Still looking for his baptism record. His birth family I have constructed here is from known information: about age, birth location, fathers' occupation, from searches of London UK Census' 1841 and onwards, plus London baptism and marriage searches of parents and siblings over the relevant years.
Martin WARD was probably born around 1832 [citation needed]in Hackney, London, England, the son of Mary Ann SHEA and Joseph WARD, bricklayer. Martins mother died in 1840, and I propose his father enlisted him in the Army as a boy, this would explain why he cannot be found in the 1841 or 1851 UK Census. Martin's father married again.
A Martin WARD #1386 of the 5th Foot, Private is cited as being posted in Catalonia & Vigo in 1841, and in Mauritius in 1851. Like many fortune seekers, Martin must have heard of the 1852 Australian gold rush, and I propose that while in Mauritius he chose to Desert. A Martin WARD is cited in the Victoria Inward Passenger Lists 1839-1923 as arriving Melbourne, Australia on 25 Dec 1854 [1] ex Mauritius aboard the ship NARWHAL.[2]
Martin WARD and Jane SHERRY had most of their children out of wedlock, on the Victorian goldfields, then the last few in Colingwood, Melbourne. Two of their children; Charlotte, and Jane, were both born early in the 1860's, but as no Australian birth records can be identified, I propose they chose not to register them.
For unknown reasons, George WATKINS seems to have refused to divorce Jane SHERRY, until he frees her by dying in Kew Asylum, Melbourne late in 1878. Jane WATKINS takes a few years to hear of his death, but finally then is free to marry Martin.
MARTIN WARD finally married JANE WATKINS nee SHERRY on 31 March 1886 in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Entry 1458 / 1886,[3]
Jane SHERRY/WATKINS and MARTIN WARDs children were:
Also refer to the Victorian Register of Male and Female Prisoners 1855-1947 for his Victoria Police Charge Sheet #21595.[15] Strangely, this Charge Sheet cites him as an ex-convict; the notation PER the ship WILLIAM HYDE 1849 supposedly indicates what ship he was transported on. The ship is not listed as a convict transport. Other convicts Martin WARD were much older people.[16]
Martin died on 18 January 1906 in Parramatta Asylum, New South Wales: WARD, MARTIN; reg. 2656/1906 ; father JOSEPH; mother MARY; dist. PARRAMATTA.[17] and was buried a day later in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney: grave 282, Independent General G, Zone F. This is a co-interment with an A. BERRY 14yo, a son of his daughter JANE WARD BERRY, interred two years before. [18]
Due to Martin's stated origins; I first looked for his father in the 1841 UK Census, then the 1851 Census in central London boroughs, and in 1851 found a family with a JOSEPH WARD, BRICKLAYER, who was old enough to have been his dad. However, this JOSEPH WARD did not have a MARY as his wife, it was a REBECCA (possibly KING). So I looked for a MARY ANN WARD (or variants) who died before the 1941 UK Census and found one to match in central London.[19]
There is evidence to support Martin's stated claim that his mothers' maiden name was SHEA. See his brother above; JOSEPH SHED WARD: an obvious transcription error of a longhand, cursive recorded lowercase 'a' for a 'd': making his actual middle name SHEA, in memory of his mother, into SHED.
The only other possible 1841 UK Census matches for a MARTN WARD of around the right age is one in Glasgow, Scotland and another in Rothwell, Leeds; but both of these go on into the future Census of those areas to be discounted.
Martins wife JANE SHERREY (Sic) married GEORGE WATKINS on 2 Jan 1854 (which is incorrectly registered in year 1853) in Williamstown, Victoria, and they may had one child together; JANE ELIZABETH 1855-1856. Jane Elizabeth could have been George WATKIN's daughter, but in any case was Registered 29 March 1855 with Martin present and George nowhere to be seen, 17 days after she was born, and baptised 9 months later, in Dec 1855, by Martin and Jane.
So Martin must have met Jane in Melbourne some time between 25 Dec 1854 and 29 Mar 1855, as he prepared and provisioned to depart for the goldfields. Early in 1856, Martin WARD takes Jane WATKINS to live on the Victorian Goldfields, where, unmarried, they start in Castlemaine to have their WARD children together.
Evidence of their discomfort at being unmarried is reflected in the frequent (and probably deliberate) misspellings of their own names when they cite them to Registry on birth of their various children, up to and including their last in 1879; Lucinda (mother CHERRY).
As a British Army deserter Martin would have had additional reason to be vague about his ID.
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Martin is 23 degrees from Herbert Adair, 22 degrees from Richard Adams, 24 degrees from Mel Blanc, 29 degrees from Dick Bruna, 27 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 31 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 27 degrees from Sam Edwards, 22 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 28 degrees from Marty Krofft, 18 degrees from Junius Matthews, 20 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 21 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Categories: London, Needs Birth Record