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Jean Sommerville "ran away" to Australia with my grandfather Archibald Beveridge sometime around 1920, even though he had a wife and 5 children in Burnley Lancaster. My mother was born in 1923, also named Jean, and my grandparents married in Sydney in 1946 after his first wife died.
I have no information about my grandmother, information on marriage and birth certificates has proved to be untrue.
Is anyone doing research on Sommerville name? Any assistance would be appreciated.
Many thanks,
Margaret

Can you tell us when she was born please? What information did she give for her parents (even if it was false, there may have been an element of truth)? Was your mother her only child?

Hello Margaret, have you done a "Search Trees" on this site for possible matches?

Meanwhile, how old would Jean have been when she ran away?

Would this tie in?

Passenger lists leaving UK 1890-1960
Name: Miss Jeannie SOMMERVILLE
Date of departure: 9 November 1921
Port of departure: London
Destination port: Sydney
Destination country: Australia
Date of Birth: 1887 (calculated from age)
Age: 34
Marital Status:
Sex: Female
Occupation: Clerk
Notes:
Passenger recorded on: Page 22 of 33
Ship: BELTANA
Official Number: 131853
Master's name: Captain B Cornewall-Jones
Steamship Line: P. & O. Branch Service
Where bound: Australia
Square feet: 21124
Registered tonnage: 7031
Passengers on voyage: 1069

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Passenger lists leaving UK 1890-1960
Name: Mr Archibald BEVERIDGE
Date of departure: 9 November 1921
Port of departure: London
Destination port: Sydney
Destination country: Australia
Date of Birth: 1884 (calculated from age)
Age: 37
Marital Status:
Sex: Male
Occupation: Organiser
Notes:
Passenger recorded on: Page 22 of 33
Ship: BELTANA
Official Number: 131853
Master's name: Captain B Cornewall-Jones
Steamship Line: P. & O. Branch Service
Where bound: Australia
Square feet: 21124
Registered tonnage: 7031
Passengers on voyage: 1069

Possible 1911 for Jeannie?

SOMMERVILLE, John Head Married M 62 1849 Ironmonger Lanarkshire Shotts
SOMMERVILLE, Jane Wife Married 38 years F 61 1850 Fife Crossgate
SOMMERVILLE, Jeannie S K Daughter Single F 22 1889 Grocers Bookkeeper Fife Kirkcaldy
DICKSON, Jeannie Granddaughter Single F 11 1900 School Yorks Normanton

Registration District: Lanchester Sub District: Consett
Enumeration District: 7 Parish: Benfieldside

Address: 43 and 44 Durham Road Blackhill
County: Durham

Or, is this a connection in 1901?

SOMERVILLE, Robert Head Married M 49 1852 Soap Manufacturers Manager Scotland Dalkeeth
SOMERVILLE, Jane Wife Married F 44 1857 Scotby Cumberland
SOMERVILLE, Jeanie Daughter Single F 16 1885 Newcastle on Tyne Northumberland

Registration District: Hackney Sub District: Central Hackney Enumeration District: 6 Ecclesiastical Parish: Hackney St Johns

Civil Parish: Hackney

Address: ?, St Andrews Mansions, Lower Clapton Road, Hackney
County: London

52 Louis Street ,Springbank ,Hull is the last address given for Jeannie on the ships manifest........may help.

Annx

Thanks MarieCeleste, I had the ships information, and now can work on the 1911 information. I wonder if the granddaughter was Jeannie's daughter and she left her behind? I lived with these grandparents for 4 years, what a pity I wasn't old enough then to ask questions!!

Thanks again,

Margaret

Margaret - I'm not 100% sure about that 1911 when compared with the 1901. Could be the same family if economical with truth!

As Rootgatherer says, what was the info you were given, even if incorrect.

Margaret..........do you mean Jeannies birth cert is incorrect?

Dont think that will be a daughter, there is only a 11 year gap??

Annx

Margaret, a couple of points. If she was Scottish, in Scotland the names Jean and Jane are interchangeable. The Scottish naming pattern is that the first daughter is named for the maternal grandmother.

Can you please tell us what information jeannie gave on her marriage and the details of her parents from her death certificate please?

Given that they emigrate not long after then end of WW1, they may have met during the war so Jeannie may have come from anywhere in the country. Did Archibald serve during the war please? Do you know where if he did?

