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Hi Everyone

I'm trying to locate a passenger list showing ancestors of mine emigrating from England to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1854 aboard the ss Great Britain. Their names are:-

WATKINS George
WATKINS Mary (wife of above)

There is family talk that perhaps George went ahead of Mary and then sent for her and I did find a record showing a Mary Watkins travelling with an infant but without the actual passenger list it's hard to verify if this is her. Have put the link for this record below:

http://prov.vic.gov.au/search_results?searchid=23&format=freetext&FamilyName=watkins&GivenName=&Ship=great+britain&Month=0&Monthto=0&Year=1852&Yearto=1855&SearchSortField1=&SearchSortField2=&SearchRecords=50&x=68&y=20

Appreciate it if the page on the passenger list showing them can be PM'd or emailed to me please or a link to it would be great ;-)

Cheers
Tracy

There is nothing coming up on Findmypast for either of them.

Kath. x

from a document on ancestry


George Watkins's travels from Wales to New York and Australia
Posted 09 Feb 2014 by slsutherland71

These notes were taken from "Edwards family papers, 1876-1956" at call number MLMSS 4026 held in the Mitchell Library, Sydney.

George Watkins was born in Wales and became an engineer. He married Mary John(s) at Cardiff, Wales and they both went to New York where he helped to erect the Brooklyn Bridge. They returned to Wales and then George came (with a child) to Australia (presumably Melbourne). Mary followed with her daughter, on the S.S. Great Britain, April 3rd, 1854 - thought to be the first voyage of a steam ship to Australia.

They settled at 'Brooklyn", Royal Park West, then later at "New Brooklyn" where they kept stables, grooms in livery and race horses. They attended all Government House functions, and race meetings for picnic races. Mary Doris Woodyer (nee Edwards) remembered travelling over from Perth to stay with them.

It is mentioned that George's brother was Head of a Technical School in Cardiff. Another family member was Willie Carson, tenor singer.


George Watkins's travels from Wales to New York and Australia

1850 - 1880

Cardiff, Wales and Melbourne, Australia.

Taken from Edwards Family Papers 1876 - 1956, held at Mitchell Library, Sydney.

slsutherland71 originally shared this on 09 Feb 2014

so they married in 1851

First name(s) GEORGE
Last name WATKINS
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1851
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ GEORGE WATKINS married
MARY JOHNS
District CARDIFF
District number -
County Glamorganshire
Country Wales
Volume 26
Page 675
Record set England & Wales marriages 1837-2008
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Marriages & divorces
Collections from Great Britain

© brightsolid online publishing ltd

Thanks Kathleen & Maddie

I have my doubts about George going to New York as in the 1851 Census he is listed as a Sawyer, same trade as his father.....from Sawyer to an Engineer building bridges is a huge leap in careers, however it could be correct but I'll investigate the tree you found on Ancestry. There were quite a few marriages between George Watkins' to Mary's with different surnames but the one you mentioned to Mary Johns is the correct one.

I'll keep looking through passenger lists for George Watkins travelling to Australia as a Sawyer with or without a child.

Am hoping someone can find the actual passenger list for ss Great Britain so I can see all the details for Mary and infant listed, sometimes they note who the person they'll be living with, etc.

Off to trawl through more passenger lists....

Cheers
Tracy

Just found a passenger list for a George Watkins travelling from Liverpool to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia aboard the Mobile. Appears to be travelling alone, occupation is Sawyer and aged 26 which is correct going by his birth year.

Now to find the ss Great Britain passenger list ;-)

Found the actual marriage record on FMP for George Watkins & Mary John(s), differs to info on the tree mentioned above by slsutherland71 on Ancestry (marriage date and name of Mary's father are different plus no records I've found have Mary with middle initial "A") so am glad I've kept digging ;-)

Still no passenger list for ss Great Britain :-S

Online passenger lists don't, start till 1890 so you won't find the outward journey

You may find inward records though on an Australian site.

See you have located some but the corresponding outward ones aren't online .

Thanks for your reply Shirley

Thanks for the tip with regards outward UK passenger lists.

I haven't found the "actual" incoming passenger list for ss Great Britiain yet. What I found was a transcript of names on an Australian Archives website. Never say die though ;-)