William Mallars Fitz Austin (abt. 1829 - 1905)

Born about 1829 in Lambeth, Surrey, England

Ancestors

Husband of Emma Parker (Clinton) Gibson — married 6 Feb 1853 in London, Middlesex, England

Husband of Sarah Jane (Blake) Austin — married 7 Aug 1869 in Whitechapel, Middlesex, England

Descendants

Died 27 Oct 1905 at about age 76 in Hackney, London, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lorna Henderson [send private message]

Biography

William Austin

William Mallars Fitz Austen ^[1] was born about 1829 ^[2] and died in 1905.

Or so I ( Lorna) now believe - see Research notes and the assorted rather confusing and misleading records (that seem to be a family trait) that lead me to this conclusion. I'd love to hear from anyone connected to these families.

Born abt 1829 ^[3] Lambeth, Surrey

Emigrated on the "Roxburgh Castle" from Plymouth, England 2 May 1853 Arrived Port Philip, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Jul 1853

Passenger list shows William as "miner, 24" Emma as "wife, 25"

Also on board were Emma's mother Jemima Clinton and Emma's brother Henry ^[4]

Died 27 Oct 1905 Hackney Union Infirmary, Homerton, County of London, England ^[5]

cert. shows William AUSTIN as 74, railway goods porter "of 62 Crozier Tce, Homerton". Died of senile decay, chronic bronchitis; Informant J W Oliver, Assistant Superintendent, Hackney Union Infirmary, Homerton; Reg, 3 Nov 1905 ^[6]

NB 62 Crozier Tce looks to be the Hackney Union Workhouse

Family

First marriage

Husband: William Austin

Bride: Emma Clinton later Gibson

Married 6 Feb 1853 St Martin in the Field, London, England

The cert (Folio#155) shows, for the Registration district of Westminster, 1853, Parish of St Martin in the Field, County of Middlesex. Groom: William Austin, full age, bachelor, Porter, resident of Snow Hill, Father's name and profession blank. Bride: Emma Clinton, full age, spinster, no profession, residence at time of marriage Snow Hill. Father William Clinton, 'Carrier or Currier'. Married in the Parish church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after Banns by Minister: S Flood Jones, Curate. Witnessed by H Clinton (assumed to be Emma's brother Henry), S Crossman (some connection to William?). ^[7]

There is no mention of this marriage on Emma's death cert.

Emma remarries at the Emerald Hill Manse Dec 1855 showing herself as single, with no children living or dead from any former marriage

Child:

Caroline Emma (Austin) Rowe

Second marriage

Husband: William Austin

Wife: Sarah Blake ^{[8] [9]}

Married 7 Aug 1869 Register Office, Whitechapel, Middlesex, England

cert. shows William AUSTEN as 40 widower, railway porter, s/o Robert AUSTIN, solicitor, dec'd; Sarah as 39 widow, d/o Edward BLAKE, engraver; Both signed, Wiliam as AUSTEN, both resid. 52 Mansell St, Whitechapel. Wit. Ernest Augustine ?C?omber, William Walter ELLIS, Geo Thos ADAMS Superintendent Registrar. Certificate before me N EDWARDS, Registrar; ^{[10] [11]}

Children: ^[12]

William Edward Sinclair Fitz. Austen ^[13]

Ada Hannah Louisa Austen

Census

1871 16 Regent St South Mile End Old Town, Trinity, London, Middlesex, England

AUSTIN: William 41 railway porter b. Lambeth Surrey; wife Sarah milliner 41 b. Holborn, MDX; Children: William, Ada both 1 b. Mile End Old Town; Dtr Julia 7 b. Southwark, Surrey; Aunt Hannah MALLARS 66 unm., formerly cook b. Southwark. ^[14]

1881 10 Salmen St, Mile End Old Town, London,Middlesex, England

AUSTEN: William 50 railway servant goods dept b. Lambeth, Surrey; wife Sarah 51 dressmaker b. Holborn, Middlesex; Son William 11 b. Stepney, Middlesex; ^[15]

1891 43 ?Dornington? Rd, Hackney, Middlesex, England

AUSTIN: William 60 porter b. Lambeth, Middlesex; wife Sarah 61 b. Holborn, Middlesex; Dtr Ada 21 b. Bow, Middlesex; ^[16]

1901 Hackney Union Workhouse, Par. of St Barnabas Homerton, London, England

William Austin, 71, railway porter b. Lambeth ^[17]

Research Notes

Original questions:

Who were William's parents?

What happened to him after his arrival in Melbourne?

The progress and subsequent questions

William's birth / baptism - closest candidate to date is an 1835 baptism in Lambeth of a William Mallars FITZAUSTIN to Daniel and Caroline FITZAUSTIN, which would have to be a late baptism. The entry has no birth date or indication of this.

