Sunday 30 October 2022

Walter Todman born Lincoln James Temple Willoughby

Walter Todman died in Australia on the 14 Oct 1929 at his home, 3 Cato Street, Prahran, Victoria, Australia of a heart attack. 


He is buried in an unmarked grave in Springvale Cemetery.  His death certificate gives his parents as Walter Todman (Rope maker) & Mary Ann formerly Willoughby, and birth place as England and having lived in the Australian Colonies, for 37 years in Victoria.[i]

In order to locate where Walter may have been born we looked for a marriage certificate between a Willoughby and a Todman. The only marriage that we have been able to locate occurred in 1854 between Charles Willoughby (rope maker) and Mary Ann Ramsey Todman in Gillingham, Kent.[ii] Their fifth child was a son, James Lincoln Temple Willoughby born 1 Nov 1865.[iii] 

James Lincoln Temple Willoughby (proposed great-grandfather of Sandra and Andrea)

James L. T Willoughby appears in the 1871 census as a scholar and again in the 1881 census as a blacksmith.[iv] In 1871 James was living with his parents and siblings on Creek Road in Deptford, Kent. He was still living at home in 1881 with his parents and siblings but in Montague Place, Poplar in London. Charles, his father, dies in 1888 (rope maker).[v] By the 1891 census James is no longer living with his widowed mother Mary Ann Willoughby who is now living with her son Charles and his family and also two of his unwed sisters.[vi] We have been unable to trace the location of James L. T. Willoughby by the 1891 census or in the marriage records.

It is believed that James L T Willoughby must have left the area as early as 1884 possibly to travel to Australia to begin a new life which is supported by the advertisement below that was placed by his mother in an Australian newspaper. Missing Persons article that appeared in the “Evening Journal” newspaper in South Australia.[vii]


Millwall is in Poplar, the east of London where James grew up; an area near the Millwall Docks (not far from the London's India Docks) and the Isle of Dogs.[viii] As the Willoughby family were predominately rope makers they probably worked at the docks as may have James as a blacksmith. A James Willoughby arrives on the SS Nurjahan in Sydney Australia from London on the 3 February 1885 as a member of the crew working as a steward. Records show that he was aged 19, born Bermondsey, it is possible that this is our James Lincoln Temple Willoughby.[ix]

Walter Todman

As James mother’s missing person plea (above) suggests James may have changed his name and we are trying to determine if James L. T Willoughby is Walter Todman.

Walter Todman’s marriage certificate in 1892 recognises his occupation as blacksmith. His mother is listed as Mary Ann Willoughby and his father as Walter Todman (rope maker)[x]. We also have a death certificate for our Walter Todman in 1929. This death certificate recognises his occupation as motor engineer. His mother is listed as Mary Ann Todman previously Willoughby and his father as Walter Todman (rope maker).[xi]

There is some evidence to support that James Lincoln Temple Willoughby became Walter Todman, the following was based on a list compiled by Simon Todman (Andrea’s brother)

Initial evidence (as discussed above)

1)      Family legend: states that Walter changed his name from Willoughby to Todman. Todman is a rare name. James Lincoln Temple Willoughby's mother was Mary Ann Ramsey Todman.

2)      Birth Date: Walter Todman died in October 1929 aged 63 thus birth is estimated as 1866. Documentation on the birth certificates of his children indicates that he was born either late 1865 or early 1866.

James Lincoln Temple Willoughby was born 1/11/1865.[xii]

English records indicate that there were only two Walter Todman's born between Mar 1860 and Dec 1870, they were:-
    1. Walter Todman - reference Births Mar 1866 Greenwich 1d 711 and died in 1887
    2. Walter Todman - reference Births Sep 1865 Hambledon 2a 109 and died in 1959 
3)      Occupation:  Walter was a blacksmith as was James Lincoln Temple Willoughby.

4)      Father's occupation:  On Walter’s marriage certificate his father was a rope maker. James Lincoln Willoughby’s father Charles was also a rope maker.

