Researching ordinary people – people who weren’t famous, who didn’t belong to boards of corporations or government bodies, who may not have had their birth registered or had a wedding celebrated – is very hard.  How do you map out their life and discover where they went, who they affected, what they did? Why their children didn’t appear on the School Roll, and what other school they attended?

I was presented at the start with the petition to the government for a school, with its list of families detailing the children’s names and ages – what a find!  It also had property names for some although that wasn’t informative if the name was no longer in use.

I looked for the couples’ marriages in the NSW BDMs, and then for births of people with that surname and parents whose names matched that couple:

NAMES ON 1891 PETITION – MARRIAGES and CHILDREN (where found):

People not found:

Mrs Matheson

William Taylor

Joseph Borsyd (?)

Charles Gallagher

Thomas Powell

Joseph Brown

Neil Clark

Mr Hunter

A Power

A Johnstone

D G Jones

A H & E Pearson

J Fleming

A & J Ross

A Rowe

John Wilson

W A Lee

W Dawson

Joseph Meredith

John Simpson

George Lee

D J Moore

W & J Meredith

James R Davey

John Gilfillan

Guy de Montfort

Walter Auyman

John Lewis

E C S Chapman (govt surveyor)

Andrew Lamm (?)

Cormick Smith

 

People found:

John Sheard married Eliza Wilson in Hartley District certificate number 3360/1878

19459/1883	SHEARD	ARTHUR EDWARD	JOHN	ELIZA ELIZABETH	LITHGOW
21851/1885	SHEARD	WILLIAM A	JOHN	ELIZA	LITHGOW
23408/1887	SHEARD	HENRY C	JOHN	ELIZA	LITHGOW
15029/1879	SHEARD	JOHN THOMAS	JOHN	ELIZA	HARTLEY
22792/1889	SHEARD	ANNIE G	JOHN	ELIZA	LITHGOW
17634/1891	SHEARD	CAROLINE C	JOHN	ELIZA	KATOOMBA
18286/1893	SHEARD	JAMES L	JOHN	ELIZA	KATOOMBA
12846/1898	SHEARD	CHARLOTTE E	JOHN	ELIZA	KATOOMBA

John McAviney married Margaret Keenan in Hartley District cert number 2467/1869

12637/1875	MCAVINEY	CATHERINE ELLEN	JOHN	MARGARET	HARTLEY
13332/1877	MCAVINEY	EMILY	JOHN	MARGARET	HARTLEY
12009/1869	MCAVINEY	MARGARET	JOHN	MARGARET	HARTLEY
16013/1880	MCAVINEY	JOHN	JOHN	MARGARET	LITHGOW
19505/1883	MCAVINEY	THOMAS A	JOHN	MARGARET	LITHGOW
22654/1886	MCAVINEY	JAMES H	JOHN	MARGARET	LITHGOW
17400/1890	MCAVINEY	LOUISA C	JOHN	MARGARET	KATOOMBA

E M & PJ Dwyer

(Pierce and Elizabeth had Pierce Jr, registered Hartley 15138/1879)

James Keenan m Margaret Ryan regd Sydney cert number 745/1871

11258/1871

KEENAN

LOUISA JANE

JAMES

MARGARET

HARTLEY

 

William Lynch

9239/1866

LYNCH

CHARLOTTE

WILLIAM

FANNY

HARTLEY

George Susans

22725/1889	SUSANS	MARGARET M	GEORGE	EMILY	LITHGOW
3853/1902	SUSANS	MARY G (d1903)	GEORGE	EMMA	KATOOMBA
3932/1899	SUSANS	GEORGE (d1899)	GEORGE	EMMA	KATOOMBA
16521/1904	SUSANS	ELIZABETH W	GEORGE A	SARAH W	ST LEONARDS
37643/1905	SUSANS	FLORENCE M W	GEORGE A	SARAH W	ST LEONARDS
26123/1900	SUSANS	GEORGE W	GEORGE A	SARAH W	ST LEONARDS
37642/1905	SUSANS	RAYMOND W	GEORGE A	SARAH W	ST LEONARDS

William Russell married Ellen Lynch in Sydney District cert number 1179/1879

11933/1879	RUSSELL	JAMES M	WILLIAM	ELLEN	COOMA
5509/1880	RUSSELL	ELSIE LOUISA A C	WILLIAM	ELLEN M B	NEWTOWN
7706/1881	RUSSELL	EDWARD	WILLIAM THOMAS	ELLEN	REDFERN
21258/1882	RUSSELL	MARGARET ANN	WILLIAM	ELLEN	COOMA
24781/1884	RUSSELL	EVELINE F	WILLIAM	ELLEN	COOMA
26359/1891	RUSSELL	WALTER P H	WILLIAM	ELLEN	NIMMITABEL
222/1906	RUSSELL	WILLIAM T	WILLIAM	ELLEN M	SYDNEY

 

John England m Margaret McAbiney (sic) Lithgow District cert number 5265/1888

17377/1890	ENGLAND	ETHEL B	JOHN	MARGARET M	KATOOMBA
17654/1891	ENGLAND	JOHN H	JOHN	MARGARET M	KATOOMBA
17250/1894	ENGLAND	GRACE	JOHN	MARGARET	KATOOMBA
22405/1896	ENGLAND	EDGAR S	JOHN	MARGARET	KATOOMBA
31283/1899	ENGLAND	GLADYS C	JOHN	MARGARET M	KATOOMBA
32504/1901	ENGLAND	STELLA A	JOHN	MARGARET M	KATOOMBA
25506/1908	ENGLAND	JOSEPH F	JOHN	MARGARET M	KATOOMBA
25507/1908	ENGLAND	JOSEPH	JOHN	MARGARET M	KATOOMBA

