A ten year mystery that needs solving....

[Merry]

I've just remembered this mystery regarding my 3xg-uncle, George Burchill and his family and wondered if there's any further info online to help resolve it? I've deliberately not looked for anything today!!

Here's the notes I made in 2004 (comments from today in italics)

re George Burchill bap 6 Sept 1835 at Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire, the son of Isaac Webley Burchill and his wife Elizabeth nee Jefferies. Last seen in the UK on the 1851 census aged 15 with his parents.

George emigrated to Australia before 1882, when he is mentioned in a letter (I don't know if this is in a letter I have here, or not. I will have a look whenI've finished this post.)

George is supposed to have died whilst on a visit to the UK to see his brother Henry (Henry Burchill bap 1840 Mangotsfield and lived at Islington 1871,81 and 1891 and Finsbury in 1901. Died Nov 1909 Hornsey) I have trawled the GRO indexes, but cannot find a very likely death reg for George.

There are a few possible records with mis-spellings:
George BURCHELL 1886 Q4 Calne 5a 39 aged 54
George BURCHELL 1889 Q1 Bath 5c 416 aged 55
George BURCHELL 1896 Q3 Bromley 2a 257 aged 64

George's wife is supposed to have died during the return journey to Australia and was buried at sea. I don't know her name.

My cousin in Oz says in an email June 2004:

We also have a story about a Jane Owen who changed her name from Burchill to Owen. No one remembers why! Jane Owen signed her name on the back of her photograph which she sent to my grandfather's brother. It states "To Dear William With his cousin's best wishes. E J Owen May 1906." ('Dear William' is William Burchill b 1878 Gympie, Queensland, Australia, George's nephew) I have searched without success for this lady. Could Jane Owen be the daughter of George and possibly changed her name because she was reared by another family?

Apparently, George's brother James Burchill, father of 'Dear William' emigrated in May 1865 on a ship called Lightning. I wondered if George went with James? I have never investigated James's emigration.

[Merry]

The ref to George in a letter is this:

My 2xg-grandfather, Charles Burchill, wrote to his brother James in Australia from his home at Staplehill nr Bristol in 1882. The PS at the end of the letter just says "Do you know how George is getting on?"

And I just spotted another undated letter which says "When you write again tell me if you hear anything of George"

[kiterunner]

I'm having a look at the Australian newspapers on Trove at the moment and not found anything that is definitely your George yet - there seem to have been loads of George Burchills, and then of course there are all the other possible spellings, but just came across this and need to save it in case it should turn out to be the right person:

Launceston Examiner Fri 8 Dec 1882
UNSOUND MIND - The man who was reported to the police on Wednesday by Dr Thompson as being of unsound mind was arrested yesterday at 6:30 a.m. on the wharf by Sergeant D McAuliffe, and taken to the watch-house. The unfortunate fellow stated that his name was George Burchill, and that he had arrived recently from the North-East Coast; he also said that since his arrival in Launceston he had been drinking heavily, and was now suffering the effects of his folly. When found by the constable Burchill was only partially dressed, being without his coat and boots; he was also wet and must have been in the river, so that it is very fortunate that the constable succeeded in securing him, or a fatal accident might have been the result. Burchill was brought up at the Police Court yesterday morning, and charged with being of unsound mind, and was remanded for a week, before the expiration of which time it is thought he will have recovered from the effects of his debauchery.

[kiterunner]

Well, here's something concrete about James to start with:

Australia Death Index (ancestry): Jas Burchill died 1890 Williamstown, Victoria, age 60, father Isaac, mother Elizth Jeffries.

Maybe there will be a death notice for him on Trove with information about his relatives...

[kiterunner]

Hmm, the Argus (Melbourne, Victoria) dated 12 Sep 1890 says that probate was granted on the will of James Burchill, £2,445, on the motion of Mr Williams. And the Argus 8 Aug 1890 has an advert: NOTICE is hereby given, that after the expiration of 14 days from the publication hereof application will be made to the Supreme Court of the Colony of Victoria, in the Probate jurisdiction, that PROBATE of the WILL of JAMES BURCHILL, late of Newport, in the said colony, may be granted to Emily Burchill, of Newport aforesaid, widow of the said deceased, the executrix therein named. Dated this 8th day of August, 1890.
J K OGILVIE SMITH, 318 Collins-street, Melbourne, and Melbourne-road, Williamstown, proctor for the executrix.

[Langley Vale Sue]

Do you know George's occupation?
I have found two listings for a George Burchill on the Victoria Assisted & Unassisted passenger lists on Ancestry. One is May 1854 and he is a blacksmith(?) aged 21 sailing from Liverpool. The other is aged 25 and a miner sailing in June 1858 aboard 'The Young America'.

ETA - Sorry these are listed as Birchall

[kiterunner]

Queensland BDM lists the following children for James Burchill and Emily Freeman:
James 1870
Fanny Freeman 1872
George 1874
Elizabeth 1875
Thomas Pringle 1877
William 1878
Emily 1882.

James Burchill and Emily Freeman married in Bath (England) in 1864.

[kiterunner]

So, Jas and Emily Burchill emigrated to Victoria Aug 1865 with a 7 year old child, on the Lightning. But George isn't with them on the passenger list.

