Find Ancestors

I am trying to find descendants of Thomas Wilkinson b1899 in Gateshead, Co. Durham, who emigrated to Perth, Australia some time after 1911.

Thomas was uncle to my grandmother.

I don't know who he married, but do know of at least 2 of 3 possible children :-

1, Margaret Wilkinson (Who married an 'Atkinson', whose address I have as - 347, Canning Highway, Camo (?), Western Australia.

2, Aileen Wilkinson, who married Greg Rowe, and whose address I have as -
35, Watkins Road, Dalkeith 6009, Western Australia.

3, Possible third daughter called Jean, but unsure if she ever existed!!

How would I go about finding any information on this family - can anyone please help??

Anything found most appreciated!

Marcus :-D

Have you tried White Pages? Unfortunately only initials are shown for first names. I have no idea how up-to-date it is, but there is an M. Rowe showing for 43 Watkins Rd Dalkeith, might be worth checking out.
Jan

Thanks Brummiejan, I will look at it asap!

Regards,

Marcus,
Have you tried Trove?
I might be worth trying a few searches for yourself as I have found quite a few announcements in Perth newspapers


I entered "Aileen Wilkinson" and immediately found her marriage announcement
to Victor Gregory Rowe 18 Aug 1947.
Unfortunately, the article does NOT say who her parents were.

Just found her engagement. from 1946
Her parents were Mr and Mrs T Wilkinson ..of Gnowangerup. and her sisters were Margaret and..... JEAN!!
Aileen and Greg Rowe had a daughter born on 3 May 1949 ( no name on article)

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/78259162?searchTerm=%22aileen%20wilkinson%22&searchLimits=

EDIT:
Margaret Wilkinson married Richard Atkinson Apr 1953
Photo of the Bride on this..

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/55799669?searchTerm=wilkinson%20gnowangerup&searchLimits=
Anne

Marcus,
I found this Wilkinson family on Electoral Roll of 1949 (prior to, daughter Margaret's marriage).
They lived in Denny Street , Gnowangerup which is the Katanning area of Western Australia and a good bit south of Perth!

Thomas was a Store Keeper and his wife was called Violet Rebecca
Daughters Margaret and Jean.:
Are on ERs as Dorothy Jean and Margaret Florence and both appear on the 1949 ER.
At 1954 & 1958 ,Thomas and Violet Rebecca are the only people called Wilkinson in the Denny Street household

Anne

Thomas & Violet are buried together at the Karrakatta Cemetery

Surname: Wilkinson
Given Names: Violet Rebecca
Application No: KB00172341
Aged: 88 years
Date of Death: 23/8/1987
Grave Location: Karrakatta Cemetery
Area or Denomination: Lawn
Section: A
Gravesite No: 675
Grant No: K0080968
Grantee: Violet Rebecca Wilkinson
Grant Status: Expired
Expiry: 2/7/2012

also buried in the same grave, Thomas who died 2/5/1979

www.mcb.wa.gov.au

Name WILKINSON, THOMAS
Service Australian Army
Service Number W71079
Date of Birth 8 Mar 1899
Place of Birth GATESHEAD ON TYNE, ENGLAND
Date of Enlistment 26 May 1942
Locality on Enlistment GNOWANGERUP, WA
Place of Enlistment GNOWANGERUP, WA
Next of Kin WILKINSON, VIOLET
Date of Discharge 19 Jun 1944
Rank Private
Posting at Discharge FORT W/S
WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display
Prisoner of War No

Two Thomas Wilkinson's arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia both departing from London in the 1920's, unfortunately no ages given

Ship/Aircraft name: Bendigo
Date: 4/1/1925
Barcode: 12272102

and

Ship/aircraft name: Berrima
Date: 17/1/1928
Barcode: 11553573

By 1968 Thomas and Violet Rebecca had moved.
They lived at 35 Kirwan Street, Floreat Park, Curtin, Wembley Park., Western Australia
Daughter Dorothy Jean is in the household and it appears that she never married.
Thomas drops off the ER at 1977, consistent with death details (posted above by Trudianne) whilst Violet Rebecca and Dorothy Jean can both be found at the Kirwan Street home until 1980

Aileen and Greg Rowe..
Something is not quite right.
I cannot locate them together on any ER after their marriage.
Have found a Victor Gregory Rowe, but with a different wife and also Aileen Lorraine Rowe who was a widow?
I cannot tell if they were the same people who married in 1947

Margaret Florence And Richard Atkinson.
Lived at Gnowangerup, then latterly at 365 Canning Hwy, Como, Swan, WA
By 1980, another person has appeared in the household, ( too young to appear beforehand?) possibly a daughter named Jan Patricia Atkinson who was a teacher.

Anne



Anne

WOW!! Thanks to all of you for the above information! I was hoping for something, but just not quite this amount......

Where did you get all the info from? Just so I may try myself. (Please don't stop helping though!). Any pointers & advice welcome.

What, if any, census' are available in Australia - do they stop in 1911 as here in UK?

Again, many thanks to you all.

Marcus

Hi Marcus,
To the best of my knowledge, ALL Australian censuses are destroyed.
Most of the info can be gleaned from Electoral Rolls ( available via Ancestry) or from Australian newspapers:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=
Searching on Trove should be be filtered as much as possible.
IE .select newspapers from Perth or WA . Where possible, define the dates and look in a specific decade
There are a number of articles on Aileen Wilkinson, some in the social sections and others are found in Family Notices

Try as I might, I cannot find the marriage of Thomas and Violet Rebecca, but I am guessing it took place circa 1926/7

Anne

Thanks Anne,

I have just, tonight, found the marriage of Thomas Wilkinson & Violet Rebecca Douglass It took place in Gateshead area, June quarter of 1922. Before they both emigrated !!!!!!!!!!!!

All now I have to find is when they emigrated (Dates suggested above to look into), and further details you suggested about 'Trove' which looks good.

Also, how do I locate birth, death & marriage certificates in Australia? Is there an equivelent to our GRO out there?

Regards,

Marcus

Marcus,
Thomas and Violet start appearing on Katanning Electoral Rolls in 1931 and I cannot positively identify them on any ship entering Australia between 1922 and 1931

When I looked at potential births in England, I realised that there had to be more than one Wilkinson/ Douglass family in Gateshead who seem to have been having children at the same time:
Some were born too early for a 1922 marriage and others were born after this family were known to be in WA

One of the news items relating to Aileen Wilkinson stated that she was the 2nd daughter

This could possibly be the birth of Dorothy Jean:

Name: Dorothy J Wilkinson
Mother's Maiden Surname: Douglass
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1923
Registration district: Gateshead
Inferred County: Durham
Volume Number 10a

Hopefully someone else with more Australian experience will pick up on this thread, find the immigration and births of Aileen and Margaret.

Ancestry has info on Australian births up until 1922 only!!

Anne
Edit:
Thomas and Violet made a return trip to the UK in 1958
They arrived in Southampton from Freemantle aboard the SS Southern Cross on 26 Nov 1958
They were going to:
17 Orchard Gardens, Low Fell, Gateshead and intended to stay for 10 months