Family history research can be all about the journey and not about the destination
Back in the 1980’s I was working in a library that had a very good genealogy collection and we were often asked to help clients search for family records. I thought why not try it for myself. My father was working on my side of the family and so I began to research my husband’s family to find out what it was all about. All the books said start with yourself, you know your parents, they know their parents and in no time, you are back 3 generations!
I began with my husband, Alan Betteridge, born in November 1942. I asked him about his parents, both long deceased. He did not know much about their backgrounds, what he “knew” was that his father was born in South Australia and his mother was a Victorian. His mother, Doris, was brought up in foster care as Doris’ mother had died and her father Francis (Frank) Fielder, a widower, couldn’t cope raising her on his return from WW1.
Not much to go on but I had begun.
I searched for Les Betteridge’s birth in SA records and found plenty of Betteridges but not the right one.
Already stymied!
I got a marriage certificate for Leslie Betteridge and Doris Fielder who were married in June 1942, Leslie said he was born in Broken Hill, in New South Wales not South Australia! From there, now I had the right state, it wasn’t hard to trace Leslie Betteridge’s birth and then parents and then backwards to his grandparents and great grandparents who were all South Australians. Doris’ antecedents proved much more difficult.
Doris at her marriage listed her father as Frank Fielder and her mother Elizabeth Hayes. Frank’s death certificate had him born in NSW.
On Doris’ birth certificate in 1912, Frank is listed as being 36 and born in Sydney NSW, confirming my husband’s recollection and agreeing with Frank’s death cert information. However searching NSW Births I could find no Frank Fielder being born around 1876 or any date within 20 years of 1876.
Stymied again!
As Frank was a WW1 soldier, I obtained his War record from the Australian Archives, and there, and only there, he said he was born in Greymouth, New Zealand and in 1915 was 39 years old. It turned out he was born in 1874 in NZ, so nowhere did he admit to his correct age! The search by now (pre-internet) had taken months and months, and I still had found very little on Elizabeth Hayes, Frank’s wife and my husband’s grandmother.
I obtained a marriage certificate for Frank and Elizabeth (1911), Frank still saying he was born in Sydney, and Elizabeth, born in Richmond Victoria, circa 1885, and her parents were John Hayes deceased and Elizabeth Densley. Now I could work on solving what caused Elizabeth Fielder (nee Hayes ’s) death and when it was, so I could tease out more about Doris’ early life. I searched Victorian deaths for Elizabeth from 1915 (when Frank enlisted) to 1930 when Doris would have been 18. Elizabeth Fielder nee Hayes didn’t die! I could find no record under any name variation I could think of. I searched every state in Australia and NZ but no success! So much for back 3 generations in a flash. I was a couple of years in and I couldn’t find my husband’s grandmother dying.
Stymied still.
Lamenting my lack of success with a colleague, she suggested that it may not have been death that parted Frank and Elizabeth, but divorce. Pre-Trove, I scoured microfilm of Victorian newspaper columns on divorce court hearings and there it was.
DIVORCE COURT.
Francis Fielder, 47 years, laborer, sought the annulment of his marriage with Elizabeth Fielder, 31, on the grounds of misconduct with Arthur Smith. Petitioner stated that his wife told him, he should not have gone to the war and left her. They were married in 1911 at Carlton. After three years’ absence at the war he returned in 1918. Subsequently she neglected her household duties and was often the worse for drink. A decree nisi was granted.
I then traveled to the Victorian Public Records Office to confirm details, Elizabeth and Frank were divorced and Elizabeth subsequently married Arthur Smith. She died of tuberculosis in 1927 aged 43. The real mystery is her relationship with her only child, Doris Fielder. Doris was 11 when her parents were divorced, her mother lived only a few streets away in Carlton after the divorce. A request to the Victorian Supreme Court for information about the custody of Doris has so far been refused. Doris’ friends from later in life were all told the same story about her mother dying when Doris was young, there was never any mention of divorce. I am determined to continue my search for information despite my husband’s chagrin, as what little he knows about his mother’s family now includes the notion that his grandfather drove his grandmother to drink!
Bolstered by my clever detective work I then ventured further into the antecedents of Elizabeth Fielder/Smith nee Hayes. At both her marriages Elizabeth states her father is John Harry Hayes and her mother Elizabeth Densley, BUT I can find no record in the State of Victoria of Elizabeth Densley being born or marrying John Hayes.
