U is for Untangling Connections

 This post is part of the A to Z Challenge, a blogging initiative where participants publish daily posts in April (except Sundays), each one themed around a letter of the alphabet. My theme this year is "Migration Stories"—tracing the journeys, ships, and personal histories behind my ancestors’ moves across continents. Through passenger records, newspaper clippings, and genealogical detective work, I’m piecing together the routes they took and the vessels that carried them. Today's post is brought to you by the letter U.

Genealogy often feels like a puzzle—one where the pieces aren't always neatly labelled. Sometimes, it's only by looking closely at who travelled together or who appeared under the same roof in a census that we begin to uncover hidden relationships. This kind of detective work is especially important when trying to untangle the connections between people sharing a surname, a household, or even just a ship's manifest. Below are two such cases from my own family history where the context of travel helped clarify longstanding mysteries.

When examining British census records, we always look at everyone in a household to see how they might be connected or related. The same approach applies when reviewing groups of individuals travelling together—shared surnames, ages, and relationships can help us piece together their stories.

Here are two examples from my own family history:

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Case Study One: Eleanor Symons

Eleanor first came to Australia in 1861 as part of a larger family group aboard the SS Great Britain (Voyage 21), which arrived in Melbourne on 23 December 1861. She was travelling to join the family of her intended husband, James Bassett. The passenger list shows the following groupings (my comments in parentheses):ⁱ

Group 1

• John Bassett, aged 70

• Mrs. M. Bassett, aged 65

• Miss Samions, aged 27 (should read Symons—soon to be wife of James Bassett)

Group 2

• Mrs. Ann Davey, aged 35 (née Bassett)

• Elizabeth Davey, aged 16

• Jane Davey, aged 18

• John Davey, aged 12

• Stephen Davey, aged 9

Group 3

• James Rowe, aged 38

• Mrs. Rowe, aged 32 (née Martha Bassett)

• Julia Rowe, aged 8

• Martha Rowe, aged 5

• Nanney Rowe, aged 1

Had Eleanor not been travelling with her future in-laws, we might never have identified her on the passenger list. She appears as "Miss Samions"—a misspelling that could easily have concealed her identity. But her connection to the Bassett family, clearly visible in the groupings, combined with a newspaper announcement of her marriage to James Bassett just two weeks later, confirmed who she really was.ⁱⁱ

"On the 9th instant at Forest Street by the Rev. G. Daniel. Mr James Bassett, late of Crowan, Cornwall, now of Sailor's Gully. Bendigo to Miss Eleanor Symons recently from Hayle, Cornwall, England”ⁱⁱⁱ

Case Study Two: Eliza A. Kemp aka Elizabeth Ann Murton Barnicoat

Eliza travelled to Australia aboard the Forest Rights, a full-rigged ship of 1,154 tons under Captain Duke. Among 143 steerage passengers bound for Melbourne, she was listed as follows (Passenger List Entry #364, arriving January 1865):^iv

1. Margaret Thomas, aged 57, married – mother

2. Eliza A. Kemp, aged 25 – sister of Susan (Kempe) Thomas (1842-1900) (wife of Margaret’s son, Robert Thomas)

3. Margaret Thomas, aged 17, unmarried – daughter

4. Sarah Thomas, aged 20, unmarried – daughter

For a long time, no one knew who "Eliza A. Kemp" was. The mystery is now resolved. Eliza was the sister-in-law of Susan Kemp, who had married Robert Thomas. Elizabeth was actually Elizabeth Ann Murton Barnicoat, who married Joseph Kemp, Susan’s brother, on 12 December 1858 in Par, Cornwall, England. She was the daughter of John Barnicoat, maltster; Joseph was a miner, son of William Kemp.

Their family story, however, is a tragic one. All three of Elizabeth’s children died young:

1. William Kempe, born early 1859 in the St Austell district, died in infancy.

2. Laura Kemp, born early 1861, died aged 2 in early 1863.

3. Elizabeth Kemp, born in 1866 in California Gully, Victoria, Australia, died at just 11 months in 1867.

Elizabeth herself passed away from typhoid fever in 1866, aged just 28, and was buried in Eaglehawk Cemetery, Victoria. Her story is a poignant reminder of the many hardships faced by young immigrant women in the 19th century.

Conclusion

Both Eleanor and Eliza remind me that understanding family history isn’t just about collecting names and dates—it’s about uncovering the lives and losses behind those records. Ships became floating households, and passenger lists sometimes held as many clues as parish registers or census records. In Elizabeth’s case, what began as a journey toward a new life ended in heartbreak, with the loss of all her children and her own life cut short. These stories may be hard to read, but they are part of the fabric of our history—and honouring them is part of what makes this kind of research so powerful.

Useful Links for Background

This April, as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (#AtoZChallenge), where I’m sharing my ancestors travel stories—one letter at a time. From long voyages by sea to overland treks, each post will focus on the journeys themselves—the routes they took, the challenges they faced, and the experiences along the way.  

Blog Post Meta Data: 

The URL for this post is https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2025/04/u-is-for-untangling-connections.htm originally published on 24 April 2025.

Footnotes:

i  Passenger Manifest of Great Britain, arrived 24 December October 1861, VPRS 947/P0000, Sep - Dec 1861 (accessed Images 240 https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3B1D49CA-F96C-11E9-AE98-BB631F4E00E4?image=240 to 248 https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3B1D49CA-F96C-11E9-AE98-BB631F4E00E4?image=248 : 24 April 2025) [research Note there are several blank pages interrupting the passenger listings]

ii Marriage Certificate James Bassett and Ellenor Symons, Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, (399/1962)

iii The Bendigo advertiser [microform] (Began Dec. 9, 1853. Sandhurst, Vic. : R.R. Haverfield, -2003. Newspapers - Microfilm - Select reel(s) from cabinets NM), 10 Jan 1862

iv Passengers Listed on the Forest Rights, arriving January 1865 under # 364, Margt Thomas(57), Eliza A Kemp(25), Margt Thomas(17) & Sarah(20); VPRS 947/P0000, Jan - Apr 1865, (accessed https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3B2BA1B4-F96C-11E9-AE98-EF0B184FC7D3?image=102 : 20 April 2025 [image 102 to 228])