On 17th April 1853, George and Catherine Davis (born Johns) arrived in Sydney aboard the Mary and Ellen, which had set sail from Bristol, England. Their children Jane, Clarinda, Mary, Louisa, Emily, and Frederick arrived with their parents.[1]
We think George Davis was born around 1806-7 in St Michael Penkevil or Probus, Cornwall. There is no evidence of his baptism.[2] Probably George's baptism got missed in the move of the family from St Michael Penkivel to Probus. Strange thing is that he was always stated as younger (i.e. 1811 birth) throughout life until the inscription on his tombstone, which matches 1806. But maybe he wanted to seem nearer in age to his wife, Catherine Johns, born in 1816, who he married when she was 18.[3] George was a hatter.
Catherine Johns was born in 1816 in St. Clements, Cornwall. She married George Davis in Merther, Cornwall on 13th February 1834.
George was living in Truro at the time of the marriage. Perhaps this is where he learned his profession. It appears that in November 1836 he was jailed for a month as a result of a debt and that following this George and Catherine moved to Lambeth in London although they returned after a few years to Merther.[4] They left Jane, their eldest daughter, with her grandparents in Cornwall.[5] Jane was born in Cornwall and then three children were born in London: Clarinda (named after George's mother), Mary Catherine, and Louisa. Between their return from London and emigration to Australia they had a two further children: Emily and Frederick George.
They lived in Orange, NSW, and three more children were born there: Charles, Francis, and Peter. Their daughter, Emily, died in Orange in 1866. It appears that they also lived in Molong and/or Manildra, NSW. Catherine died on 2nd May 1885 and George on 13th December 1888. They are buried along with Peter and Charles in the Meranburn Cemetery near Manildra, NSW.
Five of the Davis Children married and had children.
Jane Davis was born to George and Catherine in 1834, and baptised in Ladock near Truro in Cornwall on 7th September 1834. When her parents moved to Orange it is possible that she stayed in Sydney. Prior to her marriage, Jane Davis lived on Crown St., Surry Hills. William Jordan, an immigrant born in Newbury, Berkshire, England and Jane married in Sydney on 12th March 1859 at the Scot's Church. Prior to his marriage, William Jordan lived in Elizabeth St., Sydney. He was a tobacconist. Together they had five children: Emily Jane, Ada Mary, Alice Mary, and William Davis and Florence Maude, who were all born in Sydney. They lived at 108 King St., Sydney which is where William died on 12th November 1876. He was buried at Rookwood Cemetery. After William's death Jane lived on Market St. Following his death, Jane remarried in 28th August 1879 to Charles Prince and they lived in Surry Hills. Charles is listed as being a printer on their marriage registration. Prior to her marriage, Florence Maude lived with her mother Jane and step-father, Charles Price, on Hereford Street, Forest Lodge, which is just to the west of Glebe. Charles died on 23rd August 1896. Jane died at her home in Waverley, Sydney on 11th November 1919 and was buried at Rookwood.
Mary married Hector Angus, a Scottish immigrant. Their descendants are the second largest branch of the family.
Louisa married Robert Penson in 1865. He died 4 years later and she then married Charles Hunt, an immigrant from England, in 1871. Her descendants form the largest branch of the family.
Frederick George married Sarah Williams in Molong in 1879. Their descendants are the third largest branch of the family.
Finally, Charles Francis married Susan Williams. They had one child who survived to adulthood, Alma. Alma married William Rodwell. Charles Francis died in 1920 and is buried alongside his parents at Meranburn.
Clarinda married William Benton, an immigrant from Scotland. It seems they didn't have children.
George's sister, Jane Davis, was married to Elias Christian, a widower, at Probus in 1834. James Davis, presumably her older brother, was a witness. They likely got a marriage licence because Elias was coming from Redruth and didn't want to announce the marriage in both parishes. Their first son was named James Davis Christian. Their family tree is included in the Davis Family Tree. Some of their descendants emigrated to New Zealand and to the United States. Elias was a "mine agent" and seems to have been wealthy. Their grand--daughter Clara Louise Christian was an impressionist painter. Her father Elias Hiscutt Christian is described as having a considerable private income.
Also, included in the tree is George and Jane's older brother, James. James married Elizabeth Giravas Faull. Some of their descendants also emigrated to the United States.
Florence Maude Jordan married Thomas Ambrose in 1894. Florence Browne was her grand-daughter. We tell their story in more detail on the Ambrose and Browne Family pages.
Catherine and, especially, George have deep documented ancestry in Cornwall. George's parents, James Davis and Clarinda Oliver married in Lamorran in 1800. We think he was born in Wendron but that his father, James, was born back in St Clement and his grandfather, James, in Truro. According to this story, the James born in St Clement but married in Wendron in 1767 died 12 days before the baptism of his son, George Davis' father, at age 19.[6] I'm not sure I believe all of this story...
