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It was such a fascinating glimpse into history!

Maureen

Thanks everyone for all your help, between me and Sylvia we now know when Pelham went out to Australia, and that Howard travelled out just after his brother`s death and did stay out there. He seems to have become a tutor, and died a few years later, presumably could not afford passage back to England.
Thanks again ladies, and good luck with your own researches.
Best wishes, PAT.

Hello Maureen, yes it probably is Howard`s death, BUT, we still do not know where the GORDON came from. It is not in the Newton family [his mother`s side] nor apparently in the Obbard side. Also Howard`s father is Joseph not Gordon. A real mystery !! However as all the other details match to what I already know, I am going with this being the same person. Thank you very much for finding this for me.
Best Wishes
PAT

Good chance this is Howard's death:

Australia Death Index, 1787-1985 about Howard O Gordon
Name: Howard O Gordon
Death Date: 1881
Death Place: New South Wales
Father's Name: Gordon
Registration Year: 1881
Registration Place: Hume/albury, New South Wales
Registration Number: 4529

Maureen

Hello Pat, I will look out for the message you sent me.

Meanwhile I have been doing some digging in the Brisbane Courier.

4 October 1867 a Mr Obbard arrives in Brisbane aboard the Harmonious from Gravesend after a 112 day voyage.

8 April 1872 Pelham Obbard listed as persons claiming to have their name inserted on electoral roll in the District of East Moreton

22 September 1873 Pelham Obbard appointed Government Agent to accompany ships employed in the Polynesian Labour Trade

Going back to those Probate Records in 1875 Pelham's estate was between £100 & £200 which by 2008 would be between £52,000 and £104,000. Howard on the other hand by 1882 left £21 15s which is around £11,400 in 2008 terms. As that is entire value of estate rather than available cash I wonder if he shimply couldnt affort to come back as the passage home would have been very expensive

In case you are interested I used measuringworth.com to calculate the values

Sylvia

Hello everyone, thanks for the links, I now have the Probate details for both twins. Like you I am puzzled as to why Howard remained out there, and have not yet found a return either way. There is a small newspaper cutting refering to Howard Gordon, I wonder if there was something goin on here in UK with the family, and Howard used his brother`s death as an excuse to make a new start ! Sylvia, I have sent you a message through this site, think you are the lady I tried to contact a year ago re similar request.
Sorry for delay in replying, but my 'message alert' does not seem to be working at the moment !
Regards PAT

Hi
I can't see a return for Howard --either as Obbard or Gordon

Barbara xx

Hi Ladies, sorry for the delay in replying.

I should have been clearer, I was wondering if Howard came back and then returned to Australia or if he stayed out there. I just wonder why he would have stayed there for 7 years until his death as he had a wife and 3 children at home and his youngest son was just 2 when he left

I'm not sure if Howard also went under Howard Gordon but interestingly his youngest Son was Frederick Arthur Gordon Obbard so the name Gordon must have had some significance to the family.

As one of the world's slowest typists-it's impossible to cut and paste the darned probate info. (at least they're short!)

I don't think Howard ever came "home" from Australia,either.
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/

Doing the obbard search seems to indicate that Howard also went under the name of Howard Gordon?? Or am I reading that incorrectly?

So nice to see that a connection was made!!!

Maureen

Hi Choccy, Thank you for your answer, I just wondered if I wasn't "copy / pasting" it right.

Sylvia--my message to Patricia yesterday (15:16) should answer your question about Howard the link to the probate is

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1904&iid=31874_222879-00010&fn=Howard&ln=Obbard&st=r&ssrc=&pid=3337888


Best wishes
Barbara xx

Message for BarbaraFromYorkshire -

I copied out the information posted at 15.18 yesterday. I couldn't copy and paste it either!

Wow ladies, I am very impressed what an amazing piece of detective work.
Pat, I'm sorry but I cant recall from memory if we have been in contact before. I have a One Name Study registered for the surname Obbard. I will admit I havent done any research for months and my paper records arent exactly in order but it is a very rare surname and I have only ever come across one Pelham so am 100% sure this is him and it explains where he vanished to.
I wonder if his Brother Howard ever came back from Australia as I have no record of him after the 1871 census although I can trace his wife Helena forward to her death in 1921 and his son Joseph (aka Percy) to his death at the age of 19 in 1888; Frederick lived until 1948 and their Sister Helen passed away in 1956 at the age of 85.
You mention that you still have little missing bits of the jigsaw. If any of them are Obbard related do please let me know as I may already have found the answer.
Kind regards, Sylvia

To all who replied to my OBBARD request, thank you all so much for your replies. I have printed them all off, and am going through them, the 1861 census I already have, and at first glance much of the other information ties in with what I have. However the Australian connection is wonderful, I am fairly sure this IS my Pelham, and brother Howard, whose wife Helena , is a widow on the 1891 Census. Now just have to find the little missing bits of the jigsaw. I also googled the newspaper article and printed off, such a tragic story ! Luckily I have family contacts out in NSW who can help with any bits of research needed, so hope to finaly finish this branch of the Newton Tree at long last. Again, many thanks to you all
Kind regards, Pat

Oh Maureen, What a good find---its awful what happened to them, but great they live on all these years later viia the
internet.
I wish Patricia would come back and give us a bit of feedback to see if they are the right ones she asked about.

Barbara x

Thank you Choccy, did you copy and paste, or copy it out ? I was trying to copy and paste but couldn't get it work.

