Thornton

[Valerie G.]

We have traced some missing persons  on our family tree (vanished after 1866) to Australia. My cousin noticed some similar (though common) names on the Netherby passenger list. Our ancestor, via her first marriage, is Mary Thornton. On March 19th 1866 she married her second husband, James Thornton, an iron fitter, in Knightsbridge, London. Her youngest daughter, Emily Adeline Griggs, is another of our disappeared. There is some tweaking of ages, but otherwise we suspect this may be them. We have no proof whatsoever but just thought this should be out there if no-one else has 'claimed' them.  They had no more children in Australia, as Mary was in fact about 45 by now. She is actually a Canadian.  Some of her complicated story is related by her centenarian daughter, Mrs. Louisa Morse (went to Australia in 1888) in the Mackay Daily Mercury for 18th June 1942. We know nothing about James Thornton's origins. Mary and James eventually settled in Melbourne. Emily Adeline (actually born in 1851) turned up ?married to/with a Peter Turner in Queensland.

Netherby-wise just a maybe!

[Valerie G.]

Have now established that our James Thornton, fitter, died Hotham Hill, Melbourne, 18th Feb. 1885, aged 58 and  Mary (misspelt as Thorton) on 2nd May 1894, aged 73. Both have newspaper death announcements. Meanwhile, Emily Adeline Griggs/Thornton/Turner (born Chelsea, London 22nd May 1851) dies in Queensland in 1879 (maybe from childbirth complications?).  Suppose it would have been better/cheaper to pretend to be younger if it WAS her on the ship? Likewise, her parents not admitting to being as old as they were could, presumably, have been advantageous?

 Still only have a string of highly suspicious coincidences! Unprovable unless they have descendants with some sort of family memory/tradition of an ancestor on the Netherby. Anyway, it's on record now, until someone with a closer match comes forward!