Both NZ & OZ have been through a very rough time lately, my wife and I have been on month long separate tours of both countries. We were looking at our photographs taken from the spire of Christchurch Cathedral yesterday, it is awful to realise the spire has gone from the beautiful church.

My main area of research is the Marfell family and there are hundreds in both NZ & OZ. I met up with my main Australian contact in Perth and my wife & I had a wonderful day with her. Whilst I have met up with a New Zealand contact, this was when she was visiting the Forest of Dean, unfortunately the tour of NZ we were on didn't go to her area.

You might not realise that there is a Marfell school and Marfell Beach in New Zealand :

http://www.marfellsbeach.co.nz/marfells-beach/

Jim Ashton

Thanks for that info. So I think your Mary Ann Miles and our Mary Ann Swan shared the same grand mother and ours also went to New Zealand. Unfortunatley after 12 years in N.Z. and a stint of 7 or 8 in Australia and then back to N.Z. she was murdered by her husband in 1905.

We are also from N.Z. but have lived in Australia for the last 30 years.
We have ventured to F.O.D. to hunt up relations and had a great time in Coleford Etc.

Lindsay Cox

1841 Coleford Meend
Thomas Hawkins abt 1801 Dean Forest, Coalminer
Mary Hawkins abt 1801 Dean Forest,
Arrabella Hawkins abt 1826 Dean Forest,
Thomas Hawkins abt 1826 Dean Forest,
Nathaniel Hawkins abt 1828 Dean Forest,
Ellen Hawkins abt 1833 Dean Forest,
Henry Hawkins abt 1835 Dean Forest,
Emma Hawkins abt 1839 Dean Forest,

Year: 1844
Month: Jul
Day: 30
Grooms_Surname: HAWKINS
Grooms_Forenames: Thomas
Grooms_Age: Of F
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: illegible
Grooms_Residence: Lane End
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Hawkins
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Coal Merchant
Brides_Surname: BOZLEY
Brides_Forenames: Emily
Brides_Age: 20
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Lane End
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Bozley
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: John
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Shoemaker
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: James Hawkins
Witness_2: Arabella Hawkins
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: J J Barlow
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P278 IN 1/12
Page_Number: 90
Parish_Chapel: St Briavels

The family is in my Family Tree as Thomas Hawkings 1798 first wife Mary Ann Roberts is my 3rd cousin 4 times removed, so all their descendants are related to me.

Thomas Hawkings 1798 & Mary Ann Roberts daughter Ellen 1833 married Thomas Miles 1833 and I have a considerable number of descendants from their daughter Mary Ann 1855 who married William Evans and they emigrated to New Zealand.

Jim Ashton

Depending how keen you are and how much you are willing to spend I would contact the orphanage and check what records they have. I did this a few years ago and for about £50 at the time I think, I was sent a copy of the file they had for my relatives. Quite a bit of money I know but I was happy to pay the fee as it was for a charitable trust anyway, and happier still when the info arrived. This file contained birth, marriage, death certs, medical info, correspondence from relatives and Rev Horlick who arranged the placement. It answered many questions I had about the circumstances of my grandmother and her family at the time and what happened to them after.

Maybe it will shed some like on what happened to Rhoda eventually?

I did this by an initial email detailing the people I was looking for and they confirmed by email whether they had any records, and gave me instructions as how to apply if I wished. It did all take about 3 months to come through though. Probably get a lot of requests.

http://www.mullers.org/heritage/museum

It was Wendy Clacker I contacted, she was really helpful... her details are on contact page :)

Good Luck

Simone x

The New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down, commonly known as the Muller Homes, were an orphanage in the district of Ashley Down, in the north of Bristol. They were built between 1849 and 1870 by the Prussian evangelist George Müller to show the world that God not only heard, but answered, prayer. The five Houses held 2,050 children at any one time and some 18,000 passed through their doors before the buildings were sold to Bristol City Council in 1958.

That all makes sence and shows the grand children with their grand parents in 1861.
Their mother Rhoda had died in 1858 and their father (Nathaniel) dies March 1861 which must be just before the census. The girls end up in the orphanage in 1862 so we assume that the were in a "holding pattern" prior to getting the ok to go to "Mullers".

So now I only need to find Rhoda Jane Hawkins and what happened to her, after she left the orphanage on 15/10/1874.

Sounds so simple.

Thanks again
Lindsay Cox

more info in prior thread

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=16716

<><><><>
Name: Rhoda Jane Hawkins
Year of Registration: 1858
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Stoke Upon Trent
County: Staffordshire
Volume: 6b
Page: 153

1861
James Aston abt 1813 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Head Newland, Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Aston abt 1815 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Wife Newland, Gloucestershire
Tom Aston abt 1846 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Newland, Gloucestershire
Mary Ann Aston abt 1848 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Newland, Gloucestershire
Lois Aston abt 1850 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Newland, Gloucestershire
Edwin Aston abt 1852 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Newland, Gloucestershire
Mathew Henry Aston abt 1854 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Newland, Gloucestershire
Emanuel Aston abt 1857 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Newland, Gloucestershire
Mary Ann Hawkins abt 1855 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Granddaughter Newland, Gloucestershire
Rhoda Hawkins abt 1857 Hanley, Staffordshire, England Granddaughter Newland, Gloucestershire

1871 New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down
Rhoda Jane Hawkins abt 1858 Shelton, Staffordshire, England Orphan Stapleton, Gloucestershire
Mary Ann Hawkins abt 1856 Goleford, Gloucestershire, England Orphan Stapleton, Gloucestershire

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=286

1871
Rheda Hawkins 26 Coleford, Gloucestershire, England Servant Dumbleton Gloucestershire

Mary Ann is my wifes great grandmother - Rhoda(jnr) G/G/Aunt.

I have been informed that Rhoda left the orphanage 1/10/1874, but can find no marriage or death certs.

Mary Ann & possibly two of her older cousins (William & Thomas) sailed to New- Zealand on the Camperdown in 1876.

No sign of what happend to Rhoda Jane in the U.K. or New Zealand.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also thanks to Slowhands, Chris Howell, etc etc- with help on Mary Ann - not much I dont know about her and her life, with all your help.

Kind regards
Lindsay Cox
Australia