Finding Catherine Abberton. Part 1.

 Back in the 1980's, I like so many others started researching my family history. My wonderful surprise was a cousin, Joan,  who lived eight houses away from me and was very willing to share information and help me with my research.

One day she handed me a passenger list from the Joseph Somes, this lead me to discovering the arrival of my great-grandfather Thomas Abberton and his sisters, Anne and Catherine. 

Well we though it was Catherine but...

This is part of the page Joan, gave me with a very interesting margin note, 

As you can see it is a photocopy of a printout of a microfilm, from the New South Wales State Archives and Records and is very difficult to read.*

From what we could decipher Catherine Abberton DIDN'T arrive on 3 February 1852 and that a Margaret Hickey had taken her place!  Why????

That question was put in the 'To Hard Basket' and I concentrated on Thomas and his family.

FLASHBACK.

In researching Thomas, I had to take in the whole family and discovered my great-great grandparents, Thomas and Bridget Abberton, back in Ballinakill, Co Galway and brothers and sisters.

Thomas and Bridget had;

Patrick, Michael, James, Thomas, Catherine and Anne.  

Michael, so family lore says, went to England. 

Patrick came to New South Wales, sometime before he sponsored Thomas, Anne and 'Catherine' to come.

This left James and Catherine at home, in Ballinakill.

Now from the shipping arrivals, we knew that Thomas Snr was deceased and that Bridget had re-married and was still living.

Questions arose; Was Bridget widowed again and James and Catherine stayed to look after her? Was Bridget ill and they stayed until she passed? Did Catherine have a beau and stayed for him?

Questions we will never have the answers for, or will we?

Part 2 will explain more.

* Immigrant Index 1884-58, Reels 2136, 2463.