Re: help needed JOSEPH BROOKS c1844
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In reply to:
Re: help needed JOSEPH BROOKS c1844
Sieglinde Boyce 1/26/14
I see we've been down this road quite a few times in the past 7 years, and I, among others, have taken more than a quick look for Thomas, not surprisingly with the same result - too many Thomas Brooks and insufficient information from your end to identify him.
In http://genforum.genealogy.com/englandcountry/messages/144899.htmlhttp://genforum.genealogy.com/englandcountry/messages/144899.html you said Thomas was a Baptist. If his parents were also baptist it would rule out finding an infant baptism for him. You also said that he married Mary Matthews in Bath in 1837 (how you determined that his wife was Mary when you know nothing about her eludes me), but this couple can be traced in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 censuses and they didn't have a son Joseph, so if your family emigrated in 1847 this must be the wrong marriage. This of course assumes you have the right Thomas Brooks who emigrated in 1847, and I'm by no means convinced about this, as all you seem to know about the family are the names of Thomas and a son Joseph who was your ancestor, and nothing at all about their life in Australia other than what you know about Joseph.
So let's start with a blank sheet of paper
You know that your ancestor, Joseph Brooks, married Martha Phillips in Australia on 13 May 1864. Does the marriage entry name his father? Or do you have any other document that shows his father as Thomas, a mason? This marriage appears to be the first record that you have of the Brooks family in Australia. Is there any evidence of Thomas' existence in Australia? How do you know that Joseph travelled with his family if you have no record of them in Australia? He could have emigrated alone. As Joseph isn't mentioned in the newspaper report of the arrivals in 1847 how do you know that you have the right Thomas, or is this just an assumption? Does Joseph's death certificate give any details of his parents?
You may correctly infer that I have serious doubts about your conclusions concerning Thomas. In any event it's impossible to trace Joseph or Thomas in England based on the very limited information you've provided. I think you need to do a lot more research in Australia before you start looking in England.
David
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Re: help needed JOSEPH BROOKS c1844
Sieglinde Boyce 1/30/14