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Post by shirley on Mar 31, 2013 19:32:00 GMT -5
I am new to this site - but not new to genealogy - am in Australia - in Canberra but have cornish backgrounds - with my family coming from Adelaide and surrounds. My Dennis family is my call at this time . GGrandfather Edwin Dennis is my stumbling block! He came to S Australia to Kadina/Wallaroo where he was a miner. Married and raised a huge family in that region. My grandmother was a Dennis, and his daughter. I hold his marriage and death certificate which suggests his birth date as 1852'ish. These two certificates give circa ages so the dates we suggest for his birth are linked to these two certificates. On his death certificate it lists his birthplace at Crelly, which I understand is near Wendron where the following census suggestions came from.
On the 1841 census I can find a William and Lucinda with children named Elizabeth and James. We are aware there was a brother of Edwin who was named James. He was the father of a celebrated Australian author and poet, CJ Dennis.
When I took this to the next census in 1861, I found a Henry and Mary, who were aged in their 60's, with a child Edwin aged 8 y.o. with other older children. and caring for a neice aged 3 months at the time of the census. The other children listed are aged in their 20's
I am suggesting that at that census date, Henry and Lucinda may have died and Henry and Mary were raising Edwin. To date no matter the research I have done, I have not been able to raise a birth registration of Edwin and this census seems to lock into our guy, having dates that are consistant with the known dates.
I have not been able to find the death of Henry and Lucinda at this stage.I would love to find the bricks to this wall - and perhaps extend my listing for this family
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 1, 2013 6:18:07 GMT -5
Hi Shirley and Welcome to the site.  From the information you have supplied I gather that your Edwin married Kate Goodonew at Kadina in 1875. Based on that I will make a start to see what I can find that might help with that brick wall.  CT |
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 1, 2013 7:36:20 GMT -5
Shirley - on the little research I have done so far I would suggest that the above comment is not quite correct. According to the SA Marriage Index James Dennis (father of CJ Dennis) married Kate Frances Tobin in 1875 at which time he was age 42 and a widower and it also stated that his father's name was James. So James was born about 1833 while Edwin was born about 1852 so it may be that James was actually an uncle to Edwin.  I had been hoping that further knowledge of James would help pinpoint the parents for Edwin but this complication means I need to try something else. But there is also a red-herring type complication!  There was another Edwin Dennis in South Australia at the same time as your Edwin and he was also the son of a William Dennis! But this Edwin was born about 1834 and he married Lucy Barford at St James Clerkenwell, London, December 22nd 1857. There was one child born in South Australia in 1876 which initially looked like inserting a rather large spanner in the works! This bloke also had a son named William Edwin Dennis who married in South Australia. Will keep at it for a while and see what more I can dig up. CT |
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Post by white on Apr 1, 2013 8:11:22 GMT -5
Personal message on its way. I have a very long Dennis line, and many ended up in Australia. RW |
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 1, 2013 8:55:54 GMT -5
GOT'IM!! ;D Edwin son of William and Mary Ann DINNIS of Menehey baptised 9th July 1852 at Wendron It may or may not happen tonight but the next step for me is to find the marriage and then other children before checking for a link to Henry and Mary. You will find the surname as Dinnes and probably Dines, Dinis, Dennis, Denis and even as DINNER as I just found out while trying to find the family on Ancestry in the 1861 Census!!!  CT
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 1, 2013 9:10:40 GMT -5
Just to help clear out some red herrings William and Lucinda can be removed from the equation.
By 1851 it appears Lucinda had been widowed and recently remarried to a Thomas Pearse. In the 1851 Census they were at Camborne along with 'step-children' Elizabeth Dinnis age 12, James Dinnis age 11 and William H Dinnis age 8.
Betsy (Elizabeth) d/o William and Lucinda Dinnis bp. 6th May 1838 Constantine
James s/o William and Lucinda Toy Dennis bp. 16th February 1840 Helston
William Henry s/o William and Lucinda Dinnis bp. 17th July 1842 Constantine
I can now concentrate on finding more about William and Mary Ann who also had a son Frederick baptised at Wendron in 1851.