 5)      The only marriage found in England between a Willoughby and a Todman occurred in 1854 when Charles Willoughby married Mary Ann Ramsey Todman in Gillingham Kent.[xiii]

    • On his marriage certificate, Walter's mother was Mary Ann Willoughby.
    • James Lincoln Temple Willoughby's mother was Mary Ann Willoughby (nee Todman).
    • On his marriage certificate, Walter's father was Walter Todman. No proof has been found of any Walter Todman being old enough to be the father of Walter 1866. The first Walter found in English records was born in 1852.
Further evidence to support theory

6)      Walter Victor Todman, Lincoln Todman and Alma Dudley Todman, Walter’s sons and his youngest daughter, all have their father’s name as Walter James Todman on their death certificates. The other children have their father listed as Walter Todman or unknown Todman on their death certificates.

7)      Naming Patterns of issue.

1.     Walter's 2nd son was christened Lincoln James Todman. Is this a clue recognizing a previous identity; that of James Lincoln Temple Willoughby?

2.     James Lincoln Temple Willoughby's grandmother’s name was Charlotte.  Walter Todman's 4th daughter (who died in infancy) was called Charlotte Mary - maybe after his grandmother.

8)   Walter's watch came to be given to Lincoln James Todman.  The initials on the inside rear cover are J.L.T.W. Is this another clue to a previous identity; that of James Lincoln Temple Willoughby. See below.


The Watch

Walter Todman owned a fob watch; with a crude engraving on the front of the watch of the letters “W” and “T”.  This physical link to the past watch was passed onto his second son Lincoln James Todman and give clues to Walter Todman’s possible name change.

Craig Todman (photographer), Engraved lettering close-up, 2016, digital image, cropped and enlarged

Craig Todman (photographer), inside back cover of fob watch

Photographer unknown, Walter & Martha Todman, c.1926 taken at or close to the wedding of Arthur Atkinson & their daughter Martha “Ruby” Todman who were married on the 21st August 1926. Note - Walter is wearing his fob watch. 

The letters on the front of the Fob Watch are thought to represent Walter’s Australian name – “Walter Todman”. The letters that appear on the inside back cover of the watch however are “J.L.T.W.” and are thought to represent Walter’s English birth name “James Lincoln Temple Willoughby”.

Walter arrived in Australia before 1890 and according to the serial number (8145946) on the internal mechanism of the watch, it was manufactured in 1897. It is not known if the watch was a gift from England or purchased in Australia. The initials “J.L.T.W.” may provide a clue. The working theory is that the J.L.T.W. lettering may have been engraved at the place of purchase, possibly England (where they knew him by this name), as the engraving looks professionally done.

DNA corroboration
The theory that James L. T. Willoughby changed his name to Walter Todman either on or after his arrival in Australia is supported by DNA evidence. Using existing trees and Ancestry ThruLines DNA links have been established 6 of James L. T. Willoughby [aka Walter Todman] 9 siblings (all children of Charles Willoughby & Mary Ann Ramsay Todman)

 

James/Walter’s siblings were:

1.       Mary Ann Ramsay Willoughby (1855-1915

2.       Charles James Willoughby (1861 -  )

3.       Charlotte Elizabeth Willoughby (1862-  )

4.       Annie Maria Willoughby (1852 -  ) [ no links yet located]

5.       Eliza Burdett Jane Willoughby ( 1870 – ) [ no links yet located]

6.       George Louisa Mayo Willoughby (1872-1929)

7.       Alice Jane Willoughby ( 1874-1882) [ died before having children]

8.       Katherine Beaconsfield Willoughby (1877- ) [ no links yet located]

DNA Connects

James Lincoln Temple Willoughby who later became known as Walter Todman in Australia was the son of Charles Willoughby and Mary Ann Ramsay Todman.

Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confirmed by an autosomal via an Ancestry.com DNA test match between Sandra Williamson to 4 third cousin DNA matches of over 30cM for the various descendant lines of Charles Willoughby and Mary Ann Ramsay Todman, all of which have been confirmed with a paper trail created during genealogical research.  These results are consistent with the predicted relationship from AncestryDNA of 3rd cousin.

Based on the following relationships I feel I can be confident that Charles Willoughby and Mary Ann Ramsay Todman are the parents of Walter Todman.

WikiTree profile for James Lincoln Temple Willoughby aka Walter Todman 

Blogpost Meta Data

The URL for this post is: https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2022/10/walter-todman-born-lincoln-james-temple.html originally published on 30 October 2022

Author 2022, Sandra Williamson

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References


[i] Victorian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, death certificate 15938 (1929), Walter Todman died 14 October 1929. 

[ii] England, marriage certificate for Charles Willoughby and Mary Ann Ramsey Todman, married 2 July 1854, parish church Gillingham, Kent; citing 2a/473/256, 3rd quarter 1854, Medway  registration district; General Register Office, Southport.

[iii] England, birth certificate for James Lincoln Temple Willoughby, born 1 November 1865; citing 1d/74/275, 4th quarter 1865, Saint Mary Magdalan Bermondsey Surrey registration district, Saint James in the county of Surrey sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[iv] Registrar General of England and Wales, "1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census," database & images, brightsolid online publishing ltd, Findmypast (www.Findmypast.com : accessed 11 Jan 2017), entry for Census record for Charles Willoughby, Creek Road, St Nicholas, Greenwich, London, England; RG10/750/21/37; Registrar General of England and Wales, "1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census," database & images, brightsolid online publishing ltd, Findmypast (www.Findmypast.com : accessed 11 Jan 2017), entry for Census record for Charles Willoughby, Montague Place, Poplar, London, England; RG11/510/105/10.

[v] England and Wales, death certificate for Charles  Willoughby, died 15 September 1888; citing 1C/418/243, 3 quarter 1888, Poplar registration district, Poplar sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[vi] Registrar General of England and Wales, "1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census," database & images, brightsolid online publishing ltd, Findmypast (www.Findmypast.com : accessed 11 Jan 2017), entry for Charles James  Willoughby's household, Hutchings Street, Poplar, London, England; RG12/337/55/45; Mary Ann Willoughby is listed as living with Charles Willoughby as his mother a widow aged 55 living on her own means

[vii] 1901 'MISSING FRIENDS.', Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 - 1912), 13 April, p. 6. , viewed 19 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207944213

[viii] "Millwall, Middlesex Genealogy Genealogy - Familysearch Wiki". 2017. Familysearch.Org. Accessed January 15 2017. https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Millwall,_Middlesex_Genealogy

[ix] Mariners and ships in Australian Waters, ‘Crew & Passenger list for the Nurjahan arriving Sydney 3 February 1885’, citing State Records Authority of New South Wales: Shipping Master's Office; Passengers Arriving 1855 - 1922; NRS13278, [X172] reel 465, http://marinersandships.com.au/1885/02/006nur.htm, Accessed January 19 2017

[x] Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, "Certificate of Marriage  Walter Todman & Martha Ellis 16 January 1892 Reference# 345" (Original in the family papers of  Myrtle Sharp.)

[xi] Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Death Certificate Walter Todman, 14 October 1929, Reference# 15938

[xii] England, birth certificate, James Lincoln Temple Willoughby, 1 November 1865, citing 1d/74/275, 4th quarter 1865, Saint Mary Magdalan Bermondsey Surrey registration district, Saint James in the county of Surrey sub-district.

[xiii] England, marriage certificate for Charles Willoughby and Mary Ann Ramsey Todman, married 2 July 1854, parish church Gillingham, Kent; citing 2a/473/256, 3rd quarter 1854, Medway  registration district; General Register Office, Southport.

