Melbourne census

[flossie9]

Hi
I would love some help with the 1903 census electoral roll for Melbourne.
Is there anyone who can search for Mary Flitton. She left England in 1902 for Melbourne but after she arrived I can find no trace of her and would love some help.

[Elaine ..Spain]

Hi Flossie,
Welcome to Family Tree Forum.

I think your post might be better on the Research Qs & As forum so I am going to move it over for you.
Hopefully some of our members can help with Australian resources.

[Mary from Italy]

According to the electoral rolls a Mary Flitton, hatmaker, was living at 48 Errol Street (I think - it's a bit blurred), N. Melbourne, in 1903. There was no-one else called Flitton living at that address. The electoral rolls are indexed by surname, so I don't know if there was anyone else living at that address.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1207&iid=RDAUS1901_100843__0099-00169&fn=Mary&ln=Flitton&st=d&ssrc=&pid=8575515

Can't see her on any later electoral rolls.

[Mary from Italy]

You'll find the Victoria BMD index here:

https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/index-search?action=getHistIdxSearchCriteria

There are some hits for marriage/death for a Mary Flitton, but you'll need to buy credits to see the details.

[flossie9]

Hi Mary

Yes that would be her she came from Luton and was a hat maker.
I am so grateful for that because that is the first record for her in Melbourne.
I need to buy some credits and look at the records, but I have had a search of The BDM's before and found no record of her just comes up with a similar name but not her. I think she may have come home, there is records on Ancestry ships arrivals back to the UK with a Miss Mary Flitton on but I will need to buy some credit because I do not have world wide access.

Thank you so much for that info its made my day, I have been searching for her for 8 years
Regards Sue

[Elaine ..Spain]

There are two entries in the UK Incoming Passenger lists, one for Diana Mary Flitton, arriving back in May 1936. port of departure Pakiston. The other is for Mary Flitton born c 1932, arriving back in 1950 from Egypt.

... so I don't think either of them are yours.

[flossie9]

Hello Elaine

Thank you for looking for me, I did have my doubts as I can find no records for her here either marriage or death.

She seems to have disappeared but we know that's not possible, the records are out there but where do I look now

But its so much frustrating fun looking.
regards sue

[Mary from Italy]

My guess is that she married. I've checked the online burials for the Melbourne cemeteries, and she's not listed there under the name Flitton. It only costs $0.99 to get the basic details from the Vic. BMD index, so it might be worth trying that, just in case there's anything useful.

[Elaine ..Spain]

I have just found this posted on a Rootsweb forum

I am trying to trace a Mary/Polly Flitton who came to Australia 1902 from Luton Bedfordshire and apparently married a Lord ( christian name) Townsend in Australia

I'll send you a pm (personal message) with the email address of the person who posted it.

[Mary from Italy]

By the way, do you have a copy of the passenger list from when she travelled to Aus? It doesn't seem to be on Ancestry, unfortunately, but it should be available from the Victoria archives.

She travelled on the Runic in 1902, as you probably know:

http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/indexes/index_search.asp?searchid=23

I haven't seen a Victoria passenger list, but they're presumably similar to the NSW ones, which are quite informative; they tell you if the passenger was going to join someone in Aus, and their name.

There's a list here of databases held by the Vic archives, but not all of them have been digitised:

http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/pathways/pathway4/pathway4.jsp

I've already checked the online probate index, and she isn't listed.

[Mary from Italy]

I have just found this posted on a Rootsweb forum
I'll send you a pm (personal message) with the email address of the person who posted it.

Ooh, that's interesting, Elaine. I'll recheck the elec. rolls under the name Townsend.

[Elaine ..Spain]

Flossie,
Have you tried searching for a marriage or death in other Australian states.
You will find some useful links in the World Index in our Reference Library - accessed via the home page.
Click here for Australia page

[Mary from Italy]

I've checked the trees on Ancestry, but I can't find any confirmation of that Rootsweb message. About 3 people have Mary in their trees, but none of them shows a marriage for her.

There's another message about Mary here:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/australia/messages/26549.html

There's no Lord Townsend listed in the Australian electoral rolls. Unfortunately there are quite a few Mary Townsends, but I can't see an obvious candidate,

There's an Australian research guide with more useful links here:

http://ftfmagazine.lewcock.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=238:research-guide-australia&catid=49:june-2009

[Mary from Italy]

Flossie,
Have you tried searching for a marriage or death in other Australian states.

I've checked the new Ancestry Australian deaths/marriages database and not found anything, but it doesn't seem to be as accurate as the individual State indexes, although it sometimes contains more information.

[Elaine ..Spain]

More Australian research links here:
http://ftfmagazine.lewcock.net/index...d=49:june-2009

I can never find this when I want it - have just added it to the main Australia page in the reference library.

[Mary from Italy]

Great, thanks

[flossie9]

Hi Mary & Elaine

You are both so kind looking at these records for me.

The messages on Roots web were mine, I know I have been looking for the last 8 years+ .

I will have a good look at the other states and newspapers for any mention.

I do have a copy of the ships list but the only details are her age and she was contracted to land in Melbourne.
This copy came from the Melbourne office. Is there another list for when she landed ? with more details.

The 1903 record is correct because she was a hat worker before she left.

Thank you again.
Regards Sue

[Mary from Italy]

I do have a copy of the ships list but the only details are her age and she was contracted to land in Melbourne.
This copy came from the Melbourne office. Is there another list for when she landed ? with more details.

I assume everything there is will be in Melbourne. However, when I sent off to NSW for some lists, they had two lists; one was the ship's passenger list, and the other was the immigration list, compiled on arrival. The immigration list had more detail.

You'll find the details of what those NSW lists contained here:

http://www.familytreeforum.com/content.php/305-Emigration-and-Immigration

No idea if Victoria followed the same system, but I would have thought so.

The 1903 record is correct because she was a hat worker before she left.

Where did you find her occupation, out of interest? On the 1901 census it just says she was a machinist.

[Mary from Italy]

I will have a good look at the other states and newspapers for any mention.

Yes, definitely try the newspapers:

http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/search?adv=y

[flossie9]

Hi Mary

Mary Flitton was my Grandmothers Sister. In Luton most women worked in the hat industry so she would have been a machinist for hats. All my female relatives were milliners or straw plaiters ect.... so I am 99 % sure she is the person on the record.

I will try and check if I could get more info on her arrival from Victoria archives.

Regards sue