Visiting Australia

In April my sister and I visited Australia and met our long lost cousins for the first time. We were met at the airport in Perth by 11 relatives in two groups--two groups who did not know each other; so my sister and I had the pleasure of not only meeting our new found relations for the first time, but also of introducing some of our Australian relatives to each other, also for the first time. It was a thrill for both of us to see such a positive tangible result from the fruits of our research.

While I was only able to be in Australia for 2 and a half weeks, my sister, who was joined by her daughter just before I left, was able to stay in for an additional week and a half longer. Still, in 2 and a half weeks, we met 69 relatives! Of the 6 Wainwright siblings who emigrated to Australia, only 3 had children in Australia (Richard Wainwright's daughter remained in England when he emigrated). So the 69 descendants that we met were all descended from either Thomas or Samuel Wainwright, or from their sister, Elizabeth Stubbs (nee Wainwright).

So the connection has been reestablished and new friendships made and it will be up to all of us to keep it going for the next generation. It is a unique thing for distant kin in two counties so far apart as Canada and Australia to have found each other and hopefully we can all profit from it.

Death in the state of Western Australia

I have received the death certificate from Western Australia which correctly identifies William Wainwright as the son James Wainwright and Ann Maria Hughes

He died of Lobar Pneumonia on July 11, 1916 and was buried two days later at Wagin Cemetery. He was 45 years old. He is listed as a farmer and the place of death is listed as Pingarning East, Dumbleyung. The residence information was supplied in writing by his brother, George, whose address is listed as simply, Pingarning.

The certificate lists Williams birthplace as Manchester, England, and that he had been in Western Australia for six years.

His death was registered at Katanning on July 17, 1916.

The occupation of the father, James, is listed as "farmer," and this is most intriguing, because we have never seen James described as a farmer before, and this makes me suspect that the family story of James accompanying his children to Australia is true! And most likely he was working on the farm with William and George when William died.

Concerning William

In order to help unlock the mystery of William Wainwright, the fifth child born to James and Ann Maria, I ordered the marriage certificate from England for William Wainwright and Mary Ellen Gorst, who I believed he was married to. However, upon receiving the certificate I have discovered that this is not our William Wainwright. This William is the son of another William Wainwright, who was a dairyman. A different person, entirely. So neither this William, nor Mary Ellen Gorst are a part of this branch of the Wainwright family. I am now going to turn my attention to Australia, where it is believed, according to family story, that William died of pneumonia while farming with his brothers. There is a William Wainwright who died in Kukerin in 1916. As this is where they were farming, it is likely that this is him. I will send for his death certificate to ascertain if it is.

Frederick Jackson

Frederick Jackson was the youngest child born to Harriet Ann, the oldest of the 11 Wainwright children of James and Ann Maria. He was born about 1898 and was the youngest of 8 children. He is the soldier on the right pictured at the left.  The soldier on his left is his uncle Samuel Wainwright from Australia.  The photo was found among my grandmother's effects.

We know that Frederick was born in Sale, Cheshire, and enlisted at Ashton-On-Mersey, Lancashire. He was a private with the 9th Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment and he was killed in action at Flanders, France on November 16, 1916. He would only have been 18 or 19 year of age.

Sometime after his death Harriet and her husband, George, contributed to this stained glass war memorial at the Congregational Church, Ashton-On-Mersey commemorating those of the church who died in the Great War.


The script of the window reads:
THIS WINDOW IS ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN HONOUR OF THOSE OF OUR CHURCH & SUNDAY SCHOOL WHO DIED FOR US AND OUR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919.

Those listed are:
C. ACKERLEY
B. ANDERSON
J. ARTHUR
C. BRIDGEWOOD
J. BURGESS
W.T. CARRIER
A. CHADWICK
L.S. CRAVEN
P.L.GREAVES
R. HUGHES
F. JACKSON
A. JOHNSON
W. KELSALL
E. LAMB
C.L. LEES
E. MATTHEWS
W. MILLS
J.W. SOUTHERN
N. TRUEBLOOD
J.A. VIETCH
F. WILLIAMS
H. WOOD

Wainwrights At War

Of the 11 children of James and Ann Maria, I have identified 3, of the 9 brothers that took part in World War One. They all enlisted in Australia and their service records are viewable online at the National Archives of Australia website ( http://www.naa.gov.au/).

Or individually click on:
Richard Wainwright

Samuel Wainwright

Thomas Wainwright

This photograph is of Thomas Wainwright (right) and Richard Wainwright (left). The middle soldier may possibly be Sam. If anyone has any younger photos of Sam that would identify the middle soldier as him they can contact me at the contact email address and let me know. That would be appreciated.

Southern Cemetery

The gravestone in Southern Cemetery in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester for James Wainwright reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
JAMES WAINWRIGHT
WHO DIED AUGUST 24th 1927
AGED 86 YEARS.
ALSO ANN BELOVED WIFE OF
ABOVE, WHO DIED OCT 2nd 1916
AGED 70 YEARS.
ALSO FRANK STUBBS THEIR SON
IN LAW WHO DIED JULY 24th 1910
AGED 37 YEARS.
ALSO ELIZABETH HIS BELOVED
WIFE, WHO DIED IN AUSTRALIA.
ALSO MARY JANE BELOVED WIFE
OF JOSEPH WAINWRIGHT
WHO DIED MARCH 7th 1936
IN HER 69th YEAR.
ALSO JOSEPH BELOVED HUSBAND
OF MARY JANE WHO DIED
FEB 15th 1941 AGED 75 YEARS

This information was given to my aunt by her cousin Joseph Wainwright (grandson of the above named Joseph Wainwright). He visited the cemetery and wrote down the inscription. Although James and his daughter Elizabeth are listed on this headstone they are not actually buried here. This grave site is listed as Section 1 Non Conformist grave #2296. James is buried in Section 1 Non Conformist grave #7327. Elizabeth died on Jan. 18, 1917 and is buried in Wooroloo Cemetery, Western Australia, Church of England, Grave #39

Robert Hughes and Harriet Williams

The parents of Ann Maria Hughes were Robert Hughes and Harriet Williams. Robert Hughes was born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales about 1815 and Harriet Williams was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England around 1814. They were married at Manchester Cathedral on April 18, 1831. Their son Joseph was born in 1837, followed by Elijah in 1838. Our Ann Maria was born in 1847 and another daughter, Mary Jane was born in 1851. I have not been able to find any evidence of the whereabouts of Robert or Harriet after the 1851 census, nor of their eldest son, Joseph. Elijah, Mary Jane, and of course, Ann Maria all married and had several children.