CT
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 1, 2013 9:44:44 GMT -5
I have been gathering Census images so that I can piece the family together a little later but I have just now solved another little problem for you. The marriage looks likely to be either Registry Office or Non-conformist so I am unable to get any details at the moment apart from an entry in FreeBMD which shows the probability of a first-cousin marriage. December Qtr 1849 Helston R.D. William DINNIS Mary Ann DINNIS From the 1841 and 1851 Census it appears that William was probably born about 1825/6 son of Thomas and Jane whilst I now know that Mary Ann was the daughter of Henry and Mary Dinnis - hence the appearnce of Edwin with that family in 1861. Also - son Frederick who was baptised to William and Mary Ann in 1851 was age 3 at the time of the 1851 Census which suggests that he just may have been born a little bit prior to the marriage of his parents!  Will get some more work done on this later on but if you use the OPC site you can find most of the details. Just remember that the surname varies. (Easiest way with the OPC site is to use partial names and search the surname using both 'DIN' and 'DEN'. CT PS - regarding the birth of Frederick Dinnis - I have just discovered that it is a probable error in the 1851 Census which clearly shows his age as 3. But as the birth was registered in the March Qtr of 1851 I think this should have been recorded as 3 months. |
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 2, 2013 9:47:54 GMT -5
I have just discovered the marriage of William Dinnis to Mary Ann Dinnis amongst my collection of untranscribed records!
27th December 1849 at Wendron by Banns
William Dinnis, under age, miner of Boderwinnack, son of Thomas Dinnis, miner
Mary Ann Dinnis, of full age, spinster of Church Town, daughter of Henry Dinnis, miner
Witnesses:- John Moyle, John Pascoe
The 1851 Census indicates that some of the information above must be incorrect as it was actually Mary Ann who was under age.
William Dinnis/Dennis was baptised at Wendron 5th April 1825 son of Thomas and Jane (nee Jenkin)
MaryAn Dinnis/Dennis was baptised at Wendron 26th October 1828 daughter of Henry and Mary (nee Gill)
Thomas and Henry were brothers thus making William and Mary Ann first cousins which is most certainly not unusual in those days in Cornwall. The parents of Thomas and Henry were William Dinnis and Hannah Thomas who married at Wendron 2nd May 1783.
Henry's age varies in the Census records and in 1841 and 1851 those records indicate he was born about 1805 or 1806. However the 1861 Census shows him as 62 which is much more like his baptism at the beginning of 1800.
William and Mary Ann had but three children - Frederick 1851, Edwin 1852 and William 1853. Frederick died in 1855 age 4 and William in 1854 age 16 months. Their father William died iin 1853 leaving Edwin the only surviving child of that family and as you know Edwin was with his maternal grandparents at Crilley in 1861.
I searched for some time for Mary Ann Dennis and have only just found her in the 1861 Census. She and younger brother James were over at St Just as visitors with the family of widowed Ann Goldsworthy.
It also looks as if the story about a connection with CJ Dennis might be incorrect. James Dennis was a widower when he married the mother of C J Dennis in South Australia in 1875 and that first marriage also occurred in South Australia when James married Mary Anne Cronin at Redruth in 1863. There were two children from that first marriage but neither survived past the age of 10 months.
James' age was recorded at both marriages and in both cases it reflected a birth of about 1834.
Edwin Dennis had two uncles named James - one was brother of William and was born baptised in 1827 and the other was brother of Mary Ann Dinnis and not baptised until 1837.
And it should be noted that at both marriages the father of James Dennis was recorded as James.
CT
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 2, 2013 11:11:06 GMT -5
But there is more!!!  I have now found both the second marriage and the death for the mother of Edwin Dennis! 21st December 1862 at Wendron by Banns John HOSKIN of full age, bachelor, miner, son of Charles Hoskin, gardener Mary Ann DINNIS, widow, daughter of Henry Dinnis, miner both residing at Crelly Witnesses - [?] Joslin, John Martin I have found no children from this marriage in Cornwall ........ BUT!!! Mary Jane Hosking born 8th January 1867 Wallaroo Mines Charles Henry Hosking born 9th July 1873 Wallaroo Mines In both cases the parents were named as John HOSKING and Mary Ann DENNIS! Mary Ann Hoskin age 69 wife of John Hoskin of Wallaroo Mines died 29th March 1898 at Wallaroo Mines As her brother James is missing from the 1871 Census I suspect that he may have travelled to South Australia with Mary Ann and her new husband sometime between 1862 and 1866. I have already worked out that it could not have been he who married Mary Ann Cronin and then Kate Tobin to be the father of C J Dennis but I believe it probable that he did marry. There is another James Dennis in South Australia but I now know that he married Elizabeth Harvey at Stoke Climsland in 1850 but there is one other possible marriage. 16th March 1864 at the Residence of William Bailey, Kadina James DENNIS age 25 son of Henry Dennis Caroline Pearce BAILEY age 16 daughter of William Bailey District ADE Symbol A Book 57 Page 400 There were six children from this marriage with the births at Moonta, East Moonta, Moonta Mines and Kadina. One of the daughters was named Priscilla which is also the name of the youngest sister of James and Mary Ann. CT |
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Post by shirley on Apr 3, 2013 4:25:15 GMT -5
Thank you one and all. I have been searching for this for 20 years - Now the trust information I have is only on the marriage and deach certificat and then you add the family stories. My grandmother was a Dennis and the connection with CJ was always there, with one of her children carrying the name Clarence...as well....
