Help please re finding immigrantsto Australia

[Brookes]

Grateful for any pointers please. We have found my husband's late father and his wife of then on passenger lists to Brisbane. He is Arthur George Brookes and she was Ellen. They travelled onthe Sophocles leaving London 6 December 1922 and arrived Brisbane 25 Jan 1923 . We know the arrival date form the index to immigration 1922 - 1940.

I have tried the Census records and we thought we had found them in 1925 in Wynnum , but having follwed the Census forward we realise it is not Arthur as he was back in Uk sometime in the 1940s. How do we find out when he left Australia and did Ellen stay there or leave? Arthur and she were certainly not together when he came back to this country. Arthur died in 1968 and had just heard that Ellen had died recently which meant he would be able to marry again to his partner at that time, but sadly he died before this happened.
As I say grateful for any pointers.
Helen

[Currie]

Hello Helen,

There aren’t any Australian census records so I guess you mean the Electoral Roll.

From the immigration index you mentioned Arthur was age 23 and Ellen 32. (BROOKES Arthur Geo 23 Sophocles 247 25 Jan 1923, BROOKES Ellen 32 Sophocles 247 25 Jan 1923).

On Queensland deaths there’s an Ellen Elizabeth Brookes died 1945, father’s name May, and another, same name, died 1961, father’s name Tarrier. https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/ ... eathSearch

Have you tried the incoming passengers to UK at Ancestry etc. http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1518

All the best,
Alan

[Brookes]

Hi Alan,
Thanks for the help. I have now found Ellen returned to UK in 1960 and appears to be saying she is widowed. As yet I haven't found the date when Arthur came back but will keep searching. Neither of the Ellens you mention is this Ellen and as yet I haven't found her death record in either UK or Australia. We assume that they split up in Australia and we know Arthur was definitely back here , but as yet have not pinned a date down.
Thanks for your help.

Helen

[Currie]

Hello Helen,

What was the port of departure and port of arrival on the 1960 record? If she left from a Queensland port that would at least suggest that they stuck to that state while in Australia.

What were the parents names of both parties and where and on what date did Arthur die?

Voting has been compulsory in Australia since the mid 1920s. I don’t know much about the subject but I think it then applied equally to all British Subjects resident in Australia. If the Ancestry etc records are complete records of electoral rolls then you would imagine that both of them would have turned up on them over a number of years.

One thing also is that once you get on the electoral roll you stay there until the Electoral Commission is told or finds out somehow that you are no longer eligible. In other words it may easily have been possible for people no longer eligible, for various reasons, to be still enrolled.

All the best,
Alan

[Brookes]

Hello Alan,

Parents of Ellen were Thomas Henry John Beddall and Maria Cutler. Arthur's parents were William James and Sarah Jane Trueman. Both were born in the Midlands birmingham area.
Ellen shows on the electoral rolls until 1954 in Moreton, Wynnum area and an Arthur George shows until 1949, but disappears in the 1954 record. I originally assumed this was because I had the wrong Brookes, but your explanation means it could well be him. Arthur was definitely in UK again in late 1947 as his eldest son was born in 1948 and he died in UK in 1968.

He was told sometime in the first half of 1968 that Ellen had died, they had never divorced, and this meant that he could now remarry. Unfortunately he had a fall and died on 6 June 1968 befor he was able to do this.

The other strange fact that I came across which may just be coincidence is that I have found a death of an Arhur George Brookes in Queensland , 6 Sep 1952 and his parents are named as William James and Jane. The more little nbits we find the more questions it raises.

Best Regards

Helen

[Currie]

Hello Helen,

There’s a funeral notice in The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), Monday, 8 September, 1952. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article ... tleid%3A12

BROOKES, Arthur George.—No. 58046, 1st Imperial Royal Warwickshire Regt., 1914-18 War. Ferndale Street, Lota. —Relatives and Friends of Mrs. Ellen Brookes, and Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Brookes and Family (Punchbowl, N.S.W.) are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral of her late beloved Husband, and their Brother, Brother-in-law, and Uncle, to leave the Parlour, 400 Wickham Street, on Wednesday, for the Mount Thompson Crematorium, after the Service, commencing at 9.45 a.m.

