View Full Version : Mary W Dick
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 14:34
Mary W Dick is on the 1901 census with her family in Oxhey near Watford.
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=view&r=5538&dbid=7814&iid=HRTRG13_1317_1319-0787&fn=Mary+W&ln=Dick&st=r&ssrc=&pid=7706637
The census says she and her younger brother Alan were born in Ealing. His birth comes up on Free BMD in Brentford, which makes sense. We can’t find hers on Free BMD (Ancestry) or in the Indexes.
Their older sister Dorothy was born in Australia and we have her birth/baptism and death.
We have just spent a jolly two weeks or so finding living descendants of the wrong Mary W Dick.
Can anyone help to identify the right Mary’s birth so we can send for the certificate and get the middle name (which will be a surname) which will define her?
At least this is not the Bodycotes.
AN
Are you sure the W will be for a surname?
Births Sep 1896
Dick Mary Winifred Brentford 3a 107
Sue from Southend
10-07-12, 15:52
Mary Winifred's baptism is on Ancestry. 14 Sept 1896 Northfields St John, Ealing (b 30 Aug) Parents John and Elizabeth, his occ Mechanical Draughtsman. Address 36 Hartington Road.
Can't see one for Alan though to compare.
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 15:55
Er no, not any more.
Two of us have looked at that quarter this afternoon and missed it. We were expecting a Scottish naming pattern, but obviously not on this occasion.
Thank you so much Merry.
If only the Bodycotes were as easy.
AN
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 15:56
Oh and thank you Sue. That's them.
AN
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 17:50
Now the next question:
John and Elizabeth Dick were married in 1890 and seem to have gone to South Australia more or less immediately. Dorothy Allen Dick, their older daughter, was born there in 1891.
They then came back to England and in 1901 they were in Oxhey, Watford, but there is no sign of the family (that we can see) on the 1911.
Best guess is that they went back to Australia, but we aren't having a lot of luck finding out when and where.
There is a Mary W Dick who died in Tasmania in 1964 aged 80, but the one we are looking for was only 68 at the time. I can understand lying about your age as a principle, but 12 years in the wrong direction?
There was another Mary W Dick in NSW (m Styman), but she is Mary Wilson Dick.
Any ideas anyone?
AN
I looked at this before you asked!!
I couldn't see any followup for any of the three children in the UK.
John and Elizabeth were too difficult to check, but if the children were not here my guess is they were not either.
I couldn't find them in 1911 either.
I saw the incoming shipping record in 1895, but coudn't find an outgoing one after 1901. There might be somethig with initials only .....might need to have another look.
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 18:39
Where did you see the incoming shipping record?
AN
kiterunner
10-07-12, 18:47
Dorothy Allen Dick died in Victoria, Australia, in 1964, as I'm sure you already know, AN, but do you have info on when she went back to Australia (after 1901)? Just wondering if her family could have gone with her?
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 18:50
Ah, got it now.
Looks promising. However, if I read this right there are two daughters, which I think implies that Dorothy had a younger sister who subsequently died.
Back to the BMD.
AN
Where did you see the incoming shipping record?
AN
On Ancestry. I'll find it again in a minute.
I thought I'd found them going back to Oz, on this ship:
Departure date:13 September 1906
Port of departure:London
Destination port:Sydney
Destination country:Australia
Ship:MOOLTAN
But turns out the three children were two boys and one girl and one of the boys was over 12, so def not the ones.
Incoming 1895:
Name: Mr Dick
Birth Date: abt 1865
Age: 30
Port of Departure: Sydney, Australia
Arrival Date: Aug 1895
Port of Arrival: London, England
Ship Name: Arcadia
Search Ship Database: View the 'Arcadia' in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Official Number: 93172
Thee other two are with him.
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 18:56
Hi Kite - Thanks. We think they all went back.
Dorothy appears not to have married, but hopefully there may be descendants from Mary or Alan, if only we can find them!
AN
kiterunner
10-07-12, 18:57
Ah, got it now.
Looks promising. However, if I read this right there are two daughters, which I think implies that Dorothy had a younger sister who subsequently died.
Back to the BMD.
AN
Is it the one with Mr and Mrs J Dick and infant? If so then I think the "2" in the "Children" column is her age, not the number of children, because if you look at the totals at the bottom of the page it says 1 for female children.
Ah, got it now.
Looks promising. However, if I read this right there are two daughters, which I think implies that Dorothy had a younger sister who subsequently died.
Back to the BMD.
AN
I read it as one infant female aged 2.
Oooh, snap Kate!
