2. Re: DYFED Digest, Vol 8, Issue 175 - #7 - Griffith and Elizabeth (Eleanor?) James (Ian Thomas) One correction to my reply of 22 August 2013 -- Griffith and Elizabeth's first child (also Elizabeth) was born at Melbourne in 1858 (_not_ 1855). There were 20526 births registered in Victoria in 1858, so #10360 would be roughly mid-year. As the Marco Polo didn't arrive until July, the birth must have been imminent (she wasn't identified as a Marine birth). As a fast, narrow clipper, the Marco Polo would probably have rolled quite a bit in heavy seas in mid-winter, and it could hardly have been a comfortable trip for the mother to be. Ships like the Marco Polo often travelled a "modified Great Circle route", circling across to South America and then down west of the Cape of Good Hope into the Southern Ocean as far as the ice would allow, before approaching Victoria from the southwest, sometimes running with gale force winds behind them and aiming for a 60-mile gap between Cape Otway (Victoria) and King Is. (Tasmania) -- "threading the eye of the needle", as one local author(ess) put it. With South America often their last land sighting and the stars obscured by winter storm clouds, sometimes for weeks on end, it was often a case of navigation by "dead reckoning". Consequently, the coastline west of Cape Otway became known as the Shipwreck Coast. Lighthouses came later, but while giving a much earlier warning than the sound of surf on rocks in the middle of a stormy night, didn't completely stop the carnage. GPS would have been very handy! Ian Thomas Central Victoria. On 23/8/2013 5:00 PM, dyfed-request@rootsweb.com wrote: > > Please delete any irrelevant notes when replying to this digest. > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Wilson and Cooke (David Rowlands) > 2. Re: DYFED Digest, Vol 8, Issue 175 - #7 - Griffith and > Elizabeth (Eleanor?) James (Ian Thomas) > 3. Re: DYFED Digest, Vol 8, Issue 175 - #7 - Griffith and > Elizabeth (Eleanor?) James (Lance Kirkwood) > 4. BAPTISMS LLEDROD PARISH CHURCH (Buddug Hollett) > 5. Calvinistic Methodists at Bwlchgwynt etc (ANNE EVANS) > 6. lledrod baptisms (Buddug Hollett) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:44:43 +1000 > From: Ian Thomas <ianthomas@myoffice.net.au> > Subject: Re: [Dyfed] DYFED Digest, Vol 8, Issue 175 - #7 - Griffith > and Elizabeth (Eleanor?) James > To: dyfed@rootsweb.com, Reginald Davies <regandpaddy@btinternet.com> > Message-ID: <5215EB9B.7040209@myoffice.net.au> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Hello Reg (and Dai and List) > > This is the first time I've attempted a reply, so please excuse (and > advise on) any protocol gaffes. > > Public Record Office Victoria online indexes for Unassisted Inward > Passenger Lists to Victoria 1852-1923, list a Griffiths(sic) and Elizth > James, both aged 34, arriving Melbourne on the "Marco Polo" in July 1858 > from a British port. Also a Wm James, aged 29 (but on a different page > in the Log). The Marco Polo was a fast clipper ship that did regular > runs from Britain to Melbourne in the late 1850s, just before steamers > supplanted sail (some of my ancestors came out on her in 1859). > > The Victorian BDM Pioneers Index (1836-88) lists Griffith James and > Elizabeth Davis (sic) having 3 children: Elizabeth at Melbourne in 1855 > (Reg #10360), Jane at Amherst in 1861 (#15916) and finally Mary Eleanor > at Amherst in1863 (# 18298), but died aged 1 in 1865 (but #9, so could > well have been late 1864, as year given in index is year of > registration, not necessarily that of the event). Amherst is a small > settlement about 40km north of Ballarat and 10km south of Maryborough in > central Victoria (and 150km from the sea), and would have been a gold > mining area at that time. The Vic BDM Edwardian Index (1902-13) lists > Griffith James (Fa: David James, Mo: Elizabeth Isaac), as died aged 76 > at Talbot (2-3km from Amherst) in 1906 (#15065); Elizabeth James (Fa: > Davies, Mo: Elizth U/kn), died aged 81 at Talbot in 1911 (#14984). > Slight age discrepancies, but looks like them and suggests they settled > permanently in the district. > > Ian Thomas > Victoria, Aust. > > > On 22/8/2013 8:16 AM, dyfed-request@rootsweb.com wrote: >> Please delete any irrelevant notes when replying to this digest. >> >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. Re: (Pem) Help with a forename (Dai & Angela Bevan) >> 2. Re: Tan yr Allt Meeting House Tregaron (yr achwr) >> 3. (Pembs) Dick Of Pembroke (Andy Philpin) >> 4. Re: Tan yr Allt Meeting House Tregaron (Jennifer Cairns) >> 5. Re: Tan yr Allt Meeting House Tregaron (Gareth Hicks) >> 6. Tan yr Allt Meeting House Tregaron (ANNE EVANS) >> 7. Griffith and Eleanor James married 1857 (REGINALD DAVIES) >> 8. Wilson and Cooke (REGINALD DAVIES) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 7 >> Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 22:33:05 +0100 (BST) >> From: REGINALD DAVIES <regandpaddy@btinternet.com> >> Subject: [Dyfed] Griffith and Eleanor James married 1857 >> To: "dyfed@rootsweb.com" <dyfed@rootsweb.com> >> Message-ID: >> <1377120785.71988.YahooMailNeo@web87805.mail.ir2.yahoo.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 >> >> I'm writing the history of houses in Newport parish, Pembrokeshire and looking for some help. >> ? >> Griffith James, a mariner,? was born on 6 October 1824 at >> Dinas, Pembrokeshire but would?grow up?at Noppyn a cottage on the mountain above Newport, Pembrokeshire. Abandoned as a home in the 1870s Noppyn was already a ruin by 1908. According to BG Charles nopyn is Welsh for a hillock. Any other suggestions welcomed. >> ? >> According to Board of Trade records whilst sailing on the Bejapore of >> Liverpool Griffith James was discharged at Sydney on 28 February 1853. In 1854 he sailed on the >> Geelong of London joining at Melbourne on 28 August and was discharged in >> London on 4 April 1855. So he had returned home. >> In 1857 Griffith James married >> Elizabeth Davies aged 34 of Coynant very close to Noppyn at Newport church.?Neither Griffith nor his wife Elizabeth can >> be found on any subsequent UK census enumeration.?Had?Griffith returned home to marry?his childhood sweetheart?prior to their emigration to Australia? Any ideas of how to trace their emigration if any. >> ? >> Reg Davies >> ? >> http://www.welshmariners.org.uk/ >> >> >