Don, My ancestors ship journey from Plymouth to Geelong took 101 days. This 'gap' between birth of John and Thomas is 90 days and 2 countries! There are anomolies in the ages of the parents which is not uncommon is records. My thought is a recording error and the 2nd child is a year younger. Have you got shipping records for Geelong arrival? Carollyn Williams ----- Original Message ----- From: Don Watson To: AUS-VIC-GEELONG-DISTRICT-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 6:13 PM Subject: [GEELONG] Late arriving twins? Would any member care to comment on the following problem? I have two birth certificates, details as follows - 1. Registered at Belfast 31 July 1866, birth of John BROOKS, born Rosebrook, 16 July 1866. Father William BROOKS, laborer, aged 32, born Yorkshire England. Mother Elizabeth BROOKS, nee BUTCHER, age 20, born Kidderminster, England. Informant W Brooks, father. 2. Registered at Geelong 29 October 1866, birth of Thomas Alfred BROOKS, born Sutherland Creek, 11 June 1866. Father William BROOKS, woolsorter, aged 30, born Yorkshire England, Mother Elizabeth BROOKS nee BUTCHER, aged 21 born Kidderminster England. Informant John Wilson, acquaintance and neighbour. How did they manage it? Any suggestions? Don Watson ==== AUS-VIC-GEELONG-DISTRICT Mailing List ==== Geelong & District Surnames of Interest : http://www.zades.com.au/geelong/gdname.htm

Thank you to all responders. I inadvertently assumed that all on this list would be aware that Belfast was an early name for what is now Port Fairy Vic. When we visited some years ago the Belfast Bakery was in operation (and made very nice cream buns). Rosebrook is a few miles out to the north of Port Fairy. But where is Sutherland Creek? and does anyone know where Breakwater is? somewhere in this vicinity, we think. another child was born there much later. Elizabeth (nee Butcher) arrived as a child in 1854. We can't find William Brooks arrival. Up until recently the earliest firm knowledge we had was what was given on his marriage documents - 23 Nov 1865, William Crook Brooks, Autumn St Ashby, aged 29, widower, former wife deceased 1856, no issue, born Bradford Yorkshire, father William Brooks, mother Susan Crook. Then we found a birth of Fanny Mary Ann (Mary Ann was Elizabeth's mother -don't know who Fanny may have been), 27 Feb 1864, to William aged 28, and Elizabeth aged 16, notified by the mother and she signed her name. (At the marriage she used a mark). So William was in the Geelong area around July 1863. We have also found that John lived 14 days, so William must have registered his birth and death at the same time, and this means there is not much doubt about the dates of his birth/death. Thomas is a different matter. At the moment, following a number of helpful suggestions from this list, I lean towards the theory that William was told that he had to register the birth of a child even though it died soon after birth, and of the penalties for not registering, so asked a former neighbour to belatedly register the birth of Thomas Alfred (these names do not yet appear anywhere else in the family) who had been born and died in the Sutherland Creek area a year previously. If T A was born 11 Jun 1865 rather than 1866 it would be a simple matter, if questioned, to blame the error on the neighbour or the Registrar. Either that, or the well intentioned neighbour got the whole thing wrong, and the child belonged to someone else! Thanks to all again, I will respond individually shortly. Don Watson >