Climbing our Family Tree - Simkins, Simpkins

Richard, baptized 29th April 1792 at Saint Saviour, Dartmouth.
Nancy baptized 25th May 1795, same place.
William, born 1st January 1800, baptized 29th June. Little William died when he was 5 1/2 years old, buried 9th July 1805 at Saint Saviours.

Richard died after May 1803, possibly at sea.

Ann died, and was buried in Totnes, Devon, 27th January 1836.

Richard Simkins and Mary Goodman

Richard Simkins was baptized on the 29th April 1792 at Saint Saviour, Dartmouth, England, the son of Richard Simkins and Ann Weeby. Richard became a mariner.

Mary Goodman was born about 1792 at Cornworthy, Devon.

Richard and Mary married 26th May 1816 at Cornworthy.

I have five known children

William - born 23rd January 1817 at Dartmouth, baptized at Cornworthy on 5th November 1818.
Clara Goodman - born about 1821 at Dartmouth. Clara married George Dolling LULY in 1849 and emigrated shortly after to South Australia, later moving to New South Wales.
John Goodman - born about 1823 at Dartmouth and was baptized 27th June 1824 at Cornworthy. Richard's occupation was then recorded as a Sailor. John emigrated to Australia.
Richard Came - born about 1823 in Dartmouth. Richard, a mariner, married Sarah Furneaux SPARKE. They appear to have only one child. Richard died between 1871 and 1881 census dates, and Sarah remarried.
Susan Letherbridge - born 23rd Mar 1826 at Dartmouth. Susan, a school mistress, married Thomas Francis GRAHAM, and remained in England.
Mary Goodmore - born 3rd September 1830 and baptized 10th October that same year at the Wesleyan Church, Brixham. I expect the baptism record could have the middle name mistranscribed, and that it is in fact Goodman. Mary was buried 9th June 1835 at Dartmouth, aged almost five years old.

1841 Mary was living St Andrew, Dartmouth, shown as aged 49, and independent. Living with her is daughter, Susan, recorded as 15 years, and also mother Clara Goodman, aged 76 years old. Husband Richard was at sea.

1851 New Road, Dartmouth. Mary is shown as a Master Mariner's wife, aged 59. Susan still lives at home, now a School Mistress. They have boarders living with them - Louisa Elli and Fanny Ackeram. Visitors to their home are Sarah Darr, Detitch Wood and Annie Bridgeman.

Richard died 24th August 1857, at the County Asylum, Exminster, Devon - a Master Mariner out of Dartmouth.

1861 Mary, aged 68, now lives at Mill Pond, Townstall, Dorset. She is recorded as a Fiveer Widow (whatever that means!). Others in this household, the head William C Thomas, a 59 year old Gentleman, his widowed niece, Sarah Jane Bond, 26, and their servant, 12 year old Delilah Cort.

1871 Mary has again moved, this time living with one of three families residing at Pembroke Villa No 7, Torquay, Devon. She is recorded as a Captain's Wife, widow, lodger, aged 79. Other members of this household, the head Mary Boyes, and her son Robert.

Two years later, Mary died 25th August 1873 at Torquay.

John Goodman Simkins and Mary Turton

John Goodman Simkins was born about 1823 in Dartmouth, Devonshire, England; second known son of Richard Simkins and Mary Goodman, the third child of six. Hospital records indicate that John arrived in Australia, 1853, by the ship Pet, but the shipping record has not been tracked down as yet. He was probably a member of the crew.

Mary Turton was born in 1832 , probably at Moor Top, near Ackworth, Yorkshire, England; daughter of John Turton and Martha Sykes. She was christened on the 29th April, 1832, at St Cuthbert's, in Ackworth. Mary appears to be the fifth child of six, and the third daughter. Although on her marriage record, Mary claimed her father was a Surgeon, he is listed in the baptisms records firstly as a weaver, then a labourer and gardener. In the same area there was a Thomas Turton, surgeon, who was probably an uncle. In the 1841 British census Mary was shown 8 years old. She was not with the family in 1851, it is not known when she came to Australia but it appears that it was before the 1851 census.

John and Mary married on the 14th December, 1854, at the Church of England in Williamstown, Melbourne, Victoria. John was a 31 year old Mariner (Seaman); Mary was 22 years old, no occupation. Both gave their usual address as Williamstown, both signed their names.

