William Oman

[speleobat2]

Hi Nina,

Here's the link for the Victoria archives I was looking at. It's the Public Record Office Victoria website. This might turn up in the information which Alan sent you too. If William was fathering all those babies, he must have been home fairly often from the gold fields!

http://proarchives.imagineering.com.au/ ... earchid=24

Good hunting!

Carol

[ninatoo]

Hi all,

Well I haven't managed to come forward yet, but I did get to go backwards!

I did not find Isabella Oman on the 1851. I think she may have been visiting somewhere and the household just didn't put her on the census, perhaps not realising they had to....

Anyway. I found that on the 1841 census William Oman and a brother James are with the Cameron family, and so I researched them. A Catherine Shaw or Oman married a Robert Cameron, and when I got the OPR it stated that she was the relict of James Oman, Tailor. A bit more digging and I tied it all together. So now we know that William Oman's father was James, a tailor, his mother Catherine Shaw and they married in Thurso Caithness, had a few children there and then moved to Edinburgh. James died before 1834 and Catherine remarried. No sign of her or new hubby on the 1841 or 1851. Then I managed to go back a bit on Catherine Shaw's side.

So now I have been able to give my friend something to go on with! And hopefully the links here will be able to help my friend go foreward as well!

Thanks for all the help!

Nina

[SarahND]

Nice job, Nina!
You've found some interesting details to make the family come alive-- that should definitely get your friend hooked!

Regards,
Sarah

[ninatoo]

Hi Sarah,

I think she already is, lol. I will direct her to this site. I was telling her how helpful you all are. I can't wait to show her this stuff this afternoon! I know how thrilling it is to get some new information. And you are right about adding colour. Finding out about their occupations, their children, their living conditions, well it all adds up.

By the way, most of the tricks I used to find this stuff were learned here at TS!

Nina

[AnnieMack]

This might not be connected in any way but I was looking at the info on the Greenock site (there is another posting about it) and see there are about half a dozen Oman entries - I'm not sure how common this name is but they might be worth a look.

Annie

[ninatoo]

Hi all,

Well I haven't managed to come forward yet, but I did get to go backwards!

I did not find Isabella Oman on the 1851. I think she may have been visiting somewhere and the household just didn't put her on the census, perhaps not realising they had to....

Anyway. I found that on the 1841 census William Oman and a brother James are with the Cameron family, and so I researched them. A Catherine Shaw or Oman married a Robert Cameron, and when I got the OPR it stated that she was the relict of James Oman, Tailor. A bit more digging and I tied it all together. So now we know that William Oman's father was James, a tailor, his mother Catherine Shaw and they married in Thurso Caithness, had a few children there and then moved to Edinburgh. James died before 1834 and Catherine remarried. No sign of her or new hubby on the 1841 or 1851. Then I managed to go back a bit on Catherine Shaw's side.

So now I have been able to give my friend something to go on with! And hopefully the links here will be able to help my friend go foreward as well!

Thanks for all the help!

Nina

And this information was confirmed today, when my friend received the death registration for William Oman. Father James, mother Catherine Shaw, wife Isabella Drummond. He died in 1860, leaving her with four children and one on the way. When she was just a new settler...how daunting for her! He apparently was buried in Streatham too, but there seems to be no record of it online. I wonder if it would be worth contacting them?

So...any ideas on how to find a ship's record? We believe they must have immigrated to Geelong, Victoria, Australia between 1851 and 1854.

Also, can anyone tell me what is available for Caithness records? It would be great to research how the Omans there are connected.

Nina

[Russell]

Hi Nina

Please don't confuse these Omans with my Nathaniel Oman b 1799 in Halkirk who married Isabella Miller in Wick them moved to Edinburgh to set up as a tailor and clothier.
There appear to be two distinct Oman lines. One from Thurso, the other from Halkirk/Wick area.
They probably all link back to Orkney some time before 1750 but some of the records are poor.

I have a spreadsheet of Omans from that area. Will I send it e-mail ?

Russell

[Currie]

Hello Nina,

I just googled for “Oman William” and this came up. (large download) www.australian-history.com/samplers/AU7100-1860s.pdf

Index to the Victoria Government Gazette, 1860, Page 20.
Oman, William, deceased, administration to, applied for, 2012.

I suppose it means page 2012 of the 1860 series of Gazettes. I’ve no idea what sort of information the Gazette would contain. It might just be some sort of advertisement of the fact that the estate is under administration.

Better have a good read of this Public Record Office Victoria document. I think it is saying that the Administration record may be available online but first you have to get a number from the Victorian Probate Index available at the State and some local libraries etc. I couldn’t see anything about it costing anything.

http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/publi ... ide068.jsp

I don’t know anything about Streatham and couldn’t find out much about it. I don’t think it would have been much of a place in 1860. Someone who died then in a fairly isolated farming area might have been buried on the farm if there was no organised cemetery. Did the Death Certificate give a clue?

I suppose it would depend on when the cemetery was established and whether records were kept for whatever they made do with before that. The Streatham database looks a bit like M.I.s rather than a record of burials, Coverage before 1900 looks very sparse with about 3 for the 1870s.

One of the Historical Societies at the top of the Streatham Cemetery page might know more (maybe Hamilton?). Or you could try Streatham Cemetery Trust, Mr. G Brown Secretary Box 18 Streatham 3351, 5350 7573 according to http://www.ozgenonline.com/aust_cemeteries/vic/

Alan

[ninatoo]

Hello Russell,

I am interested in the spreadsheet, as it will be interesting to see what you have there. When my friend and I began talkinga bout htis, she had mentione the origin being Orkney, but I think she had heard this from other researchers rather than having had any proof. So I will PM you my email address soon.

Thanks currie yet again for the best googles I know of! I will pass those sites onto my friend.

Nina

[Warrend]

Hello I realize I'm responding to a 6 year old post but this William Oman was my 3rd great granduncle. He was married ti Isabella Drummond. If you are still looking for info I have some.