Thomas Williamson was born on 11 January 1855 in Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia, the eldest
son of John Williamson and Lousia Walker.[i]
He became a professional tailor like his father before him,
and his two younger brothers became tailors as well. His father died when he
was only nineteen years old in 1874, leaving his widowed mother sole provider
for seven children.[ii]
His mother held onto his father’s shop until 1878 then sold it.[iii]
His three sisters, Rachael, Miriam, and Phoebe all married.
They and their three families joined the sect known as Israelite House of David
and emigrated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA in 1905, 1906 and 1912(?).[iv]
[v]
Thomas did not join the sect nor is it thought that he immigrated to the US.
Thomas married Mary Ann McCoy on 5 June 1876 in the
Congregational Church, in St. Kilda, Victoria.[vi]
The couple had four
children but, according to Mary Ann’s death certificate, she herself had five
children. The fifth child is yet to be identified, and may not be Thomas’s
child. The recorded children of the marriage were Alfred John born 1879 in St. Kilda;
Ethel b. 1882 and Florence b. 1883 both born in Emerald Hill (Sth. Melbourne);
and George Tasman Williamson born 1886 in Launceston, Tasmania.[vii]
[viii]
[ix]
[x]
After their marriage, the
couple lived in various inner Melbourne suburbs before moving to Tasmania for a
few years, where their son George Tasman was born. [xi] After that, the next known address for Thomas
was in Havelock St, St Kilda West, in 1888.[xii]
Not much is known about
Thomas except that his marriage appears to have disintegrated as the couple
fell on hard times, and as a result, they both went their own ways and abandoned
the children.[xiii]
[xiv]
Their two younger children, Florence and George, went into care on 2 October
1890 and eventually both went to live with Mrs Middleton in North Geelong,
Victoria.[xv] [xvi]
Their elder sister Ethel lived first with her Aunt Rachel (Mrs McFarlane), then
her other Aunt Phoebe (Mrs Brooks). Where their elder son went to live is not
known.
Six years later, in
1896, Thomas’ estranged wife, who had been living as Mrs Marion Robertson, died
in Bourke New South Wales from the effects of poisoning.[xvii]
Amongst her belongings was correspondence from a Thomas Williamson, tailor,
residing in Young, NSW. [xviii]
Where or what Thomas did
after 1896 is not yet known.
[i] Registry
of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Birth Certificate Thomas
Williamson 218/1855
[ii] Registry
of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Death Certificate John
Williamson, died 7 June 1874, Saint Kilda, Victoria, Australia, 6427/1874
[iii] Vendors
Books, Victoria (Land Victoria (Natural Resources and Environment)), Memorial
275 Book 167.
[iv] "California,
San Francisco Passenger Lists, 1893-1953," database with images,
FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV1W-WD6G : 12 March
2018), Passenger List for Sonoma, 1906 arriving San Francisco, San Francisco,
California, United States; citing San Francisco, San Francisco, California,
United States, NARA microfilm publication M1410 (Washington, D.C.: National
Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,465,588.
[v] "New
York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", database with
images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JF3D-KX3 : 20
August 2019), Passenger List for the Prinzess Irene departing Genoa arriving
Ellis Island, New York, 5 March 1905. (GS Film Number: 1399232, Digital Folder
Number: 005262965, Image Number: 00025)
[vi] Registry
of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Marriage Certificate Thomas Williamson
& Mary Anne McCoy, 5 June 1876, St Kilda, 2242/1876
[vii] Registry
of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Birth Certificate Alfred
John Williamson, born 2 August 1879, Saint Kilda, Victoria, Australia, 19657/1879
[viii]
Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Birth certificate
Ethel Williamson, born 22 October 1882, 22789/1882
[ix] Registry
of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Birth Certificate Florence
Williamson, 23 November 1883, 23056/1883
[x] Birth
record for George Tasman born 28 May 1886 in Launceston, Australia, son of
Thomas Williamson & Mary Ann McCoy, entry 2931 Libraries Tasmania's Online
collection, NAME_INDEXES:1123903, citing RGD33/1/65 no 345 [image 33] accessed
5 April 2020
[xi] Birth
record for George Tasman born 28 May 1886 in Launceston, Australia, son of
Thomas Williamson & Mary Ann McCoy, entry 2931 Libraries Tasmania's Online
collection, NAME_INDEXES:1123903, citing RGD33/1/65 no 345 [image 33] accessed
5 April 2020
[xii] Voters'
Roll for the West Ward of the Borough of St. Kilda 1888, entry for Thomas
Williamson, cutter entry 800, page 18, (accessed 1 April 2020
https://issuu.com/copponline/docs/1888_west_ward)
[xiii]
Ancestry.com. Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 [database
on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Entry for Thomas
Williamson for warrant with deserting his wife at Richmond in October, 1889,
third last entry on page 182 in right
hand column, June 11, 1890; Original data: Victoria Police Gazette Indexes.
CD-ROM. Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009.
AU7103-1890 Victoria Police Gazette 1890 [image 218 of 474]
[xiv] Ancestry.com.
Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Entry for Thomas
Williamson, tailor aged 35years, last entry on page 317 in left hand column,
October 8, 1890; Original data: Victoria Police Gazette Indexes. CD-ROM.
Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009. AU7103-1890
Victoria Police Gazette 1890 [image 362 of 474]
[xv] Entry
for Florence Williamson committed 2 October 1890, in the Ward Registers,
registration #17741, VPRS 4527/P0002/Vol 11/page 121 (accessed prov.vic.gov.au
2 April 2020)
[xvi] Entry
for George Williamson committed 2 October 1890, in the Ward Registers,
registration #17740, VPRS 4527/P0002/Vol 11/page 120 (accessed prov.vic.gov.au
2 April 2020)
[xvii]
Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, New South Wales, Australia, Death
Certificate Mary Ann Williamson, died 19
January 1896 Bourke, 110/1896
[xviii]
1896 'THE TERRIBLE HEAT CONTINUES', Western Herald (Bourke, NSW : 1887 - 1970),
22 January, p. 2. , viewed 03 Apr 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104104681