I obtained Elizabeth Hayes (Fielder/Smith) birth certificate and she was born in Richmond, Victoria in 1884 to John Hayes and Elizabeth Hayes formerly Carter. A Mrs Carter was present at Elizabeth’s birth. As the age and place fit, I am certain this birth certificate is for my Elizabeth Hayes but why is her mother’s maiden name Carter and not Densley as Elizabeth Hayes recorded at both her marriages?
I find a record that has John Hayes marrying Elizabeth Carter (b. Bacchus Marsh) in 1883 in time for Elizabeth Hayes to be born in 1884.
This Elizabeth Hayes has siblings;
- Mary Hayes, 1887-1930, at her death the informant says Mary’s mother is Elizabeth Densley. James Hayes, 1889-1934, also has Elizabeth Densley given as his mother at his death.
- Aileen Hayes, 1895-1898, at her death, John Hayes, her father, says his wife’s maiden name is Elizabeth Densley.
So who is Elizabeth Densley and who is Elizabeth Carter? John Hayes married Elizabeth Carter, did he also marry Elizabeth Densley, if so when and where?
Completely stymied now.
On John Hayes and Elizabeth’s marriage certificate in 1883, Elizabeth Carter’s parents are listed as Charles Carter and Sarah Halliday. In 1859 a William Carter is born in Bacchus Marsh with Sarah Halliday and Charles Carter as his parents. Is this Elizabeth Carter brother? Is Sarah Carter nee Halliday the Mrs Carter present at Elizabeth Hayes birth in 1884?
I search everywhere, Elizabeth Carter doesn’t get born or die but she does get married! According to the records, Sarah Halliday doesn’t ever marry Charles Carter. So what went on?
Unbelievably confused now.
Sarah Halliday does marry a James Densley in 1852 in Christ Church Geelong, coincidently, across the road from our house while all this research was taking place. A Henry Densley 1864-1945 has parents James Densley and Sarah Unknown at his death.
5 more Densleys dying in Victoria have variations of James Densley and Sarah Halliday listed as parents but none of them are called Elizabeth. Sarah (79) and James (103) Densley both die in Bacchus Marsh in 1905.
A William Henry Densley dies in 1939 with his parents listed as James Densley and Sarah Halliday. He is the same age as William Carter, for whom I can find no death record. I found William Carter marrying Emma Mary Crossly in 1879. He was born in Victoria, they have 5 children between 1880 & 1887 in Hamilton, Vic. Is this my Elizabeth’s brother?
Is it a coincidence that the children of John and Elizabeth Hayes at some time all think their mother Elizabeth Carter was also Elizabeth Densely? Wouldn’t John Hayes know his wife’s maiden name?
I think through all kinds of possibilities from second marriages, divorce, even bigamy but nothing makes sense.
Utterly stymied now and trying to think more laterally.
Densley is a relatively uncommon name (not like Carter) so, that is where I focused my searching. All of the Densleys to be found in the Victorian records, lived in or near Bacchus Marsh, thus in desperation, trying to find a link between the Carters and the Densleys, I located and read a very dense and unexciting book, A History of Bacchus Marsh and its pioneers, 1836-1936 by William Williams. There on page 82 was part of the answer.
Charles Carter (proper name Densley), resident of east end of Bacchus Marsh valley for about 30 years. Came to Bacchus Marsh in 1837 or 1842 (accounts vary) as a bullock, driver of Captain Bacchus. Ran away from his parents in Tasmania, hence took the name of “Carter,” or “Charlie the Carter. Twice married, always a sober man, quiet, never used bad language. First lived near Mahoney’s; died September, 1905, supposed to have been over 90.
James Densley and Charles (Chas) Carter were the same person and throughout the years the surname used was Carter for most purposes until some-time in the late 19th century the family returned to the original name of Densley.
Once I discovered James Densley’s real name, a wealth of information opened up, including the discovery of two convict ancestors. The name change may have been to hide the stain of convict ancestry.
Here is a Descendant chart that spreads across three pagesto help understand how everything panned out!
Descendant-Chart-for-James-DENSLEY-3-pagesThere is plenty more to this tale, but it is clear that from this, you can’t believe everything, even on official records. It also confirms that family history is lots of detailed and sometimes frustrating detective work but immensely satisfying when the answer is found.