Post by Doug LaidlawPost by Doug LaidlawI am trying to untangle two Hickson families. The family trees on
Ancestry.com look as though they have been fiddled to agree.
Martha Stewart Hickson was born 1872 in Ballarat East Vic, Reg No 7070.
Can I please have as much detail of her parents as possible?
TIA,
Doug.
Hello Doug
Martha's parents marriage record has mother's birth place as
Huntingdonshire.
The following sounds correct. The only Mary Stewart birth registered Hunts.
County Huntingdonshire
Place Fletton
Church name St Margaret
Register type Parish Register
Register entry number 177
Baptism date 19 Mar 1848
Person forename Mary Ann
Person sex F
Father forename Robert
Mother forename Mary Ann
Father surname STEWART
Person abode Farcet
Father occupation Blacksmith
Transcribed by Alan Tuck
File line number 179
I can't access Ancestry so I don't know what information is on the family
trees, who the owners are, or what the problem is.
Can you give me a clue?
Regards
Kate
Sydney, Australia
Thanks, Kate. The birth in Hunts matches. Mary is supposed to have
married a Hickson born in Oz from parents from Kent. Their daughter
Emily Ann Hickson married James Laidlaw, not my family. Emily's father
Edward Thomas Hickson (bap 1830 in Kent, seems to have migrated as a
child, lived in Coburg, Vic) married Mary Stewart, and Martha is shown
as their daughter. Or rather, she is shown as the daughter of Edward
and Martha Lloyd, whom he married in 1856 in Vic. The middle name
Stewart seems significant. A researcher of the Hickson surname accepts
the marriage to "Mary Stewart." The generally accepted marriage date is
1871.The problem is that none of the family trees for Edward mention
her. Mary Stewart has been identified with Mary COX, who married
William Stewart, but he was alive in 1871, when Mary is supposed to have
married Edward. I can't get any further, and the Victorian BDM site is
down. The Ancestry trees are useless; one has Edward marrying both in
1856. It needs the CDs.
Doug.
Sorry Doug, our posts crossed. More confusion as I can only find a "Thomas
Edward" (not Edward Thomas)
Hickson born (in Victoria anyway) is the following.
Surname: HICKSON
Given Names: Thomas Edward
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: Thomas
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Helen HANNON
Birth Place: CRESWICK
Year: 1867
Reg Number: 1653
Edward and first wife did not have a daughter named Martha. Martha was the
daughter born of Mary Stewart.
Digger - Pioneer Index. Victoria 1836-1888
Surname: HICKSON
Given Names: Martha Stewart
Event: B
Spouse Surname/Father: Edward
Spouse Gvn Names/Mother: Mary STEWART
Birth Place: BALL
Year: 1872
Reg Number: 7070
I don't think Mary Cox belongs here. Edward Hickson/Mary Cox had a child
Emily Ann, in 1875 but there were a number of Edward Hickson's and we know
Mary Stewart was married to Edward Thomas at this time. I could not find a
marriage for Cox. You're right, this tree needs sorting.
Regards
Kate
Sydney, Australia
If you want to give up, please do. I got involved because I was helping
a descendant of somebody in this mess (I have almost forgotten who) on
Wikitree. She lives in Hobart, but her family has roots in Coburg. She
thought that the name Laidlaw was uncommon, so I must be related. her
mother was a Laidlaw.The family has been traced back to Adelaide, then
to the Scottish borders. Then a researcher who refuses to put his trees
online found my reference to Hickson, and queried my data.
Regards,
Doug.
I am finding it quite interesting but I do wonder if the tree was
constructed with/without benefit of documentation. If it were my family I
would, for starters, want two birth certificates. That of Martha Stewart B
1872 child of Edward Thomas Hickson/Mary Stewart, Also that of Emily Ann b
1875 child of Edward Hickson/Mary Cox.
Certificates would give solid information to move forward.
What are the chances?
Regards
Kate
Sydney, Australia
Doug, this is what I think happened. When Edward Hickson's first wife died
in 1871 he married Mary Ann Stewart that same year and brought six children
to the marriage. The following year they had a child, Martha Stewart
Hickson. At this time Mary was only 24-5 years old and mother to seven
children. Shortly after this I think she simply ran away, leaving her child
Martha behind.
Edward then began a de facto relationship with Mary Cox which appears to
have endured. This is borne out by the fact that when Martha died in 1953,
Mary Cox was shown as her mother. Perhaps she had been told this was so or
even knowing the truth, if Mary C had raised the children Martha might have
felt she had earned the right to be acknowledged as her mother.
Various records might show Edward/Mary Cox as "claiming" to be married but
we know that is not possible without Edward being guilty of bigamy.
The fact remains that Martha Stewart Hickson was the daughter of Mary Ann
Stewart of Huntingdonshire and the granddaughter of Robert Stewart/Mary Ann
Goodman of that area. She was also the niece of Harriet, Robert, Alfred and
Shadrach Stewart.
To sum up,
Edward had seven children with first wife Martha Hardiman LLoyd (one of whom
died young)
One child with second wife Mary Ann Stewart.
One child with Mary Cox born out of wedlock.
Does this sound plausible to you?
Regards
Kate
Sydney, Australia