Actual surname. The above 1835 baptism does seem likely given daughter Ada is enumerated in 1881 as Ada H L (indexed as S) FITZAUSTIN, visitor in the hsehold of her step sister Sarah Elizabeth THOMPSON nee BIGGS

Sightings prior to the 1869 birth cert. of twins William and Ada, particularly 1841, 1851 and 1861 census. I've never satisfactorily found the William I want this to be in 1841 or 1851 before he married and emigrated to Australia.

Marriage to Sarah (found see source in family section above, thanks to RootsChat posting)

Who is Julia in 1871 census? She is listed out of order on the schedule, and there's 6 years between Julia and William Edward/Ada. My current working assumption is that she belongs to Sarah but not William

Whose aunt is Hannah Mallars in the 1871 census? William's or Sarah's? (Looks to be William's given his string of forenames and the discovery of baptisms of a Caroline and a Hannah 1809 and 1804 respectively to George and Mary MALLARS)

Deaths of William (found - see extract above) & Sarah

Confirmation of 1869 marriage cert. excerpts stating father as Robert AUSTEN, solicitor, dec'd (latter snippet seems unlikely but in keeping with the family providing misleading info!)

Links

My theory on William

RootsChat thread about William's parents (now continued in the below to avoid duplication

ongoing RootsChat thread about this family

DNA

Lorna would welcome hearing from any descendants of William who may care to help see if DNA would turn up any further clues as to his origins.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth cert. 8 Nov 1869 William Sinclair Fitz AUSTEN, s/o William Mallars Fitz AUSTEN & Sarah Jane BIGGS formerly BLAKE, Mile End Old Town, Middlesex, copy available via GRO
2. ↑ 1881 Census Mile End Old Town, hsehold of William & Sarah AUSTEN, RG11; Piece: 485; Folio: 23; Page: 40; , image available Ancestry.com
3. ↑ Source #S2: Copy of 1853 "Roxburgh Castle" passenger schedule received from Frances R. Feb 1994
4. ↑ Source #S2: Copy of 1853 "Roxburgh Castle" passenger schedule received from Frances R. Feb 1994
5. ↑ Dth reg. 1905 Q4, Hackney, LND, William AUSTIN, aged 74, Vol 1b Page 340
6. ↑ Dth 27 Oct 1895 William AUSTIN, railway goods porter, aged 74, Hackney Union Infirmary, Homerton, County of London, cert. held
7. ↑ Source #S1: P/copy of certified copy dated Feb 1994 from Frances R. held by Lorna Henderson
8. ↑ Births 1869 William Edward Sinclair Fitz & Ada Hannah Louisa AUSTEN, mother BLAKE, from GRO: reg. Q4, Volume 01C Page 604
9. ↑ 1881 Census Mile End Old Town, hsehold of William & Sarah AUSTEN, RG11; Piece: 485; Folio: 23; Page: 40; , image available Ancestry.com
10. ↑ Marr. 7 Aug 1869 William (40, railway porter) s/o Robert AUSTEN (solicitor, dec'd); Sarah BIGGS (39) d/o Edward BLAKE (engraver), Reg. Office, Whitechapel, MDX, certified copy held
11. ↑ Marr. 17 Aug 1869 William Mallars Fitz s/o Robert (solicitor dec'd) AUSTEN; Sarah Jane BIGGS formerly BLAKE, Whitechapel, MDX; Vol1c/ pg 778, transcript from Mikehere RootsChat msge board posted Jun 2012, extracted Mar 2019
12. ↑ Births 1869 William Edward Sinclair Fitz & Ada Hannah Louisa AUSTEN, mother BLAKE, from GRO: reg. Q4, Volume 01C Page 604
13. ↑ Birth cert. 8 Nov 1869 William Sinclair Fitz AUSTEN, s/o William Mallars Fitz AUSTEN & Sarah Jane BIGGS formerly BLAKE, Mile End Old Town, Middlesex, copy available via GRO
14. ↑ 1871 Census Mile End Old Town, Par. of Trinity, Borough of Tower Hamlets, LND, RG10; Piece: 561; Folio: 110; Page: 46; Sched. 266; hsehold of William & Sarah AUSTEN, image available Ancestry.com
15. ↑ 1881 Census Mile End Old Town, hsehold of William & Sarah AUSTEN, RG11; Piece: 485; Folio: 23; Page: 40; , image available Ancestry.com
16. ↑ 1891 Census: Hackney, Middlesex, hsehold of William & Sarah AUSTIN, RG12; Piece: 201; Folio: 84; Page: 79, image available Ancestry.com
17. ↑ Hackney Union Workhouse, Civil Par. Hackney, Par. St Barnabas Homerton, London, RG13; Piece: 235; Folio: 39; Page: 5, William AUSTIN

• Source S1 Certified copy of English Marriage certificate
• Source S2 Passenger schedule "Roxburgh Castle"

• WikiTree profile Austin-1468 created through the import of HENDERSONLornaAncestorsPlus1Desc4WikiTree.ged on Oct 18, 2011 by L Henderson. (Reference: 3903)
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 18 February 2019, 06:03), entry for William Austin(PID https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/M9G7-PN2); contributed by various users.