By contrast, with her distinctive name, there isn't any difficulty in tracing George's mother, Clarinda. Grace Bice married Charles Oliver in Lamorran in 1765 and Clarinda Oliver is born to Charles Oliver and Grace Bice in 1773 in Lamorran. Clarinda has thousands of ancestors listed in Geni. The Bice family came from St Enoder. Grace's father Luke Bice, born 1687, appears to be the one child in his family born in Stithians instead of St Enoder. Possibly, that is where his mother came from.[7]
Nicholas is known to be the son of Luke Bise, born 1613, who was the son of John Byse, according to John Byse's will, a copy of which is in the UK National Archive.[8]
John Byse married Joane Crews in Braddock in 1612. The will notes Joane as his wife. We can trace the Byse line back to Robert Byse born in 1525. Joane was the daughter of John Crewes who was a member of the Cornish branch of the Cruwys family of Cruwys Morchard in Devon. His father was John Cruwys, MP.[9] This is laid out in the book The Visitations of Cornwall:
Richard de Cruwys, born in 1137, is the earliest ancestor on this line. The early history of the Cruwys family is laid out in great detail on the Cruwys of Cruwys Morchard website. Our line goes down to Alexander de Cruwys born in 1342 (1356 according to Geni) and his son John born between 1380 and 1383 (stated as 1396 on Geni...). The history of the Cruwys family is also documented on Wikitree. John, 1380 was the father of Thomas Cruwys, born 1416, who died in 1471 at the Battle of Tewkesbury. His son, John, born 1449 was the next lord of Cruwys Morchard. One of his children, Anthony, born 1505, moved to Liskeard in Cornwall. His son was John Cruwys, MP.
John Cruwys, MP's wife Joan Tredeneck was a descendant of Hamlyn of Boyton, born 1200 and Sir Edward Tredeneck, born 1400, among others. Matilda Fitzpayn wife of Robert de Cruwys and mother of Alexander de Cruwys has deep documented ancestry to Welsh Kings, Charles Martel, and Vikings who settled Normandy. Marie Fraunceys mother of Anthony Eugene Crewes of Liskeard also has deep ancestry.
Catherine Johns was the daughter of Francis and Mary Johns who lived in St Clements. It seems that her mother was Mary Moore [10] and her father Francis Johns [11] who married in Ladock. Francis came from St Clement. Catherine's earliest ancestor, which we have found is James Spargo, born 1600.
Fun Facts
Links
Endnotes
[1] The ship arrived first at Port Phillip and then after that Sydney. There is an official record of George Davis arriving in Victoria.
[2] There is a marriage between a Jane Davis and Joseph Rickard in 1835. She shows up on the 1851 census aged 32. In the 1861 census she says she was 42 and born in Lamorran. There are no baptisms of Jane Davis in Lamorran. She could be the daughter of Mary Davis from Lamorran. There are orders for the removal of Mary Davis from Probus and Mary and William from Veryan. In both cases to Lamorran. They were paupers, but in the first order, 1818, it is said that she is unmarried and pregnant. Her age matches the pregnancy in 1818! There was also a Jane Davis buried in Probus in 1852 as well as John and Ann Davis born to John and Hannah in 1834 and 37 in Probus (I can't find their marriage). This shows that there was more than one Davis family in the area. So, there is a possibility of George being connected to either of these two families. The fact that he named a daughter by the rare name Clarinda is evidence that Clarinda Oliver was in fact his mother.
[3] Previously his birth was given as Feb 1807. But then he would only be 81 at his death conflicting with the evidence on his tombstone at Meranburn that he was 82. On the other hand, on his arrival in Australia in 1853 his age was stated at 42, which would make him born in 1810-11. Likewise, on the 30 March 1851 British census he is stated as 41 years old. I haven't found a record of his baptism in either St Michael Penkevil where his supposed elder sister Clarinda was baptised 29 April 1805 or at Probus where his supposed younger sister Jane was baptised in 1810. I contacted the Online Parish Clerks at both places. The one at St Michael Penkivel sent me the relevant pages for St Michael Penkivel, but he isn't on it. Clarinda and the elder children are recorded. The Online Parish Clerk at Probus said that the record is complete and transcribed properly and he does not appear there either. Either he was not baptised in either place or they forgot to record it. This means his parents seem to be based on the assumption that given he married Catherine Johns from Merther and then lived there he was a child of James and Clarinda Davis who lived in this area. On his marriage record he is stated as living at St Mary, Truro. But he could have moved there to learn his profession. I also have not found another George Davis baptised in Cornwall in 1804-11 apart from a George Davis/Davies in the Scilly Isles in 1806. But that person was on the 1861 census in St Mary, Scilly Isles. There is a George Davis baptised in 1803 in Antony.
[4] George and Catherine Johns appear on the 1841 British census in Lambeth without their eldest daughter, Jane. They then appear in the 1851 census in Tresillian, Merther, Cornwall.
[5] Jane Davis, 6 y.o. appears on the census record for her presumed grandparents Francis and Mary Johns in Tresillian, Merther on the census night.