Children:

Their first child, William Charles was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on the 11th February, 1856. At this stage we have no idea why they were in South Australia. Mary's family may have lived there, and John could have been away at sea at the time. (If I purchase the birth certificate I may be wiser). William Charles died, aged 5, in 1861, being buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery on the 5th August.
John Henry was born 1st May, 1859, at Emerald Hill (great grand father)
Alice May, born 1861, more.
Annie, born 1864 and died when a year old, being buried with William on the 3rd April 1865.
Thomas Goodman was born 22nd June 1866 at Stoke Street, Sandridge (Port Melbourne) His birth was attended by Mr Curtis, as the Accoucheur and the nurse was Mrs Thompson of Sandridge. Mary registered the birth early in August, but this time did not sign her name. This might be because the registrar simply asked her to put her mark and she didn't insist on signing. Mary had signed John Henry's birth registration document. In 1866, John was a 44 year old mariner and Mary was 33. more

A little over two years after the birth of Thomas, on the 24th September, 1868, John died in the Melbourne Hospital. He was aged 46 years, and died from Anthrax and Exhaustion. John was buried with his children, William and Annie, in the Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton; Church of England Area, Compartment FF, grave 160. His death was registered as John Simpkin.

Mary died on the thirty-first of July 1876, a 43 year old widow, at the Immigrants Home in Melbourne. Her name was recorded as Mary Sempkins, born Yorkshire, on the death certificate. The only child listed was a 10 year old Thomas, so it is likely that he has been living in the home with her. Mary died due to a general paralysis, the duration of which was unknown to the informant. There does not seem to have been an inquest, which I would have expected. The death certificate states that she had been in Victoria for 34 years, but this would be incorrect for our Mary. Mary was buried in a common grave at the Melbourne General cemetery on the 2nd of August, as Mary Simkins (Church of England, compartment LL). I believe that I have the right person, in the absence of any other sign of Mary, and the fact that her children did not seem to know their parents names, an early death is not unexpected.

John Henry Simkins and Esther Maria Howell

John Henry Simkins was born on the 1st May, 1859, at Emerald Hill, now known as South Melbourne; the second of five children, and the second son of John Goodman Simkins and Mary Turton. A doctor attended his birth, no other witnesses were named.

Esther Maria Howell was born about 1862 in Tasmania, the fourth child of nine to George Arthur Howell and Mary Ann McLoughlin. I have not yet found an official birth registration. Esther was about ten years old when the family came back to Victoria. Her parents were married in South Australia in 1855, and had one child in Victoria before going to Tasmania.

John and Esther married on the 6th December, 1881, at St. Peter & Paul's Church, Emerald Hill. John gave his age as 22 years old, his occupation as a Slaughter man, and his birthplace as Emerald Hill. His usual address was Yarra Bank, but his current address was Sandridge (now Port Melbourne). Esther had written consent from her mother to marry, as she was only 19 years old. Her occupation was a Domestic, and her usual address was 35 Station Street, Sandridge.

John Henry signed his marriage registration with his mark. This surprised me, as his parents could sign their names on their marriage. However, his father died when John Henry was only nine years old; his elder brother had also died earlier. Perhaps he didn't attend school because he had to go out to work. He was seventeen when his mother died. It is also possible that the family was left destitute and he was taken care of by relatives or put in a home. I say this because when he married, his parents names were not recorded, and his father's occupation was given a Dealer, whereas he was a Sailor. His death certificate doesn't help as the informant didn't know his parents names.

So, there is a tinge [an extremely minute tinge] of doubt as to the accuracy of linking John Henry to John and Mary as his parents - it is based solely on his saying, in 1881, that he was born in Emerald Hill, 22 years earlier. Also the Birth, Deaths and Marriages Family Records had also placed him with this family. Usually one could get an idea from the names that were used when naming the children, as in most of our families back then it was common to use the names of parents and siblings when naming your own children. However, there is no naming pattern with this family. More importantly, there also was not an obvious naming pattern in the previous generation (John Simkins and Mary Turton also did not use their parents names with their children) which means there wasn't a strong family tradition that had to be followed.

John and Esther had nine children, only three surviving to adulthood. It was now that the 'p' was added to our Simkins line. John Henry was born Simkins, his marriage certificate has Simkins but his children are Simpkins. It is definitely the right marriage as Edward Stanley's parents are Esther Howell and John Henry Simpkins as recorded on both his birth and marriage certificate.

Children

George Arthur (1882, registered Emerald Hill, died 1883, aged 11 months)
Ellen Eileen (1884, reg. Port Melbourne as Ellen Ellena); married Alfred William Woodhead, 1904, who died in 1916. One of their children had an Ellen Lindsay buried with him which turned out to be his mother, she had remarried.
John Henry (1886 reg. Melbourne, died 1887, aged 1 year)
Thomas Richard (1888, reg. Port Melbourne)
Albert Victor (1891 reg. Port Melbourne, died 1907, aged 16 years)
Agnes Myrtle (1892 reg. Ascot Vale, died 1893, aged 7 months)
William Clarence (1894 reg. Kensington Hill, died 1894, aged 8 months)
Edward Stanley (1896, reg. Kensington Hill)
Mary Isabella May (1903, reg. Kensington Hill, died 1903, aged ? Months)

Aged 51, John Henry died on the 19th September, 1912, in the Williamstown Hospital, the death registered as Simpkins. His usual address was 3 Eastwood Street, Newmarket. His occupation was still that of a slaughter man. The cause of death was a Granular Kidney, and he had also had 'Ulcer of leg Cellulitis' for some 26 years. He was buried on the 21st September in the Coburg Cemetery, Roman Catholic, Compartment B, Grave 106, as Simkins.

