Australia Help: Henry and Margaret Field

Question

I seek some assistance from WikiTree’s Australian friends establishing a migration of Henry Field and his wife Margaret Elizabeth Field (nee Corbett) to Australia sometime after 1911.  The family narrative suggests that they could have left England for Australia.  Henry Field’s occupation was that of a Wool Puller (seriously, it’s on the record and one is not pulling the wool!) and this may well give a possible association with or interest by our Henry in Australia.   It would be good to have access to the 1921 Census right now to see if the couple were still resident in England then.  As far as I have researched, the couple did not have children in the United Kingdom.  Margaret comes from a family where there was high infant mortality, which might explain no children… I can find no record of her demise in England.   I cannot establish the couple on passenger lists ex-England either.  This couple is the only ancestral link I have which meandered across to Australia, so not worth the additional subscription, just yet, to research Australian immigration, births and deaths.

Answer 1

Nothing yet for Australia, but service record in Britain 

First name(s)HenryLast nameFieldBirth year1880Birth parishWestgateBirth townCanterburyBirth countyKentBirth countryENGLANDService number27434RegimentImperial YeomanryAttestation year1901Attestation age years21Attestation age months-Attestation coprsImperial YeomanryAttestation service number-Document typeAttestationSeriesWo 128 - Imperial Yeomanry, Soldiers' Documents, SouthAfrican War 1899-1902ArchiveThe National ArchivesArchive referenceWO 128Box0081Record number202Record setBritish Army Service RecordsCategoryArmed Forces & ConflictSubcategoryRegimental & Service RecordsCollections fromGreat Britain, England

Comments

Thank you for pointing me in this direction.   This is the second Henry in my family who appears to have landed in South Africa during the 2nd Boer War.  Henry was in Canterbury at the time of the 1901 Census, so must have joined shortly thereafter.   The Imperial Yeomanry was a mounted infantry unit (like my own regiment) established specifically for the Boer War.  I have always wanted to establish which of my ancestors fought against those of my wife who has Afrikaans origins on her maternal side!  I will most certainly dig out this service record.

Answer 2

Wool puller

Job Description:

• 1) Removes wool from sheep pelts and sorts wool into bins: Holds pelt against angled table and pulls wool from pelt.
 

• 2) Examines and grades wool according to color, texture, and length.
 

• 3) Places wool in designated containers.
 

• 4) Scrapes remaining wool from pelt, using scraping stick.
 

• 5) Cuts off brand marks and wool around head and feet with shears.
 

• 6) Places stripped pelts on racks or truck.
 

• 7) May grade pelts before pulling.

Answer 3

There is a death for a Henry Field, parents Agnes and George  year 1935 in Auburn , New South Wales.No.5490/1935. Could this be him? he is the only one who was listed with those parents, but I only searched NSW..

Comments

Jeanne... wonderful!  Yes that would be him - his father was George William Field (my great grandfather) and mother Agnes Furner.   Auburn is now a suburb of Sydney, I believe.  Thank you so much for your help.   Now the mystery is when and where did Margaret pass away, and before this if they had any children in Australia...  Margaret's parents were Thomas and Mary Ellen Corbett.  Do I have a cousin or two in Australia?  My daughter and her husband settled in Melbourne about 5 years ago and they would love to know!

Answer 4

I have just searched National Archives of Australia (naa.gov.au) and can’t find elther Henry or Margaret.

NAA is free, so if you find more info, you can always check again.

Comments

Thank you Marion... much appreciated.  If NAA is accessible, it might well be worth a look.

Answer 5

FIELD— April fith, 1935, at St. Joseph's

Hospital. Auburn, Henry, dearly loved

husband of Margaret Field, of 49 Leonard

Street, Bunkstown. Aged 54 years.

Trove 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/246694929

Comments

Now we know Margaret died after 1935. There is a marriage of a Margaret Elizabeth Field to Stephen Frederick Miller in 1950 (11534/1950) in Bankstown. Margaret Elizabeth Miller (parents Thomas Henry and Mary Helen) died in 1963 in Bankstown.(14857/1963). Note Helen and Ellen are often interchanged on BDM records.

Margaret Elizabeth Miller is found living at 49 Leonard Street ,Bankstown in the 1963 Electoral Roll , same address noted in Henry Fields death notice in 1935 so its likely that this is your Margaret.

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An amazing bit of detective work, with very grateful thanks.  A quick question, if I may, those references quoted, how best do I cite them?  For the record is there a birth and death place and date for Stephen Frederick?  
It does not seem like there were any children from the first marriage, which is a pity...  my lovely daughter in Melbourne would have been thrilled to know she has blood relatives (aside from my two grandchildren) in Australia.  
May I express my special thanks and appreciation to all who contributed here.  You are a special crowd!

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I usually just cite them as Births Deaths and Marriages NSW Australia and the relevant number and year. The index is free to access but I'm not sure how it works from outside Australia. I'll get back to you on Stephen Frederick Miller if I can find him.It's possible he died before 1963 as Stephen was not on the electoral roll then for Bankstown. The other possibility is they separated, or that he was listed at a different address.

Just on potential children ,Australian BDM is limited to births  over 100 years ago so any child born after 1918 would not be on the index. It's significant that no children were mentioned in Henry's death notice though.

.

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http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219980658 Has a probate notice  of  the Will of Stephen Frederick Miller, a Tailor,of Bankstown ,granted 3rd Dec 1965 to most likely his daughter Marie Edna Andrews from his first marriage . This sounds like him. He is probably the Stephen Frederick Miller born 1899 in Queensland Australia, previously married to Elsie May Gilmore (died 1946)This is from the Ancestry profile  mostly well sourced. It has his death as Sep 4 1965 Bankstown although I can't find a BDM index entry to support this. Ancestry gives his parents as John Miller and Emma Carley. Margaret Field's marriage to him is cited as a source so I think this is your man.

Its interesting to note that a Frederick Stephen Miller (probably a son of Stephen Frederick) is also living at 49 Leonard St. Bankstown in the 1980 Electoral Roll and also listed as a Tailor.It would seem to indicate that Margaret had no living heirs to inherit the home.