Sunday 29 May 2022

John Williamson, the Hapless Marine Engineer

John became a Marine Engineer at the age of 33. Initially qualified as a toolmaker, he also had experience as a factory supervisor, and more recently as a Workshop Supervisor with the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority. [i] [ii] [iii] This background positioned John well to be a Marine engineer with lots of hands-on experience with power generation and maintenance.

Why John chose to go to sea at this time is not clear but some say he was running away to sea to avoid the problems of his first marriage.


John’s new work environment was very different from what he had previously known but one free of everyday domestic demands. The Merchant Navy was not the same as when his father had been a seafaring engineer, it had been gutted by the recent world war, which had ended in 1946.

“From 1950 to the late 1970s the British Merchant Marine was desperately seeking really good marine engineers to replace the dreadful losses during WW2, and the best of our Australian engineers rushed overseas to get away from the frightful conditions prevalent on the Australian coast ships. … What was left on the Australian, and to a certain extent, the New Zealand ships were those so-called engineers who were virtually unemployable elsewhere, uninterested in their profession and unwilling, perhaps even incapable, of training junior engineers.[iv]

It was in this environment that John was introduced to the new skills he needed to become a competent Marine Engineer.  He rose quickly up in his first position on the vessel SS Arafura where he began as 8th Engineer in April 1957, becoming 6th Engineer by 28th December that same year.

“During this period, he was on watch with a Senior Engineer for eight hours per day on the Main Engines and Boilers[v]

Photographer unknown, John Williamson in his Engineer’s Uniform on the deck of SS Nellore, circa October 1957, at Sea[W182]

Then he went on to work as the Junior Engineer Officer on the S.S. Nellore from 11 September 1957 to 12 December 1957.

“During this time he was second in seniority of a regular watch, of eight hours in twenty four, on Main Engines and boilers.”[vi]

The Engine Room of a Ship

“The Environment is generally hot and noisy inside the Engine room. The temperature may even rise as high as 55 Degrees Celsius. However, they don’t generally spend more time down there apart from Scheduled Maintenance which is generally done while the ship is in Port. Marine Engineers make regular inspections and carry out any repair and maintenance according to the schedule.”[vii]

The job requires physical endurance and deep technical knowledge with immense troubleshooting skills. When something goes wrong engineers will work until it is resolved, no matter how long it takes using the limited resources available on the ship.

Then John joined the crew of the S.S Monowai in early 1858.

“The Monowai was a very old ship, built in 1925 and her service ended in 1960, … she was being allowed to ‘run down’, at least as far as Lloyds and the Ministry of Transport would permit”.[viii]

Photographer unknown, Heading out of Sydney Harbour on the SS Monowai, 24th June 1958, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW, Australia [T329]

While onboard the SS Monowai John was involved in two incidents. The first incident was in February 1958:

“This is how it happened, During the time of manoeuvring the ship engine room has to be run in a manner that is not very efficient but capable of swift changes.  So that as soon as the job is going full ahead as it is soon after leaving the wharf certain valves have to be opened & others closed in the interests of this efficiency … short, largely due to insufficient instruction … I mistakenly closed the wrong valve and shortly afterwards the engine room was plunged into pitch darkness & filled with steam and smoke and everything (as has been said before) ground to a halt. …”[ix]

The second incident was in March 1958:

We had a major breakdown coming out of Wellington which made my [previous] effort look sissy.  Sheared the bolts in the main coupling on the port engine.  So it was everybody down into the nuts & bolts to sweat it out.  The anchor being dropped.”[x]

The incident was also reported in the local New Zealand press on 4 March 1958, as the Monowai returned to Port for repairs.[xi] John did not cause the incident but during the recovery phase after he did not perform well:

During the struggle I made a simple but critical mistake so I am now fired.”[xii]

With the shortage of labour John soon found employment with the Adelaide S.S. Company. John the joined the S.S. Baroota on 11 April 1958 in Freemantle, with the rank of 5th Engineer and began working twelve-hour shifts.[xiii]