Edward Stanley was only 16 years old at this time and was probably already at work in one of the establishments in the area in his pre-war job of a fell monger.

In August, 1914, when Edward joined the Australian Imperial Force during World War 1, Esther was named next-of-kin and her address given as 35 Bignell Street, Flemington. This was changed, probably at a later date, to what looks like: c/o J H Garred, Pinkens Lane, Goolmanger, Richmond River, with a question mark on NSW. I haven't discovered what this means as yet, but Esther may have worked at this place, or had family there. In April, 1915, Esther lived at 110 Dover Street, Richmond - she was the informant for the birth of a grandchild, Edward Raymond Woodhead, the son of Ellen's that was to die in young adulthood and be buried with Edward Stanley's eldest daughter. This may have been only a temporary residence while Ellen was having her baby.

Esther died in 1929, aged 65, the death registered at East Melbourne. She was buried with John Henry in Coburg Cemetery on the 1st July of that year (as Simpkins). Their grave is unmarked.

Edward Stanley Simpkins and Katie Corcoran

Edward Stanley Simpkins was born on the 18th February, 1896, at 10 Mulgrave Street, Kensington Hill; the eighth child of nine children, and the sixth son of John Henry Simpkins and Esther Maria Howell. Dr Moss attended the birth and the nurse was Mrs Winter. According to the birth registration, the Simkins lived at 13 Mulgrave Street.

WW1 On the 15th August, 1914, Edward enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, stating his age as 19 years and 6 months. His occupation was a Fell Monger, his job was probably to remove wool or hair from hides before it was processed into leather. His mother was named next of kin, and her address given as 35 Bignell Street, Flemington. Edward had already served 18 months with some type of Cadets and a year with a Citizen Force. He was described as 5 feet 7 inches in height, a chest measurement of 33 inches, dark complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. His religious denomination was Roman Catholic. His distinctive marks were a scar on the fore finger of the right hand.

A Private in the 7th Battalion, Edward was at Gallipoli on Anzac Day, 25th April, 1915. Sometime, during these first days he was "dangerously wounded in action at the Dardanelles" a bullet wound which had fractured his left leg, and a bullet wound to the left shoulder. On the 30th April he was admitted to the Ras-el-Tin Military Hospital at Alexandria where he was placed on the dangerously ill list, the shoulder injury seeming the most serious. Two months later, on the 2nd July, he was taken by H. S. �Delta� (a Hospital Ship) to England where he was admitted to the Manchester Hospital. In his War Service file, a brief entry, dated 7th November, 1915, states that he embarked on the H. S. �Runic� for Australia, from Portland, England - Left Leg Amputated. Edward arrived back home just days before Christmas; eight months after being wounded. He was officially discharged from the A. I. F. on the 11th April, 1916.

3. Catherine Elizabeth (Katie) Corcoran was born on the 14th August, 1896, at White Hills, City of Bendigo; the fourth child of seven children, and the second daughter of Timothy Corcoran and Ellen Dwyer. Neither nurse nor doctor attended the birth, a Mrs Graham was either a witness or the owner of the house where the birth took place. We presume that their stay in Bendigo was work-related, as normally Timothy�s occupation was that of a laborer. At this time her father was a gardener. All the other children were born in the Kyneton area.

Edward and Catherine were married on the 27th April, 1918, in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Carlton. Edward�s usual address was given as 185 Princes Street, Carlton [If this address seems familiar it is because this was the same address where Robert Leslie Randall was born in 1896!] Edward was a 22 year old Lift Attendant, and Catherine was 21, a waitress, and her usual address was Mitchell Street, Kyneton. They had ten children, including Rob's mother.

The family were still living at 185 Princes Street in March 1926, when little Joyce died at the Children�s Hospital. She was eighteen months old and had had tubercular meningitis for an indefinite period. Five and a half years later, in 1932, thirteen year old Elsie May died. Elsie had been ill for some years with kidney disease and eventually her heart failed. 534 Station Street, North Carlton, was noted as her usual address on the death registration. At this time Rob's mum was almost eighteen months old.

Edward died just weeks before his 48th birthday, and was buried at Fawkner Cemetery on the 29th January, 1944, Roman Catholic section, compartment M, Grave 661. Already in this grave was daughter, Elsie, and a 22 year old nephew, the son of Edward�s sister, Ellen. The other daughter, Joyce, is buried with Alcie Woodhead, another child of Ellen�s, in Roman Catholic Compartment G, Grave 2967. In grave next to this, on the right, are the two elder brother�s of Catherine - William and Patrick Corcoran.

Catherine died on the 26th July, 1954, and was buried with Edward at Fawkner.

Updated: 10th December 2007