents as David and Jane Ann which don't fit.  

Another David Adams?

There isn't a Victorian death for a David Adams in 1953.

But I still have a good feeling about this.

Next steps are to obtain the relevant certificates to confirm or not.

Fingers crossed.

UPDATE - This turned out not to be our David Adams

Mystery Monday - What happened to David Adams? (Updated)

I'm updating and reposting this earlier blog post as a part of  Geneabloggers prompt  Mystery Monday.

My great grandfather, John Adams, was one of nine children born to George Adams and Catherine nee Barry listed below.  John married Mary Agnes Morgan on the 7th of November 1887 at Essendon, Victoria.  John's brother, David Adams, was a witness at their marriage.

1. Susan born 1854 Fremantle WA married John Tunney.  Died 1880 Victoria
2. George born 1856 Hotham (North Melbourne).  Died 1876 Major Plains, Victoria
3. John born 1858 North Melbourne. Married Mary Agnes Morgan.  Died 1937 Victoria
4. Mary born 1860 North Melbourne.  Died 1878 Richmond, Victoria.
5. Edward born 1862 Hotham (North Melbourne.  Married Selina Clifton.  Died 1933 New Zealand
6. Catherine (Katie) born 1864 Melbourne.  Married John McFadyen.  Died 1946 Victoria.
7. David born 1866 Hotham (North Melbourne) was still alive at his father's death in 1921.
8. Margaret born 1868 Albany, Western Australia. Married James Mansfield.  Died 1926 Victoria
9. Annie born 1870 Albany, WA.  Married Henry Sloan.  Died 1960 Ascot Vale, Victoria.

David is the only one we don't know anything more about.  We have searched multiple combinations and variations of possible marriages and deaths to no avail.  The only clues we have found on him so far are mentions in family Wills that at least tell us he was still alive but not where he was living. 

He was a beneficiary in the Will of his father, George Adams in 1921 and also in the Will of his sister, Margaret Mansfield in 1926.

After that ZILCH but I recently had a phone conversation with, Mrs Fisher, a newly found niece of David Adams - read that story here.  

She mentioned a vague memory of her younger years (she is currently 91) of meeting an Uncle of hers who she visited at his tiny jewellers shop in Bourke Street, Melbourne.  She thought this was in her teenage years, so around 1940, and was fairly certain this Uncle's name was Joe Adams.  She said from memory he was a very nice gentleman but unfortunately can't remember much more.  Her mother was another who never spoke much at all about her family.  

After researching as much as possible, all the other Uncles in her family, we just can't find anyone named Joe who was a jeweller or similar.  Could this Joe be David?

 Christine, my sleuthing partner and fellow Adams descendant, found a possible David Adams in some interesting old newspaper articles.

In 1886 David would have been a young man of 20.  A young David Adams, along with some mates, got into a bit of bother with Police when they became mixed up with a rather dubious couple.

Could this be him?  As the article states, David was from a "respectable working class" family.

ALLEGED OUTRAGE AT ROYAL PARK.

A SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST FIVE YOUNG MEN.

The Hotham police on Friday and Saturday arrested five young men well known in the town, one of them being Joseph Tankard, a prominent member of the Hotham Football Club, on a charge of having criminally assaulted a woman named Mary Ann Shields At about 1 o'clock on Friday morning Constable Kenny, who was on duty at the Royal park had his attention attracted to a number of men who were close together at some distance from the road. On proceeding close to the spot, the constable noticed that there was a woman with them, and he went for assistance, returning shortly afterwards with Constable Glynn. The constables soon overtook two of the party with a woman. The latter, on seeing the police, cried out, and stated that she had been outraged by five men. The two men with her, David Adams and Thomas Crystal, were then arrested and placed in the lockup. Late the same night Joseph Tankard, Arthur Forrest, and William Anderson were arrested. On Saturday morning they were presented at the local police court on the serious charge, and remanded till Thursday next. They are all young men, their ages ranging from 19 to 24 years, and they belong to the respectable working class. The woman, who gave her name as Mary Ann Shields, is about 40 years of age, and miserably clad. Her reputed husband is described by the police as a "professional sundowner," and he has been convicted a number of times at Malmsbury, Castlemaine, and Hotham. The pair have no home, and they generally sleep out in such places as parks or unoccupied houses. The Government medical officer, Dr Shields, who examined the woman, does not speak positively as to the offence having been committed .

The boys were discharged.  

I can't with any certainty find David after the 1886 Royal Park adventure but on further hopeful searching for any information on the other young men it appears that Thomas Chrystal moved to Queensland.  

Interestingly, many years later in 1929, Thomas again came before the courts and was again discharged.  This time it was rather a sad tale though.

Mysterious Mr. Mansfield

In researching our Adams family it seems each time we find an answer to something it poses another question.

George Adams and his first wife, Catherine nee Barry, were my great great grandparents.  This post is about their second youngest daughter Margaret Adams.

Margaret's mother, Catherine, died at Park Street, Melbourne in 1884 and father, George died at 5 Brixton Street Flemington in 1921.

In George's will he left his surviving daughters from his first marriage 20 pounds each and all the daughters except Margaret are mentioned by their married names, yet Margaret's death certificate states she married a James Mansfield in South Melbourne at the age of 25 which would have been in 1893.

Margaret was born at Vasse in Western Australia in 1868.  Her death certificate states she was 55 years of age and had spent one year in W.A and 54 years in Victoria.  She died in 1926 at what I initially thought was perhaps 72a Watters or Walters Street, Albert Park but I couldn't find a street by either name.

No registration or certificate has been found for a marriage of James Mansfield and Margaret Adams.

But ......

My third cousin and fellow Adams researcher Christine found a couple of articles in the Argus Newspaper from January 1893 about a James Alexander Mansfield being arrested for Bigamy.  This James Alexander Mansfield was a former Secretary of the Amalgamated Seamen's Union.

In the 1903, 1909 and 1914 electoral rolls a James Alexander was living at 68 Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park with a Margaret Mansfield.  His occupation is given as coalweigher.

In 1924 electoral roll Margaret Mansfield was still living at 68 Beaconsfield Parade.  There is a Withers Street directly around the corner from that address, could that be where Margaret Mansfield nee Adams died in 1926?  Living at 66 Withers Street was a John Burgess Mansfield and a Nina Mansfield.  I haven't found a connection ..... yet.

I could find no other suitable James Alexander Mansfield in a search of the electoral rolls, nor could I find a death certificate or registration but on searching Trove again I found the following death notice for 1917.

Could our Margaret Adams "husband" be James Alexander Mansfield the bigamist?  Husband of M. Mansfield could be purposefully ambiguous?