I can’t help being amazed by the difference in atmosphere between this job & the ‘Monowai’.  Everyone is friendly, so co-operative & helpful.  Nothing is a trouble.  The chief is a real old gentleman with a fine sense of humour & a ready wit.  The second is a very superior type, quiet, unassuming. He certainly inspires confidence.  Considerate is the word. … I’m still working eleven or twelve hours every day but under such conditions that is no trouble at all. …”[xiv]

And then a disaster struck:

“Mr. Williamson was on watch with me at 6.40a.m. on the 23.4.58. When examining the gland of the No.2 Steam Generator he accidentally tripped and fell and his left hand was caught between the engine flywheel and engine bed-plate. The rotation of the flywheel being clockwise his left hand was drawn into a space of 3/8ths of an inch. The machine was almost stopped by the friction between his left hand and the flywheel, and I was unable to free his hand before it was badly injured. Eventually the action of the machine slowing down enable us to free his left hand.” [xv]

John had

“stumbled on the plates between the two main generators, and put [his] left hand out to save [himself] which slipped on the plates and became caught between the flywheel of the operating generator and the deck.” [xvi]

Recovery:

“Have had a 2 h[ou]r operation of grafting done to the back of the fingers.  Was subsequently told it was unlikely that index finger could be saved & amputation would be necessary.  However doctor now says it’s a miracle & I’ll probably keep the fingers.  Also complicated skin graft requiring “tunnel to be cut in stomach thru which hand is inserted” no longer necessary.  But further grafting will require further operations. ”[xvii]

“I’ve had my second skin graft.  My hand begins to look more like a hand although the news is not so good as it has become infected.  If it’s less than 60% take we’ll have to go thru it again which I’d rather not thanks anyway I’ll be fresh out of hide if we keep this up.

They’ve taken the skin for the back of my hand from my thigh so I’m going to have a very hairy back of hand.  In fact it strikes me that my hand will be rather patchwork with a muscular biscep [sic], [probably intends biceps] (ahem!) on the back of my fingers.”[xviii]

My hand is much better, thanks.  Still very ugly of course (who cares?) & a little stiff and uncomfortable.  I’m having daily ray & physiotherapy but manage to get to work at about 10am in the drawing office where I’m working as a glorified office boy, light duties, ahem, but I should be back at sea by Monday week, thank goodness.”[xix]

Back at Sea on the Beltana

“At first I was a bit shaky about going down into the engine room but I’m gradually gaining confidence & the Chief & the second engineer seem quite pleased with me which is encouraging.”[xx]

Then while waiting for his next assignment John does a five-day trip for the company with his old ship the S.S.Baroota working in the same engine room where he had his serious accident. He was replacing two colleagues on sick leave one off with a hernia, the other suffering from contact dermatitis.[xxi]

John next joined the S.S.Beltana where the fourth and final incident happened in April 1959.

“[O]n Thursday we had a major disaster. The steam pipe to the steering engine burst. Which meant of course, that the ship was entirely out of commission. So natch [colloquial, for naturally], your hero was in it up to his ears, …”[xxii]

The engine room of a ship can be a very dangerous place, and although John did not seriously get hurt this time the danger was ever-present. By the end of 1959 after three years at sea John resigns on 1 November after a month of leave returning permanently to land.[xxiii] He begins a new life with his new partner, Judith, who he met on the S.S. Monowai in 1958, the only passenger ship he worked on during his short seafaring career.

Inspiration

This post was written in response to the writing prompt May Day - Ancestor injuries and deaths, for more detail, see Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal, "The Genealogy Blog Party: May Day!," Heart of the Family™ (https://www.thefamilyheart.com/genealogy-blog-party-may-day/ : accessed May 28, 2022).

Useful links for background

WikiTree Profile for John Palmer Williamson (1923 - 2006)

T. S. S. Monowai, 1925 - 1960. http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/monowai/monowai.htm. Accessed 28 May 2022.

For further reading

Christine Filiamundi, A Story to Tell: Letters from John Williamson to Judy Todman 1958 to 1959, 2021, self-published.

