John Williamson (1832 - 1874)

Born 23 Jan 1832 in Belfast, Ireland

Husband of Louisa (Walker) Williamson — married 10 Oct 1853 (to 7 Jun 1874) in Holy Trinity Church, Hoxton, Middlesex, England, UK

Descendants

Died 7 Jun 1874 at age 42 in Saint Kilda, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sandra Williamson [send private message]

Biography

John was born about 1832, the son of Thomas Williamson and Jane in Belfast, Ireland.^{[1] [2] [3]}

His siblings, all born in Ireland are thought to have been:

1. Jane (Williams) Williamson, half-sibling
2. John Williamson
3. James Williamson

1851 English Census- In 1851 John was living in Wood Street, Maryport, Cumberland, England, with his parents and his younger brother James.^[3]

John married his wife Louisa Walker on 10th October 1853 in Holy Trinity Church, Hoxton, Middlesex, England^[4]

John Williamson migrated from MIddlesex, England to Victoria, Australia on "Constance" in 1854.

John travelled to Australia with his wife, Louisa, and his brother-in-law Alfred Williamson and wife, aboard the "Constance" in August 1854.^[5]

On the passenger manifest, Louisa and John’s surname is listed as Williams rather than Williamson [note the ages and professional however are listed correctly], they appeared as follows:

1. Alfred Walker, 24 years, Tailor
2. Mrs Walker, 21
3. John Williams, 24 years, Tailor
4. Mrs Williams, 21 years

John married Louisa Walker on 10 October 1853 in Holy Trinity Church, Hoxton, Middlesex, England, UK.^[6]

Their children were all born in Victoria Australia:

1. Thomas Williamson (1855 - )
2. Rachel Williamson (1857 - 1930) migrated to the USA
3. Miriam Williamson (1859 - 1915) migrated to the USA
4. Phoebe Williamson (1861 - 1940) migrated to the USA
5. Moses Williamson (1863 - 1933)
6. Lydia Williamson (1865 - 1887) died before getting married.
7. Aaron Williamson (1869 - 1891) died before getting married.

John died on 7 Jun 1874 at the age of 42, after living for 19 years in Victoria. He is buried in St Kilda Cemetery, St Kilda East, Victoria.^[1] Both husband and wife are buried in the St Kilda General Cemetery . ^[7][8]

Funeral Notice for John Williamson

Epitaph Louisa / In memory of / her beloved husband / John Williamson / Born 23rd January 1832 / Died 7th June 1872

Research Notes

They are thought to have migrated shortly after their marriage to Australia. He would have been 23 years old when he arrived in Victoria in 1853/4 either from another Australian colony or directly from England^[9].

Date of Immigration: The immigration date to Australia is based on the following reasoning:-

• John lived for 19 years in Victoria before he died according to his death certificate, therefore immigrating at the age of 23 in 1853/4.
• Louisa [his wife] died in 1901 after having lived in Victoria for 47 years which indicates that she must have also migrated in 1853 or 1854.
• All John's children were born in Victoria, the eldest John in 1855.

The above supports the notion that they must have arrived after Oct 1853 when they got married and before 1855 when their eldest son was born in Australia.

According to Ireland XO reaching out website - "[T]here are at least 29 versions of the Williamson surname - McWilliams, Williams, Williamson, MacWilliams, Wiliamson, McWilliam, William, Quilliam, Willians, Willms., Williames, Wilams, Willames, Wylliams, Willams, Willimson, Willms, Williamsone, Williamsonn, Willims, Wittiams, Wms, Wiliams, M'William, McQuilliams, McCuliams, McWm, McWm., Willamson, - and records of John Williamson may be listed under any (or all) of these. However, Gaelic spellings are very rare in records before 1900." none of the variations other than 'Williamson' have been examined yet.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Death Certificate John Williamson (Reference details 1874, # 6427
2. ↑ Headstone of Grave in St Kilda Cemtery, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} 1851 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1851"
   Citing , Cumberland, England, p. 11; citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
   FamilySearch Record: SG24-FQ9 (accessed 22 May 2022)
   [Ancestry Sharing Link]
   John Williamson (19), unmarried son, in the household of Thomas Williamson (54) in Cumberland, England in Cockermouth registration district in Cumberland, England. Born in Ireland.
4. ↑ General Register Office, England, Marriage Certificate John Williamson & Louisa Walker married 10 October 1853, GRO Reference Marriages December quarter, Shoreditch, Vol 1c, page 364
5. ↑ Passenger Listing for John Williams[on] and his wife, and Alfred Walker and his wife on the Ship Constance. August 1854. Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2009. Original data: Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (British Ports). Microfiche VPRS 7666, copy of VRPS 947. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria. Original data from Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom. Microfiche VPRS 14. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria. Year Range Reel: 1854"Constance" passenger List (Schedule A) p.6
6. ↑ General Register Office, England, Marriage Certificate John Williamson & Louisa Walker married 10 October 1853, GRO Reference Marriages December quarter, Shoreditch, Vol 1c, page 364
7. ↑ Anon, 'Funeral Notices', The Argus, 9 June 1874, p.8. [Retrieved 3 December 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5871773]
8. ↑ The Springvale Necroplis website (Deceased database accessed at https://smct.org.au/deceased-search; has information regarding Springvale and St Kilda Cemeteries), Reference Number 4212; Tombstone at Gravesite, St Kilda General Cemetery, Church of England - Monumental Grave, Compt C Grave 832 & 830
9. ↑ Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Death Certificate John Williamson (Reference details 1874, # 6427 Original a certified copy

Also See:

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #216260452 (accessed 8 April 2024)
  Memorial page for John Williamson (23 Jan 1832-7 Jun 1874), citing St. Kilda Cemetery, St Kilda, Port Phillip City, Victoria, Australia (plot: Church of England Compartment C Grave 832); Maintained by Williamson-862 on WikiTree (contributor 48973979)
• • A curated List of Newspaper articles John Williamson (1832 - 1874) Tailor on the National Library of Australia's Trove website
• FamilySearch Person: L6RQ-2RN.