Also that shipping record I said was the wrong one in 1906 only has to have the wrong sex for the over 12 years child and it would fit! I was thinking Dorothy was also under 12 which of course she wasn't.
Anstey Nomad
10-07-12, 19:26
How are you getting these results on the passenger lists ladies? When I search I get literally thousands of results coming up, mostly with the wrong name and ports.
AN
I restricted the dates and added Australia where appropriate.
mostly with the wrong name
Ah - Do you use the old or new search on ancestry? I always use the old search, so (unless I choose to select Soundex) I only get the results that match my search criteria exactly.
Anstey Nomad
11-07-12, 09:27
Right - that's where I'm going wrong.
AN
Anstey Nomad
12-07-12, 11:39
Right. Regrouping.
I have now looked at the passenger lists and can see that Mr and Mrs J Dick and their three children returned to Australia in 1906 aboard the Mooltan. They were contracted to disembark at Adelaide.
Although there is no first name for anyone, the circumstantial evidence would suggest that this is John, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Mary and Alan, returning to Adelaide, from whence they had initially returned to England in 1895.
Their house in Oxhey (1901 census) was called Coorong. If they named their house after a place in South Australia, presumably they had some connection there. The Dick family name is still represented there and I’m contemplating an e mail, but is that just coincidence?
However, the fact is we have no idea what happened to this family after they returned to Australia, other than the death of Dorothy Allen Dick referred to in an earlier post.
All we can think of to do now is to send for her death certificate, in the hope that a relative registered the death.
Unless of course anyone on here has a better idea?
AN
I don't have the right sub, but doesn't Ancestry have Aussie electoral rolls?
kiterunner
12-07-12, 11:49
I spent quite a while looking at the Aussie electoral rolls already, Merry, but the only person I found definites for was Dorothy. Not all years are available for all states, so it could be they were in one of the missing bits, or it could be that they aren't together on any e roll. It would help if you could search for multiple names in one search.
I also looked for John's death in the Australian indexes as I had figured out his parents' names (Charles and Ann) but there was no such entry, and I couldn't find a death for Alan or Mary out there with parents John and Elizabeth, but they could have died too recently to be included.
Dick seems to be a pretty common name so I wouldn't assume that anyone of that name has any connection to this family.
Oh, and I also had a look on Trove (newspaper archives) but no luck there either.
Anstey Nomad
12-07-12, 12:21
I was planning to tackle the electoral rolls at the Library next week.
Are there any South Australia BMDs on line?
AN
kiterunner
12-07-12, 12:31
Yes, ancestry says their indexes cover the following years for South Australia:
births 1842-1922
marriages 1842-1937
deaths 1842-1970.
There are links to some other databases on here:
http://www.coraweb.com.au/bdmau.htm
(you have to scroll down to the South Australia section).
Looking back at ancestry, it seems they don't have the South Australian electoral rolls! That could explain why I had no luck with those! Dorothy turns up in Tasmania in 1943 - 1954 and then in Victoria, so I guess she was in SA before that.
Anstey Nomad
12-07-12, 12:35
The answer to my question was yes. I have now found the following
1927 311/598 Alan DICK = Gladys Ruby Adelaide Victoria BUTLER in Adelaide
There is a death notice in the Advertiser for an Alan Dick in 1983.
As you say though, the name is quite common, so this could just be speculation.
However, this looks better:
1922 290/42 Mary Winifred DICK = William Russell Goodwin COLMAN in Adelaide.
He was born in Port Adelaide in 1897, I’m now looking for children.
All this from www.genealogysa.org.au
AN
kiterunner
12-07-12, 12:51
Ancestry has a death for William Russell Colman in 1966 at Cambrian Hill, Victoria, parents Edwa and Louisa. Age 68. Same place where Dorothy died!
kiterunner
12-07-12, 12:56
Ah, I forgot that ancestry has a bit of a mess-up with parents' names on the Australian death index, but I have found a death for Grahame Russell Colman at Cambrian Hill, Victoria, in 1964, age 40, father "Russ William" and mother "Winifred Dick".
Anstey Nomad
12-07-12, 13:33
Thanks Kite
It's starting to come together.
Here's W R G Colman's birth record, so the parents' names are close enough.
1897 601/222 COLMAN William Russell Goodwin William Edward COLMAN Alice Louisa WATERS Port Adelaide
This seems to place Grahame in Hobart in 1939
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/68278167
and this in 1941
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/52400220?searchTerm=hugh%20campbell&searchLimits=
However, there is more than one Grahame Colman in Oz and at least two of them are still going strong.
AN
kiterunner
12-07-12, 13:39
And guess what it says on the 1943 Tasmanian e roll entry for Dorothy?
