BMD Records for South Australia

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Fiona C
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Location: Wiltshire

BMD Records for South Australia

Post by Fiona C » Sun Jun 28, 2015 5:44 pm

I wonder if anyone can help me with finding out more about an ancestor who lived in Adelaide, South Australia.
Three brothers, John, Bruce & Robert Rennie all emigrated to Australia and joined the AIF during WW1.
I have recently accessed their army records thanks to someone on this site who mentioned that they were now available. They are absolutely fascinating reading and very detailed. The brothers also had a sister, Mary Rennie, whom I had been unable to find after the 1901 census. Mary was born in Glasgow in 1885 then the family moved to London in 1886 and lived in Wandsworth. I was therefore, amazed to find two letters from Mary in Bruce's service records. Bruce was a tunneler in the 5th, then the 2nd Tunneling Company and was the only one of the brothers who died. He died in April 1918 at Villers Bretonneux and I have visited his grave in France. Mary's first letter was written to the army HQ asking for news of Bruce as they hadn't heard from him for a while, and was dated 20th September 1916. She was then unmarried and living at 17th Cottage, Crowther Street, Adelaide. She then wrote a second letter, again asking for information about Bruce's whereabouts, on 27th December 1916. By this time she had married and was Mrs E. Clarke. I had no idea that Mary had also gone to Australia and was pleased to have 'caught up' with her again. However, I have been trying to find out more about what happened to her. I would like to find her marriage and death details and, if possible, details of any children she may have had. Also I would like to know if she remained in Australia as none of the surviving brothers did.
Does anyone know if there is online access to any South Australia BMD records? I have searched exhaustively on the internet and have not been able to find anything more. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction? I would love to know more about this fascinating branch of my family tree.
Thank you!
Fiona

paddyscar
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Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by paddyscar » Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:22 am

Hope these will lead you to an answer:

Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages South Australia ...
www.cbs.sa.gov.au

Births, deaths and marriages registries | ...
www.australia.gov.au

.Births, deaths and marriages - South Australia
www.sa.gov.au

Frances
John Kelly (b 22 Sep 1897) eldest child of John Kelly & Christina Lipsett Kelly of Glasgow

trish1
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Location: australia

Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by trish1 » Wed Jul 01, 2015 4:18 pm

SA seems to have less online BDM data than most of the other Australian sites ( and the only state not on Ancestry electoral rolls)

I have tried searching for your lass here - with no joy

https://www.genealogysa.org.au/quick-li ... ge-02.html

I do have some CDs of SA bdm information - not sure what year the marriages go to - but they do not run on a 64 bit machine - I'll boot up my relic tomorrow & see if I can find anything else

You could try searching the online newspapers (to 1954) http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ I use the advanced search - can select state & dates

Trish


Can search adelaide cemeteries here
http://www.aca.sa.gov.au/Records

Fiona C
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:52 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by Fiona C » Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:22 pm

Hello Frances & Trish. Thanks for the links you posted. I have searched them all and so far found no trace of Mary Rennie/Clarke. I had high hopes of the genealogysa.org link which I was also led to through one of the links posted by Frances but none of the results look like the right person. She had three middle names too, so was Mary Jane Forsyth McKenzie Rennie. I will keep trying Trove as it gives a lot of results to wade through depending on what you search for.

It's a shame there isn't more online for South Australia. I was hoping for some online BMDs! It lookslike the only way is to send off for a certificate.

That would be very kind Trish if you are able to look at your CDs. I have become very interested in this branch of the family as they all went off and did interesting things! Also my 96 year old aunt remembers their mother visiting her family in Glasgow in the 1930s and actually remembered that they had some link to Weston Super Mare in England, which turned out to be where the brother, John Rennie returned to after the war.

Thanks for your help.

Fiona

trish1
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Location: australia

Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by trish1 » Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:48 pm

Apologies Fiona - I only just remembered to check the cds. I have index to SA marriages to 1935 and no sign of your Mary. The marriage index includes fathers names so via the census I found her father as Archibald Rennie but no sign of that name anywhere. Also have births to 1928 and I can find no children born to Clarke/Rennie or even to a Mary Rennie.

I'm checking a few other options - not very successfully at the minute - sorry

trish1
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Location: australia

Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by trish1 » Sat Jul 04, 2015 2:10 pm

Found a Mary Rennie - native of Scotland - immigrating to Oz in 1892. Unfortunately I can't find Mary on the link to the shipping list . It was a ship into Perth, so I looked at the WA marriages and found 2 possibles

RENNIE MARY Female HARRISON WILLIAM HARTLEY Male NORTHAMPTON 263 1894
RENNIE MARY J Female DEWHURST CHARLES J Male NORTHAMPTON 15 1913

http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/_apps/pi ... fault.aspx

but probably grasping at straws - as it makes little sense to be later using her maiden name when writing about her brothers

I noticed on the war records a letter sent to Mary c. 1922 was returned - so she was not then at the address in Adelaide.

Fiona C
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Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:52 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by Fiona C » Sat Jul 04, 2015 10:23 pm

Hi Trish

Thanks for looking for Mary. Yes, her father is Archibald and her mother is Elizabeth (nee Angus). I have searched Ancestry for her travelling to Australia but can't find anything definite. It can't be her travelling in 1892 as she was only born in 1886 so would only have been 6, besides she is still living in London with her family on the 1901 census, which is the last time I can definitely place her somewhere until the letter in Bruce's service records.

I have also been searching passenger lists back to the UK in her married name as I thought that she may have returned but haven't found anything definite again. It's a pity Clarke is a fairly common name.

Any further possibilities would be welcome & thanks for your help.

Fiona

trish1
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Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by trish1 » Sun Jul 05, 2015 6:32 am

Fiona C wrote:Hi Trish

It can't be her travelling in 1892 as she was only born in 1886 so would only have been 6, besides she is still living in London with her family on the 1901 census, which is the last time I can definitely place her somewhere until the letter in Bruce's service records.
Not thinking too well! I also found her last in 1901 - so my brain decided she was no longer with the family after 1891! sigh. Although I didn't find the person referenced, the link was an interesting shipping list - mainly the "matron" talking about the character of the girls on board.

Clarke is not easy & could well be Clark on many records - another sigh

Trish

Fiona C
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:52 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: BMD Records for South Australia

Post by Fiona C » Sun Jul 05, 2015 6:47 pm

Don't worry Trish - my brain quite often doesn't think rationally! Thanks for your help. I expect eventually info about her will pop up from somewhere. I didn't find out about the brothers going to Australia for ages. My aunt also has a vague recollection that the family had some connection with Hong Kong (although she may be mistaken!) but I haven't managed to trace anyone there either (yet!)

It was lovely reading the letters from her in the service records though - it gave me a real feel for what she was like.

Fiona

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