Related Posts

A thoroughly modern woman Judy and her Vespa

When Judy met John

Blogpost Meta Data

The URL for this post is: https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2022/05/john-williamson-hapless-marine-engineer.html originally published 29 May 2022

Author 2022, Sandra Williamson

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email via the Contact Form on the Blog.

Sources:


[i] Christine Filiamundi, A Story to Tell: Letters from John Williamson to Judy Todman 1958 to 1959, 2021, self-published, page 5.

[ii] E.Quale(Chief Engineer), Letter of Service for Mr. John Williamson at Selmer Engineering, 12 September 1953, Personal papers of John Williamson.

[iii] Christine Filiamundi, A Story to Tell: Letters from John Williamson to Judy Todman 1958 to 1959, 2021, self-published, page 5.

[iv] Letter Bill Riley to Christine Filiamundi, March 2015, Personal papers of Christine Filiamundi

[v] A.J. Norman (Chief Engineer), Letter of Service for Mr. J.P.Williamson on the S.S.ARAFURA, 3.12.56 to  12.4.57, 12 April 1957, Personal papers of John Williamson.

[vi] Alex. J. Sommerville (Chief Engineer Officer), Letter of Service for Mr. J.P.Williamson on the S.S.NELLORE, 11 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, Personal papers of John Williamson.

[vii] ‘What Is the Life of a Marine Engineer Like?’ Quora, https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-of-a-marine-engineer-like. Accessed 28 May 2022.

[viii] Letter Bill Riley to Christine Filiamundi, March 2015, Personal papers of Christine Filiamundi

[x] Letter dated March 1958 from John Williamson, SS Monowai to Judy Todman, New Zealand. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xi] MONOWAI RETURNS TO PORT, PRESS, VOLUME XCVII, ISSUE 28526, 4 MARCH 1958, PAGE 7, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19580304.2.53  accessed 28 May 2022

[xii] Letter dated 29 March 1958 from John Williamson, Sydney to Judy Todman, New Zealand. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xiii] John Williamson injury on the SS Baroota NAA:D935, 1958/121 citing Account of Wages and Effects of a Seaman Left behind on the Ground of Unfitness or Inability to proceed on the Voyage

[xiv] Letter dated 21 April 1958 from John Williamson, S.S. Baroota at Sea to Judy Todman. . (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xv] John Williamson injury on the SS Baroota NAA:D935, 1958/121 citing Inquiry report section concerning the Witness  Statement of Alan Charles KEATING (2nd Engineer of the “Baroota”), 8 May 1958

[xvi] John Williamson injury on the SS Baroota NAA:D935, 1958/121 citing Witness statement 2nd page [first page missing] of John Williamson in his own handwriting recording the events of the accident, witnessed on 1 May 1958.

[xvii] Letter dated 21 April 1958 from John Williamson, S.S. Baroota at Sea to Judy Todman. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.) [letter begun 21 April 1958 but finished several days later his accident. This letter has the first news of the injury to John’s hand.]

[xviii] Undated letter circa 3 May 1958, Williga Nursing Home, Adelaide from John Williamson to Judy Todman (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xix] Letter 29 July 1958 from John Williamson, c/o Adelaide Steamship Co., Drawing Office, East Balmain to Judy Todman, New Zealand. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xx] Letter 2 September 1958 from John Williamson, S.S. Beltana to Judith Todman, New Zealand. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xxi] Letter 28 January 1959 from John Williamson, S.S. Beltana to Judith Todman, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xxii] Letter 3 April 1959 from John Williamson, S.S. Beltana to Judith Todman, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (from Judith Williamson’s collection of personal papers, original copy now held by Sandra Williamson.)

[xxiii] Register of engineer, Employment Record Card for J.P.Williamson, joined Adelaide Steamship Company  11 April 1958, resigned 1 November 1959, citing Noel Butlin Archives Centre, Register of engineer Jan 1946 - Dec 1949 (Creation), Reference code AU NBAC N46-914