Unassisted Passengers to Port Phillip

I finally had the opportunity last week to look at the eight George Griffith/s Unassisted Passenger arrivals entries at PROV.  The one I thought the most likely to be my ancestor on board the Hibernia, which arrived in Port Phillip on 26 Oct 1852, was not as convincing as I would have liked. 

The details given for unassisted passengers are fairly scant.  The only additional thing to be discovered about him from the actual list was that he was English, and an "engineer" by trade.  Somehow that occupation doesn't sit right with  me.  Despite George being fairly consistent in recording his occupation as "musician", I didn't expect to find that was his occupation when he emigrated (mainly because I've never spotted a musician amongst the George Griffith emigrants), but I would have expected something more in the line of grocer or clerk.

He might be one of the other George Gfiffiths amonst the Unassisted passengers, but the details are so nebulous I think I will never know, unless he turns up somewhere else,  arriving in Sydney, perhaps, or Launceston.  More work needs to be done.

Review of directories and baptism information

1857 Ovens,   Griffith, George, Professor of Music, Woolshed, Beechworth
1865 -
1865  February 2, baptism of George Henry Griffith, Marian St, musician
1866 Sands & Mac, Griffith, Geo, 16 Little Latrobe-street, east
1867-
1868 -
1868  August 6  Baptism of Alfred John and Charlotte Broadley Griffith, Budd St, musician
1869 Sands & Mac, Griffith, Geo, Prof of Music, 10 Budd St, East Collingwood
1870 Sands & Mac, Griffith, Geo, Prof of Music, 10 Budd St, East Collingwood
1871 Sands & Mac, Griffith, Geo, Prof of Music, 10 Budd St, East Collingwood
1871 Sands & Mac, Trade & Prof, Prof's & Teachers, Griffith, George (music), Budd St, E C.
1871/72  Bailleire's, Victoria, Griffith, G, Prof of Music, East Collingwood
1872 -
1873 -
1873  August 14, baptism of Emily Frances Griffith, Fitzroy St, Fitzroy, musician
1874  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, 75 Fitzroy St, Fitzroy
1875  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, 75 Fitzroy St, Fitzroy
1876  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, 75 Fitzroy St, Fitzroy
1876  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, 1 Lit Marion St, Fitzroy
1876  June 8  baptism of George Henry Griffith, Moor St, musician
1877  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, 123 Moor St, Fitzroy
1878  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, Lit George St, Fitzroy
1879  Sands & Mac, Griffiths, George, 49 Lit George St, Fitzroy

Baptised in Fitzroy

A row of terraces in Marian St, Fitzroy, circa 1935.
Source:  State Library of Victoria Collection Image No: mp010420

I was a little too optimistic about what I would find in the transcriptions of St Mark's baptismal registers, but I was pleased with what I did find.

In each case the child's parents were given as George Griffith and Susan, George's occupation "musician".  The elder George Henry Griffith's baptismal record in 1865 gave his mother's maiden name as Rochester, but the later ones gave no maiden name:

Baptised    Born          Child's name                Address
2/11/1865   15/4/1865     George Henry                Marian Street
6/8/1868     23/11/1867   Alfred John                    Budd Street
6/8/1868     23/11/1867   Charlotte Broadley         Budd Street
14/8/1873   8/4/1873      Emily Frances                Fitzroy Street
8/6/1876     9/2/1876      George Henry                Moore Street

I can't tell from any of that when George returned to Fitzroy, but it does show a gap in the family from 1867 to 1873.

Baptising the children

St Mark's Anglican Church and School, Fitzroy, circa 1861-1862.
Source:  State Library of Victoria, Image No: pi002899

I'll bet you thought I had forgotten all about you - nup, just been busy.  So back on the trail of the Griffiths.

In a very exciting development, I discovered this evening that the Genealogical Society of Victoria has added to its Genealogical Index (GIN), which is online for members, the baptisms from the St Mark's Anglican Church, Fitzroy, on the north east corner of George and Moor Streets, Fitzroy, and the index includes a number of the Griffith children:

• George Henry, b 1865, baptised 1865
• Alfred John, b 1867, baptised 1868
• Charlotte Broadley, b 1867, baptised 1868
• Emily Frances, b 1873, baptised 1873
• George Henry, b 1876, baptised 1876

Fingers crossed that the baptismal entries give an address.  I will also be very interested to discover the sponsors at the baptisms.  1868 is one of the years the Griffiths are absent in the post office directories.