My sons' 2 x great grandmother Maggie Christian aged 18 years emigrated from Dublin to Townsville, Australia as a 'free' non-paying immigrant in 1887 suggesting that her background was poor. Free immigrants agreed to go into domestic service. The ship sailed from London but ship's register lists lists Maggie's origins as Dublin Ireland. However both her illegitimate daughter Mabel's birth certificate and Margaret's death certificate list her place of birth as London, Middlesex. I have been unable to locate a birth certificate for Margaret or Maggie Christian with father Robert Christian, storekeeper and mother Katherine Ruthven, as listed on her death certificate by her husband and who was born in London in September 1869. I can find records of an Irish woman named Katherine Isabel Ruthven spinster who died in Bath in 1926. Katherine's brother Jocelyn Fitzgerald Ruthven born in Enniskerry Co. Wicklow in 1846 is listed in the English census in 1861 as living in Westminister,London where one Robert Christian, merchant, died at the beginning of 1869 the year of Maggie's birth.He appears not to have married and had lived in Ceylon for a number of years. Katherine Ruthven born 1851 was the closes sibling in age to Jocelyn Fitzgerald Ruthven but I can't find documentary evidence of her living with her brother or meeting or having any relationship with Robert Christian. Katherine had a sister with whom she lived at one time. Katherine's sister Adelaide married well (4th wife of Edward Litton QC) and lived in Merion Square, Dublin. The brother Jocelyn became a ship's captain and was involved with emigration to Australia.
There is an another Katherine Ruthven in London but she died young so I have ruled her out.
If Margaret were born in Ireland and not London as she apparently believed then her birth records may not have survived. Can anyone help provide information on a marriage between Robert Christian and Katherine Ruthven or a birth of Margaret Teresa Christian in Dublin around 1869? The shipping records for Maggie list her as Catholic. Could she have been raised in a Catholic orphanage?
JennieV
Sunday 16th Nov 2014, 09:23AMMessage Board Replies
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You mention Irish records being lost. Fortunately the statutory birth, death and marriage records were not lost and are complete. They start in 1864, save for non RC marriages which start in 1845. So if Margaret was born after 1864 (as her age suggests) and it was in Ireland, then her birth certificate should be available.
I looked for births around 1869. The nearest is Margt Christian in 1868 Dublin South (Vol 12, page 774). There is another of the same name in 1864, Vol 12, page 718. You would need to obtain copies to see who the parents were.
I searched for the parents marriage but could not trace it. However if it was RC and before 1864 then it wouldn?t be in the stat records.
I did note a Robt Christian birth in 1845 in Dublin. Don?t know if it?s your family:
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/2908b00199…
Ahoghill Antrim
Sunday 16th Nov 2014, 12:54PM -
I can add a few details for these based on the corresponding extracted civil birth on FamilySearch, which based on parents names seem to eliminate both. The 1868 birth name & reference numbers match (v12 pg774), dob is 4th September, parents are Thomas Christian and Catherine Nolan
Parents for the 1864 birth (pg718) are Michael Christian and Catherine Lyons
There are several births and baptisms listed during the 1860s where father is a Robert Calder Christian (presumably the Robert jnr mentioned above), his family were Church of Ireland, and he lived in Clontarf in North Dublin.
Shane Wilson, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Sunday 16th Nov 2014, 01:20PM -
Thank you both for you comments and interest in helping, it is much appreciated. I suspect that I have drawn a blank on these previously and as you say if her parents married before 1864 they would not be in the state records. I had considered that her husband did not have the correct names as I have discovered inaccuracies on death certificates before although the fact that her mother's maiden name is specified seems to suggest that they were not married.
JennieV
Tuesday 18th Nov 2014, 08:27PM -
Thank you both for you comments and interest in helping, it is much appreciated. I suspect that I have drawn a blank on these previously and as you say if her parents married before 1864 they would not be in the state records. I had considered that her husband did not have the correct names as I have discovered inaccuracies on death certificates before although the fact that her mother's maiden name is specified seems to suggest that they were not married.
JennieV
Tuesday 18th Nov 2014, 08:27PM -
Thank you both for you comments and interest in helping, it is much appreciated. I suspect that I have drawn a blank on these previously and as you say if her parents married before 1864 they would not be in the state records. I had considered that her husband did not have the correct names as I have discovered inaccuracies on death certificates before although the fact that her mother's maiden name is specified seems to suggest that they were not married.
JennieV
Tuesday 18th Nov 2014, 08:27PM -
Thank you both for you comments and interest in helping, it is much appreciated. I suspect that I have drawn a blank on these previously and as you say if her parents married before 1864 they would not be in the state records. I had considered that her husband did not have the correct names as I have discovered inaccuracies on death certificates before although the fact that her mother's maiden name is specified seems to suggest that they were not married.
JennieV
Tuesday 18th Nov 2014, 08:28PM