His wife’s name is Ellen and Lota appears to be a suburb of Wynnum. No doubt he’s the fellow on the electoral roll, and he’s also made a journey to Australia post WW1. How do you know for sure that your fellow came to Australia, was the passenger list info conclusive, or was there a family story or suchlike?

Regarding the former soldier, The National Archives, as would Ancestry, has a medal card for:
Brookes, Arthur G
Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5804 Private
Worcestershire Regiment 5928 Private

There may be a service record for him as a search for Brookes 5804 in Ancestry’s WW1 service records brings up a George Arthur Brookes in the results.
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... 00ferndale

All the best,
Alan

[Currie]

A bit more.

Death of a child in Queensland.
https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/ ... eathSearch

1946/B6582, Ivy Doreen Brookes, Arthur George, Ellen Beddall

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), Friday, 7 September, 1945.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article ... tleid%3A12

Miss Ivy Brookes, age 21, of Ferndale Street, Lota, Miss Australia candidate, father was in the ‘British Imperial Army’.

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), Thursday, 13 September, 1945.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article ... tleid%3A12

Miss Australia contest, dance held for Manly-Lota sub-branch candidate, Miss Doreen Brookes.

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), Thursday, 20 June, 1946.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article ... ly+Notices

Bereavement notice inserted by Mr. & Mrs. A. G. Brookes of Ferndale Street, Lota.

The name of the deceased isn’t mentioned in the bereavement notice. The death date may have been 18 May, but I haven’t found a death notice so far.

All the best,
Alan

[trish1]

Re war service
Service Record 58046 George Arthur Brookes 13 Edgebaston Rd Moseley B'ham - engineers machinist age 18yrs 10 months born 1899 (dated 27 Jun 1918) Next of kin mother Sarah Jane Brookes
later on discharge page name is given as Arthur George Brookes
Probable birth Brookes Arthur George - Sep 1899 W Bromwich
probable marriage Dec 1922 Beddall Ellen Brookes King's N. 6d 244 - Brookes Arthur G Bedall [sic] 6d 244

The Arthur George Brooks who died 1968 in UK has age 68 - born c. 1900

In the WWI service records there is another George Arthur Brookes - No 78630 - 5 Raven Terrace Basford Nottingham aged 17 years 358 days 1 Mar 1917 Next of Kin Charles William Brookes father
Probable birth Mar 1899 Brookes George Arthur Nottingham 7b 358
(There is a George Arthur married in Nottingham 1922 to Lavinia Kilbourne)

Not sure if the 2nd George Arthur is relevant??

[Brookes]

First of all Thanks to both Alan and Trish for all your help.

In your first post on Wednesday Alan we followed your Ancetry link and thought Yes this is him as we had previously found his attempt to join up when under age. His height and eye colour etc all seemed right. Family hearsay had him joining up underage.
Then the address on their Marriage Cert tied them to the Artur & Ellen who emigrated in 1922/23.

However as the Arthur in Lota died in 1952 and our Arthur was still in England and alive it seems that we have been following totally the wrong person.

I have gone back today to the English BMD records and there isn't another Arthur George at that time in the same area so I guess we are at something of a dead end.

Appreciate all the help, but rather sad that we have a huge tree of Brookes who probably are not the right ones.
Regards

Helen

[trish1]

Hello Helen

You may yet find the family of the man you have traced and they will no doubt be thrilled with your research. Some time ago I was contacted online by someone who believed he was a near relative. Turned out he had the wrong gg grandmother back in Scotland c. 1850s - so he proceeded to send me all his research that related to my family - but not his. It was wonderful to receive some of the family details that I had not previously found - and he was pleased to have at long last tracked his correct family (still living in Scotland). I hope you do trace your family in the future.

Trish