[kiterunner]

There is info on Emily's will in "Table Talk" dated 8 May 1891, page 6 (on Trove) but it doesn't help with finding George.

[Mary from Italy]

A George Burchill aged 19 travelled from Victoria to Hobart, Tasmania in 1854:

http://prov.vic.gov.au/search_results?searchid=42&format=freetext&FamilyName=burchill&GivenName=&Ship=&Destination=&Month=0&Monthto=0&Year=0&Yearto=0&SearchSortField1=&SearchRecords=25&x=0&y=0

[kiterunner]

Do you know George's occupation?
I have found two listings for a George Burchill on the Victoria Assisted & Unassisted passenger lists on Ancestry. One is May 1854 and he is a blacksmith(?) aged 21 sailing from Liverpool. The other is aged 25 and a miner sailing in June 1858 aboard 'The Young America'.

ETA - Sorry these are listed as Birchall


He is a butcher on the 1851 census, same as his father and brother.

[Shona]

Great find, Mary.

[kiterunner]

Merry, is there an address to go with Jane Owen's photo? Maybe we can find her on the electoral rolls or something?

[Merry]

Most of the Burchills were butchers so it's quite likely that was George's occ in Australia.

Yes those are the right children for James - the seven year old boy who travelled with him with be his son, Joseph, from his previous marriage. (James's second marriage to Emily Freeman in 1864 was probably bigamous and his first wife is another of my mysteries which I may post about later!)

I always found it odd that the rumours about George's death were connected with his visiting Henry in London. All the rest of the family lived in and around Bristol so he should have been visiting them too!

[kiterunner]

Yes those are the right children for James - the seven year old boy who travelled with him with be his son, Joseph, from his previous marriage. (James's second marriage to Emily Freeman in 1864 was probably bigamous and his first wife is another of my mysteries which I may post about later!)



Yes, it is Joseph. I couldn't make out the name - it looked like Jno H or something, but ancestry has it transcribed as Joseph.

[Merry]

Merry, is there an address to go with Jane Owen's photo? Maybe we can find her on the electoral rolls or something?

I've not seen the photo myself, but I know I would have been told had it included an address. I don't know the rough age of the young (?) lady in the photo either.

It's quite possible E J(ane) Owen is nothing to do with George, but my Aussie cousin has spent decades researching the Burchills and she hasn't anyone else with that surname. She has never found a fitting marriage for him either.

[Mary from Italy]

There's a marriage in Tasmania for a George Birchall to a Mary in 1868, and some children born to a George and Mary Birchall after that. My Ancestry sub's expired, so I can't do much more than that at the moment.

[Merry]

Interesting, Mary! I don't have any sub that covers Australia :o

[kiterunner]

There's a George Birchall dying at Hobart in 1896 but it says on ancestry that he was 77.

There are lots of public trees on ancestry with the George Birchall who married Mary Johnson in 1868, but they all have different info about him. Some say born 1841, some 1822. And a lot of them give him a middle name of William.

[Mary from Italy]

This is the Tas archives entry for that George Birchall, giving his dob as 1841 but with no source for that date:

http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?detail=1&type=P&id=39241

[Merry]

Of course my George is supposed to have died in the UK.

[Mary from Italy]

Yes, I was trying to get some idea of his movements in Aus to see if we could narrow down the date and place of death a bit.

[Merry]

I didn't realise I had the following info in a letter - I thought I'd just remembered it from an email from my Oz cousin.......

I have a letter from another Burchill who emigrated to New Zealand. This one is Isaac and he was Joseph Burchill's uncle - brother of James who emigrated to Australia and also brother of George who we are looking for. He wrote to Joseph in 1916. Isaac was the youngest of ten children.

Having said he doesn't like corresponding and hasn't been in touch with the English relatives for 30 years (since he left the UK) he goes on to say:

In one of your letters you said you had not seen any of our family since '68 when your uncle Bill stayed with your father, but you never had an uncle Bill (I agree with that!) - his name was George. Some years back he went home and took his wife and daughter with him. He went to London to see my brother (Henry) and he was taken ill and died there and was buried in London. His wife and daughter stayed a little while and then took passage back to Australia, but his wife died on the passage and was buried at sea. The daughter got back quite safe and I have heard that she got married since. She wrote to me once after arriving back, but I never answered it. So you will see what a good correspondent I am.

[kiterunner]

I had another look on Trove in case there was a mention of George's visit in 1868 but I only found this and a few similar:

Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Queensland, Sat 12 Dec 1868

I, JAMES BURCHILL, now residing in Gympie, do hereby give notice that it is my intention to apply at the next Licensing Meeting, to be holden for this district on the 12th day of January next ensuing, for a Publican's License for the sale of fermented and spirituous liquors in the house and appurtenances thereunto belonging, situate on the Monklands Reef, and which I intend to keep as a public-house, under the style and title of the
New Monklands Hotel,
The house contains two sitting and four bedrooms, exclusive of those required for my own use.
I am married, having a wife and two children, and have held a license before.
Given under my hand, this 4th day of December, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JAMES BURCHILL.