The other Edwin has been a red herring for us but we found him early on and put that one to rest. The point of finding a william in the census, was my kick off point. It was before the suggested time of the birth of Edwin so there is conjecture on which william is the father. BUT the factor of the 60 year old having Edwin as an 8 year old suggests the parents death at the 1861 census.
I want to digest what has been written in these posts and I really am greatful for the work that you have done. I dont know where you all are, but referring to CJ dennis - he was a resident of Clare - just a mear stone throw really, from Kadina. I have a lot of records - from the burial records of the wallaroo cemetery etc, so it has been a long project that finally may be put to rest.
I will spend some time researching and dating these really interesting details.
I am conimg over the the UK in September and now wish I had some time to scoot down to Cornwall and get into this fully.
This is a facinating hobby. Last time we came to London, we went to the Tower. A week later I found my husbands geat grandfather was christened in the All hallows church - so am doing the rounds of All Hallows to check out the cemetery myself...Oh well might need to do another trip to London and include Cornwall!
Shirley
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 3, 2013 8:53:54 GMT -5
Very happy to be of help Shirley will be pleased to assist further for any queries you have once you have digested everything here. If you have any details of the family of CJ Dennis that might help then please let me have the details so that I can pursue that line a little further. (Via email will be fine if you prefer not to display some information here.) Any link to your family has to be via his father James but the problem is just which James Dennis that might be. Mary Ann's brother is certainly eliminated and I discovered earlier tonight that he married for a second time in Moonta after his first wife died. The other close James Dennis was the brother of Edwin's father William but he was born in 1827 which is six years prior to the birthdate of the father of CJ Dennis (c.1833/4) as deduced from currently available records. There was no James in the family of William and Hannah but it may be possible that one of their other sons married and had a James among his children. But whatever information you can share that might offer some clues will be welcome and I will try and find the connection. CT |
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Post by shirley on Apr 4, 2013 3:06:37 GMT -5
Thank you guys! The response to my Dennis post has been amazing - opened more doorsthan can be thought possible.
Thank you sincerely
Now Edwin and Kate had approx 14 children but many did not survive- my grandmother was the second in the birth line. it is a startlingly tough country to live in and esspecially in those times. The couple were settled in the copper triangle which is on York Peninsular. Many of the records are not available to us, due to area fires in the past.
On a sad note, the passage of Samuel and Saah goodanew was a very sad one ,with Sarah dying in childbirth only three days out of landing in Adelaide. The child died withth official reason being "for want of food" A very sad event.
The couple also raised a child - Sarah born in 1873, I am unsure at this moment if it was a sister of Kate or whomever at this time.
Now I am enthused with finding this dead end - I will get into the library and re work this family
BTW As I have said befoe - I live in Canberra - with access to the National library which is the repository of all things genealogy in Australia - if anyone has a dead end they wish looked into - I will be sgtarting school holidays on the 12th and am intending to plunder the library over the school break.
Regards
Shirley White.
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 4, 2013 7:05:21 GMT -5
15 is my count! Of those six survived, two died within months of passing their first birthday and seven died under the age of one.  Shirley - I don't think this statement is quite accurate, at least not from what I have found in the SA Indexes. The children I have are as follows (name and years only):- Mary Annie (1876-)Alma Jane (1878-1878) William Edwin (1879-)Gertrude Elizabeth (1880-1881) Elsie (1882-)Walter James (1883-)Bertram Stanley (1885-)Lavinia (1886-1887) Florence May (1887-1888) Bertha (1889-)Amy Kate (1891-1892) Morris Henry (1893-1894) Ada Catherine (1895-1896) Charles Hedley (1897-1897) Laura Kate (1898-1898) Actually an illegitimate daughter of Kate:- Sarah GOODNEW born Kurilla Mine 19th September 1872 Father - Frederick CHENOWETH Mother - Kate GOODNEW That is just a little more to add to your new collection of data. CT |
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