[6] The James Davis buried in Probus in 1830 where the family lived was 63. Therefore, birth in 1767 makes sense. At the time of their marriage in Lamorran in 1800, James lived in St Michael Penkevil and Clarinda in Lamorran where she was born. As Clarinda was 27, 33 seems reasonable as the age of James. Wendron is the only online record for a James Davis baptised in this period. His father is listed as James and his mother is listed as Ann. James Davis and Ann Collins married in Wendron in the same year and so are presumably his parents. If this is the Ann Collins born in Stithians in 1739 then it sounds unlikely that her husband was born in St Clement in 1748. But it’s possible he was baptised years after his birth. Also, a James Davis was buried at Wendron on 14 April 1767 12 days before the baptism. There are no details on the document apart from the name. It would explain why James 1748 didn’t have more children.
[7] His parents there are given as Nicholas and Grace but the family name has been transcribed as either Bics or Biss, so others have missed this. Usually, his date of birth is given as 1701 in St Enoder, but his brother Malachi was born then and Luke has no baptism record in St Enoder. If his mother Grace was born in 1655 (we haven't found a record for this yet), then she was 30 for the birth of her first child, Mary, at St Enoder and 32 for the birth of Luke. However, she would be too old for the birth of the later children attributed to her. We are now working on the descendants of Luke's supposed siblings to see whether we can get a DNA match, though the signal would be very weak.
[8] Luke Byse, born 1613, married Mary Martyn. Her father was Nicholas Martyn. Nicholas Martyn's parents are usually given as John Martyn and Elizabeth Nankevall who married at St Columb Minor in 1579. However, Nicholas Martyn son of John Martyn was baptised in 1573, which is several years before their marriage. This is the one and only child of a John Martyn baptised from when the baptism book starts in 1560 up till their wedding. However, a John Martyn was buried in 1591 at St Columb Minor and so possibly he could be the mysterious father. Maybe he moved there just before that date. A John Martyn married Jane Boyne in Gerrans in 1567. There is a Melisant Martyn with father John Martyn at Gerrans in 1572 and then no more John Martyn births till 1595, which must be a different John Martyn. So, I have listed Nicholas' parents as the couple from Gerrans. They, of course, are our direct ancestors. On the other hand, a John Martin died at Gerrans in 1584 but this could be the John Martyn born to Thomas Martyn in 1583. The evidence is from the OPC Database and FamilySearch. Nicholas' daughter Mary married Luke Bise (1613-1692).
[9] I pieced together the links from Luke Bise, born 1701, to John Cruwys MP as follows:
- Nicholas Bise: He is known to be the son of Luke Byse who was the son of John Byse, from John Byse's will.
- Luke Byse: He has a baptism record but there are no parents' names on it, so we are relying on the will of John Byse here.
- John Byse: His baptism record records William as father. He was baptised in St Enoder. In the will he notes Joane as his wife. There is a record of the marriage of John Bise and Joane Crews in Braddock in 1612.
- Joane Crewes: On her baptism record she is called Johan but noted as a daughter. She is missing from the tree in the book The Visitations of Cornwall, which gives the Cornish Crewes family tree. Her father is given as John Crewes at her baptism in St Gerrans in 1593. The Visitation of Cornwall states that he was the son of John Crewes MP and the records show that John junior goes on to have the other three sons who are listed there.
- John Crewes: His wife was Mary in The Visitations of Cornwall (whose daughter she was is missing from the scan). The parish record shows there was a marriage of John Crewes and Mary Frawan in 1591 in St Gerrans where Joane was born. I can't find the baptism record for John Crewes on 8 November 1568. The precise date suggests that a record exists somewhere.
[10] Francis Johns is a very common name and so it is guesswork to decide which one is the father of Catherine Johns. Various ones appear in different online genealogies. Two Francis Johns were born in Tywardreath in 1794 and 1799. The former married Mary Odgers and went to Lanlivery according to the St Blazey Families Project. Latter is child of Francis and Grace and seems too young as our Francis was 45 in the 1841 Census and he married in 1816. There is also a Francis christened in Gwennap in 1796 (or 1798) with parents Francis and Grace - this is the one who married Mary Quintrell in Breage in 1821 and moved to St Blazey in 1825. Turns out there is a Francis Johns christened in Saint Clement in 1790. Only problem here is that he would be 50 at the 1841 census rather than 45 as recorded. Lots of people are using this on MyHeritage but with different spouses and places of marriage. His father was Richard Johns and his mother Catherine. Some people say her maiden name was Spargo. He had a lot of siblings all born in St Clement. So, I am assuming this is him. The Francis Johns buried in Merther in 1844 was stated as aged 53, so this is pretty certain. Truro is given as the place of death in the national index. It could mean Merther or maybe he died when in town. I also found his will on the OPC website and he left his estate to his brother Nicholas and a friend.
[11] Mary Moore was baptised in Ladock in 1797 and was the daughter of William Moore and Susanah Huddy. One of her children was named Susan according to the 1841 census, supporting this theory.
Last updated on 21 October 2024
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