 

Patrick Smith m Ellen Keenan in Lithgow District cert number 4732/1882

19425/1883	SMITH	PATRICK PHILIP	PATRICK	ELLEN ELIZABETH	LITHGOW
21822/1885	SMITH	CORMICK P	PATRICK	ELLEN	LITHGOW
23419/1887	SMITH	HENRY	PATRICK	ELLEN E	LITHGOW
17416/1890	SMITH	MARGARET M	PATRICK	ELLEN E	KATOOMBA
18263/1893	SMITH	ELLEN E	PATRICK	ELLEN E	KATOOMBA
13315/1896	SMITH	LILLY	PATRICK	ELLEN E	KATOOMBA
32468/1902	SMITH	JAMES J	PATRICK	ELLEN E	KATOOMBA

Robert O’Reilly m Elizabeth O’Reilly in Camden District cert number 1925/1871

18193/1875	O’REILLY	ROSE ANNE	ROBERT JOSEPH	ELIZABETH	PICTON
19168/1877	O’REILLY	MARY	ROBERT J	ELIZABETH	PICTON
21683/1879	OREILLY	PATRICK	ROBERT	ELIZABETH	PICTON
12607/1881	O’REILLY	ELIZABETH	ROBERT JOSEPH	ELIZABETH	PICTON
13951/1883	O’REILLY	THOMAS LUKE	ROBERT JOSEPH	ELIZABETH	PICTON
16142/1885	O’REILLY	LUKE J	ROBERT J	ELIZABETH	PICTON
23993/1888	OREILLY	JOSEPH F	ROBERT	ELIZABETH	LITHGOW

James Cullen m Sarah Keenan in Lithgow District cert number 4760/1882

21982/1885	CULLEN	JAMES	JAMES	SARAH	LITHGOW
19587/1883	CULLEN	PATRICK	JAMES	SARAH	LITHGOW
23494/1887	CULLEN	WILLIAM	JAMES	SARAH	LITHGOW
19597/1890	CULLEN	MICHAEL	JAMES	SARAH	LITHGOW

Michael Cullen m Bridget Hughes in Bathurst District cert number 2395/1878

23497/1887	CULLEN	MARTHA	MICHAEL	BRIDGET	LITHGOW
22671/1886	CULLEN	ANNIE	MICHAEL	BRIDGET M	LITHGOW
19514/1890	CULLEN	ROSE C	MICHAEL	BRIDGET	LITHGOW
19494/1883	CULLEN	ELIZABETH E	MICHAEL	BRIDGET	LITHGOW
22292/1903	CULLEN	ETHEL L	MICHAEL L	BRIDGET	LITHGOW

Andrew Robb m Eva Chauncey in Sydney District cert number 274/1880

8138/1880	ROBB	WALTER	ANDREW	EVA S	ST LEONARDS
9204/1882	ROBB	ANDREW C	ANDREW	EVA	ST LEONARDS
10231/1883	ROBB	EVA MARION	ANDREW	EVA L	ST LEONARDS
11915/1885	ROBB	HECTOR G	ANDREW	EVA	ST LEONARDS
10910/1887	ROBB	ARTHUR V	ANDREW	EVA	WOOLLAHRA
8082/1889	ROBB	RUBY M E	ANDREW	EVA	WOOLLAHRA
19887/1891	ROBB	ALLAN C	ANDREW	EVA	LITHGOW
17282/1894	ROBB	HUGH D	ANDREW	EVA	KATOOMBA
32167/1897	ROBB	ALEXANDER MCD	ANDREW	EVA	KATOOMBA

Alfred Whalan m Agatha Wilson in Lithgow District cert number 1802/1874

7335/1875	WHALAN	CHARLES C	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	BATHURST
7759/1877	WHALAN	EMILY G	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	BATHURST
8983/1879	WHALAN	FREDERIC CLAUDE	ALFRED SAMUEL	AGATHA J	BATHURST
10553/1881	WHALAN	WILLIAM EVELYN	ALFRED SAMUEL	AGATHA J	BATHURST
11590/1882	WHALAN	CLARA E E	ALFRED SAMUEL	AGATHA J	EAST MACQUARIE
14037/1884	WHALAN	ALFRED H	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	EAST MACQUARIE
15534/1887	WHALAN	RICHARD P	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	OBERON
15259/1889	WHALAN	GLYNDWR M	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	OBERON
26886/1891	WHALAN	ERNEST L	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	OBERON
25256/1894	WHALAN	WILSON R	ALFRED S	AGATHA J	OBERON

Isaac Sidney

16207/1905

SIDNEY

ISAAC W

ISAAC

ELIZA

PADDINGTON

Ernest E Sampson m Mary F Robbins in Rylstone District 5871/1883

25920/1884	SAMPSON	SELWIN FREDERICK C	ERNEST A	MARY F	RYLSTONE
27440/1886	SAMPSON	GEORGE E	ERNEST A	MARY F	RYLSTONE
28803/1888	SAMPSON	JANE M	ERNEST A	MARY F	RYLSTONE
31134/1890	SAMPSON	CONSTANCE	ERNEST A	MARY F	RYLSTONE
31979/1892	SAMPSON	ELIZABETH J	ERNEST A	MARY F	RYLSTONE
16678/1895	SAMPSON	HERBERT R	ERNEST A	MARY F	RYLSTONE
16205/1897	SAMPSON	CECIL	ERNEST A	MARY	RYLSTONE
34414/1899	SAMPSON	HAROLD M	ERNEST A	MARY	RYLSTONE
6774/1902	SAMPSON	GORDON W	ERNEST A	MARY	RYLSTONE
40241/1908	SAMPSON	DORIS B	ERNEST A	MARY	RYLSTONE