Is this Archibald's service records on Ancestry please?

Name: Archibald Beveridge
Estimated birth year: abt 1884
Age at Enlistment: 31
Residence: 30 Inglis Street, Dunfermline
Document Year: 1915
Regimental Number: 17497
Number of Images: 10

The above man was married to Mary Anderson in Dunfermline on 6 September 1906 but no children listed. So perhaps not him?

Hi Everyone,
I am away from home at the moment so do not have records with me, but all this has given me food for thought. Archibald was known until the day he died as "The Major", even his death notice says he was a Major, Royal Imperial Army - WRONG, I have his discharge papers, he served 159 days as a boy soldier, hurt his knee and had his leg amputated in 1900. These are the stories I am up against!! My mothers birth certificate, 1923, says they were married in Portsmouth in 1918 (from memory) WRONG AGAIN, they married in Sydney in 1946 after his wife died back in England. Makes interesting reading don't you think???
Thanks for all your help, maybe we will come up with something!
Regards,
Margaret

Hi Margaret,

Do you have access to the Aust electoral rolls from 1930-1954 as they were living as husband and wife, i.e. Jean was going by the name of Beveridge on the rolls.

If you don't have this information, I can list it for you. Also death cert. 8700/1957 for Archibald Douglas Beveridge, aged 73 years late of Randwick (Darlinghurst listed, but this is probably the hospital or Sacred Heart Hospice). This certificate might list birth details, parents, etc. if you don't have it already. According to rolls, Archibald was a commercial traveller.

Still working on Jean/Jeannie.

Regards.

Possibly Archibald with first wife in 1911:

BEVERIDGE, Archibald Head Married M 27 1884 Army Pensioner Lecturer Burnley Lancashire
BEVERIDGE, Agnes Wife Married 5 years F 27 1884 Barnoldswick Yorkshire
BEVERIDGE, Florence Amelia Daughter F 4 1907 Brierfield Lancashire
BEVERIDGE, George Leslie Son M 1 1910 Brierfield Lancashire
BEVERIDGE, Cecil Son M 0 (9 MONTHS) 1911 Brierfield Lancashire

Registration District: Burnley Sub District: Nelson
Enumeration District: 30 Parish: Brierfield

Address: 19 Hill St Brierfield County: Lancashire

** The infirmity column is covered over for privacy rules so we can't tell how many legs he's got.

Hi MEgirl and MarieCeleste,

Thanks for your messages, yes, I do have all this information on Archibald, and yes, he did only have one leg!! However it is Jean (Jeannie) that I have hit the brick wall with. You will see in the 1901 census that his age has been changed from 16 to 26 - he was only 16, so the "stories" began quite early!
Thanks again for your help, we will keep trying to find the elusive Jeannie!
Regards,
Margaret

Hi Margaret .... the marriage (1946) shows her as "Jean".

NSW/BMD has this (likely) death 28305/1970 "Jean Beveridge" 87yrs Cootamundra. (age matches)

There is also a death 15070/1969 'Jane Beveridge' (parents Archibald & Jean) at Hamilton.

'Joy Murrin's Transcription Services' (on-line) will search the cert/s for $18 each - (cheaper than buying)

Valerie (WAus)

Hi Valerie,

Thanks, I have the marriage certificate and the death certificate. The death notice for Jane Beveridge has me intrigued. I guess this is my mother. She left when I was 5 and was never spoken about again. I only ever knew of her as Jean and heard that she died in 1969. Would never have thought to look for a "Jane" although Rootgatherer does mention above that Jean and Jane were interchangeable.
Many thanks, look like I should investigate this further.
Regards,
Margaret

Hi Margaret ....in case it helps - the 'NSW State Library' (on-line) has an 'Ask a Librarian' service ...they will check electoral rolls (past & present) and newspaper death notices - they could have some for 'Jane' 1969 and 'Jean' 1970

Valerie

Thanks Valerie, I will give it a try. You mention Hamilton. Do you know where this Hamilton is? NSW, Queensland?

Regards,

Margaret

Hi Margaret ........... 'Hamilton' was mentioned as the place/district where she died ...on the NSW/BDM site .. so must be the one in NSW.

Valerie (WAus)