Barbara xx

Ooohh!

If you google obbard torres strait,you get a hit from the NLA newspapers:


THE LATE MURDERS AT TORRES

STRAITS.

(From the Rockhampton Bulletin, Sept l8.)

By the Tinonee yesterday, Mr. G. B. Shaw received
n letter from Mr. Alivian Bowden, giving the sad de-

tails of the late murders committed at Torres Islands.
The letter was written on board the schooner South-
ern Cross, off Hodda Bay, San Christoval, It is dated
14th August, and mentions that the Lyttona,
schooner, homeward bound, was then in sight. With
reàpeet to the murders Mr. Bowden writes :

I ara sorry to have very bad news to communicate.
Poor Mr. ObbaTdrrnd the mate were killed by natives
of Lau,', one of the Torres Group of islands, on the
'2nd instant. The circumstances of the case are
these :-On the first instant we arrived at Bokâ Boka,
the southermost island of the Torres Group
The boat was kepi going between the vessel
and shore all day, purchasing yams, &c. The
natives appeared friendly enough, but are great
thieves. On the 2nd instant, at 2-80 p.m., the
boat went ashore at Lnu, the .second island, in
charge of the mate, Mr. Haskill, Mr. Obbard,
(the Government .agent) accompanying him. She
touched at two or three places, the vessel being at
the time hove to, drifting Off shore. About four p.m.
we saw the boat leave the shore, with a number of
natives in her. The vessel then stood in for the
shore. When the boat had pulled off a short dis-
tance, the natives jumped overboard and swam
ashore. The boat then pulled inshore, and backed
stern on to the beach. A large crowd of natives sur-
rounded her, and she was presently, seen to go sud-
denly over on her broadside; at the same time a
gre.it noise was heard ashore, and it became evident
that there wai something wrong.^ The other boat
was got out as quickly as possiole, but as she was
bottom up on deck, this toole sorbe time. Got all
the arms into lier, ùith the beat crew we could
muster, and pulled in for the. shore. At a short dis-
tance from the ship met three of the boat's crew
swimming towards her. They declined as-
sistance, but asked ug to go after the fourth
man, who was much further inshore W6 did so,
and picked him up. He told us that the mate
¿nd Government agent were dead. As it was
pow late, and nothing could be seen of the'

boat or natives ashore, vie returned to the ship, and
rendered what assistance we could to the wounded.
One of the men was shot with a bone arrow, in his
right temple, just above the eye, a wooden arrow was
in his left arm, above the elbow; and a nasty wound
on the top df his head, caused by a blow from a club.
A second man had a bone arrow through his right
arm, The third was severely bruised about the small
of the back, from blows given with clubs. The fourth
escaped unhurt. The arrows were taken Cut by their
countrymen, and the men are now nearly all right.
It seems from the statements of the crew that the
natives got into a boat, expressing a wish to "go
Brisbane," which was about all the English they
Could speak; that they jumped overboard, as already
stated ; that when the boat backed m the last
time lu natives crowded around her, and at a
given signal from the beach threw themselves
upon our men, so that they could not use
their firearms, and that some held whilst othere
clubbed the mate and the Government agent.
The crew then took to the water and swam off. Tiley
saw the natives taking the dead bodies into the bush.
Next morning we landed at Boka Boka, and got an
interpreter ; then went back to Lau, pulled inshore
*ith the boat, and anchored ner within pistol shot,
the interpreter then swam ashore, and after a deal of
talk they brought the boat and four oàrs from the
bush. We tried to get the bodies, but without suc-
cess, as they said they were buried a long way in the
nush. We' also recovered Mr. Obbard's Snider rifle
.tod the mate's revolver, but the trade-box and fire
jxms of the boat's crew were lost. Landed the inter-
preter, and stood away for Makira Bay, hoping to

full in with a man-of-war. Arrived at Makira at I
noon on the 10th, and filled up with wood and water.
As there was no man-of-war at Makira, we left a
statement of the affair for the" first cruiser that

arrives there. _ _ _ _ ]

etc.

Maureen

OBBARD Pelham

Effects under £200

9 April Administration of the effects of Pelham Obbard late of Maryborough Queensland Australia Government Agent a Bachelor who died 2nd August 1874 at Tories Island Australia was granted of the Principal Registry to Matilda Elizabeth Langham (wife of Samuel Frederick Langham the Younger) of 22 Caversham Road Kentish Town in the County of Middlesex the Sister and one of the next of kin

Maybe Howard stayed there !!

Is this his marriage ??

Marriages Jun 1868 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mathews Helena Annie Horsham 2b 492
OBBARD Howard Horsham 2b 492


----------------------------------------------------------------------

And the death of the one who went to Australia

Name: Howard Obbard
Probate Date: 13 Dec 1882
Death Date: 25 Sep 1881
Death Place: New South Wales, Australia
Registry: Principal Registery


Link to write up

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec/?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1904&iid=31874_222879-00010&fn=Howard&ln=Obbard&st=r&ssrc=&pid=3337888

This is the Transcribed bit of the link above

Name: Pelham Obbard
Probate Date: 9 Apr 1875
Death Date: 2 Aug 1874
Death Place: Australia
Registry: Principal Registry

So I wonder if that was brother Howard going to "sort things out" in Australia

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1861-1941
Name: Pelham Obbard
Probate Date: 9 Apr 1875
Death Date: 2 Aug 1874
Death Place: Australia
Registry: Principal Registry