I am researching one of my husband's ancestors, a William Donkersley whose father was a Private in the British Army who was at one stage was guarding convicts on a convict ship from UK to Australia and presumably at a convict camp in Australia. After years of hunting his birth registration, I have now found William Donkersley named in an Census as having a birthplace of Vasse, Western Australia c. 1844 and in another Census as Thevase, Western Australia c. 1844. In an English Census William Donkersley has given his birthplace as Swan River. I cannot find Thevase or Vasse on an atlas. Has anyone out there any idea where I can track down where Thevase or Vasse is, and where I can find out the original Census which is the source of this information or possibly where his birth registration might be (he's not registered in any of the British Army birth records). Many thanks Sue Holden

In article <003e01c67683$f10a1140$9cd687d9@v3a3j5>, DJ & S Holden <djs@holden32.fsnet.co.uk> wrote: > Has anyone out there any idea where I can track down where Thevase > or Vasse is, and where I can find out the original Census which > is the source of this information or possibly where his birth > registration might be (he's not registered in any of the British > Army birth records). Vasse is in a very lovely part of Western Australia - the Margaret River region - i.e. bottom left extremity of the continent. Enter ... Vasse +Australia ... into Google and you will get much more information than I could repeat here. Thomas Vasse was a French sailor who drowned there in 1801. Vasse is also a place in the Netherlands. Can't help you on the census, I am afraid. -- ___________________________________________________________________________ Derrick G Porter derrick@pluckrose.org ..... in deepest Sussex ..... Tel: +44(0) 1798 81 2383 Time to spare? ... visit www.pluckrose.org or www.ppl.org.uk ___________________________________________________________________________

Hello Sue I also have an army pensioner guard who came on one of the convict ships to Western Australia. They called them Enrolled Pensioner Guards. Most of them were pensioned Army personnel who were still on the Army payroll. I have been able to find out all his details from the PRO in London, and the Chelsea Pensioners records. Many ex soldiers came because of the offer of free land if they served for a period in WA. There has been considerable research into the Enrolled Pensioner Guards in Australia and I will try to find the best websites for you to look at and let you know. It is well worth working through the WA BDMs, and I will see what is available. The amount of detail in the civil registers in the period in question is variable however, and you may or may not be lucky. I gather that about 40% of soldiers in the British Army in the 1840s were Irish and of course, many were Catholic. My ancestor didn't have his children recorded in the British Army Chaplains Birth Records either, as this was Anglican. He had the children baptised in Catholic Churches wherever they were born, and this was a difficult trail and would have been impossible had I not obtained his detailed army record which recorded every time his regiment moved and how long they stayed in each place. Once in Australia he continued to defy the civil authorities and none of his children were registered so I again had to find where the Catholic churches were. These baptisms in WA records were excellent however, and even had the place of birth of the parents in Ireland recorded. I will see what I can find when I next visit SAG (Society of Australian Genealogists) and can access the computerised records. Regards Jill in Sydney, Aus. >I am researching one of my husband's ancestors, a William Donkersley >whose father was a Private in the British Army who was at one stage >was guarding convicts on a convict ship from UK to Australia and >presumably at a convict camp in Australia. > >After years of hunting his birth registration, I have now found >William Donkersley named in an Census as having a birthplace of >Vasse, Western Australia c. 1844 and in another Census as Thevase, >Western Australia c. 1844. In an English Census William >Donkersley has given his birthplace as Swan River. I cannot >find Thevase or Vasse on an atlas. > >Has anyone out there any idea where I can track down where Thevase >or Vasse is, and where I can >find out the original Census which is the source of this >information or possibly where his birth registration might be (he's >not registered in any of the British Army birth records). > >Many thanks > >Sue Holden > >______________________________

Dear Jill Many many thanks for this info. William Donkersley has been sitting in my "too difficult" basket for so long and I have only recently dug him out because I'm trying to put together a book on his family history for my husband's big birthday (a very big birthday) in July. I would be very grateful if - when you have a moment - you could let me know any websites that I could look up any more info. Much appreciate your help. Regards Sue (Holden)