Dick, Dorothy Allen, c/o W R G Colman, St Helens, h.d. (= household duties), F (= female).
Same in 1949.
Then looking for William Russell Goodwin, Colman:
1936 he is at St Helens, Tasmania, with Mary Winifred. He is a mining engineer.
Same in 1937 and 1949.
Then in 1958 they are 1 Acacia St., Highfield Park, Chisholm, Victoria, same address as Dorothy. Same in 1963. Mary Winifred is still there in 1968, then in 1977 she is at 1/2 William St., Ringwood, Victoria. Still there in 1980.
Anstey Nomad
12-07-12, 14:48
Brilliant!
I wonder if Grahame was their only child. That would be sad.
Now, what of Alan I wonder?
AN
Anstey Nomad
13-07-12, 12:56
Further thanks to Kiterunner who has given me a lead suggesting that Grahame was not their only child.
I now have an e mail address and phone number for someone who may be Mary Dick's grandson.
There is a lot of information to assess now, particularly as this branch of the family are actually quite high profile in Australia, but I will report back when the assessment process is complete.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far.
AN
AN
Anstey Nomad
20-07-12, 09:14
A week is a long time in genealogy.
In that time, my friend, whose family this is, has got himself together and e mailed the contact provided by Kiterunner. I think, being a very quiet and shy person, he is quite overwhelmed with the response.
His speculative e mail has produced a friendly email back, almost instantly, an 18 page attachment with lots of information about the descendants of John and Elizabeth Dick and even better, Alan Dick’s daughter is copied in! There is a promise of more information to come.
Heartfelt thanks to all who have helped with this.
AN
Anstey Nomad
20-07-12, 09:20
While I was writing that, my friend forwarded three more e mails he has received.
As a researcher who has previously preferred Royal Mail, he is now stunned.
Result! Now, about these Bodycotes lol.
AN
kiterunner
20-07-12, 10:18
Wow, that's great news, AN (apart from the mention of Bodycotes. :p)
Great news! *pokes fingers in ears at the mention of the B word*
Anstey Nomad
21-07-12, 12:01
More e mails today and an invitation to Skype from an 82 year old lady in Adelaide who remembers John and Elizabeth Dick, which is where we came in.
Word has now spread to the latest generation in New England.
AN
Anstey Nomad
08-09-12, 18:10
A further update - family reunion planned for Melbourne in November, followed by a flying visit to Adelaide.
Thank you GF
AN
Oooh, how exciting!!! Are you going?
New England USA or Australia???
There are Dick family members spread around through our media industry here.
Uncle John
08-09-12, 19:49
I have a Dick family in my tree. The last one committed suicide in Glasgow in 1913, her husband having been found dead in a well a few years earlier.
Anstey Nomad
10-09-12, 12:43
The daughter of Alan Dick, who is mentioned in the first post, lives in Adelaide. Her daughter lives in Connecticut.
The new rellies he has found are not Dicks, but Colmans.
The Dick family comes originally from Angus.
No, I don't get to go, this is a friend's family, but if you guys can find me some Bodycotes in Oz it may be a different story.
AN
Bodycotes in Oz
*swoons* ;(;(:rolleyes:
Anstey Nomad
10-09-12, 19:28
Toowoomba to be precise, but we haven't quite sorted out the connection...
AN
Spose you've seen this then....
http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/story/2012/02/16/uncovering-the-secret-life-of-sharks/
and this.....
http://www.bigrigs.com.au/story/2012/07/10/youth-in-stitches-grafton/
No idea why I'm doing this at 5.30 when I should be doing so many other things....lol
Anstey Nomad
11-09-12, 10:44
You're never more than 5m away from one, obviously...
AN
Anstey Nomad
14-01-14, 18:27
Resurrecting this thread to say that the original family reunion was stalled by a death in the family, but since then there has been regular contact via e mail.
My friend and his wife are currently in Melbourne and yesterday they were visiting with the Australian branch of the family. Everyone seems to get on very well and a real relationship is developing on a number of levels.
Many thanks again to GF.
Good to know.
Bet they are hot in Melbourne......
tenterfieldjulie
15-01-14, 08:37
Such a great outcome AN .. so pleased for everyone who contributed and who is connected.
Errh your friends aren't planning a road trip from Melbourne to Toowoomba are they? I do have a spare bed lol (plus 2 cats in case they are allergic). Julie
maggie_4_7
15-01-14, 13:38
I met a man once from Toowoomba I also met a man from Alice Springs too.
Australia was always so far away but it isn't anymore.
So glad that it has worked out well AN. New people new relationships are always good.
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