About A Foundling

[Lynne Ryan]

I have found a certificate or something resembling one in my gt grandmothers papers...its for my gt grandfather born 1897,it says his name Albert Williamson.. after which is wriiten (foundling)in brackets... mother, was Mary Ann Shepherd ,we name that was her name...father thomas williamson...then she supposedly married a man, named ,j. hunter....he was also widower with children as well..i have his first wife name ...but then mary and and him had more kids,still no sign of my gt grd/father...
i was trying to find my gt grandfathers birth cert...
i also have their marriage cert, but his name is different,plus going thru the pioneer index there is no such person as the person i know as my gt grandfather...over the years we all thought his name was Hunter,he was even married and buried as a Hunter,there are no adoption papers,there was never any talk of it either.. ...he is suppose to be a full brother to the Hunters...we know most of the Williamson brothers..my real question is,i know i digressed a bit,but can some one explain the word foundling to me ...with this story,and where could i go to find out more..can some one suggest anything please..it just seems funny if he was a Hunter where is his birth cert.. we know also where he was born .so his name should be in the pioneer index...there is no albert hunter,only an albert williamson....but the williamsom family all say no, his father was a Hunter...he even looks hunter,different to any of the williamson they all small he was very tall,just strange to us..
cheers Lynne

 

[crankypants]

Hi Lynne

FOUNDLING = a child who has been abandoned and whose parents are unknown.

I don't envy you with this problem. Have you searched for him under SHEPHERD. Does the certificate of your gt grandfather's birth in 1897 look at all official, perhaps it was drawn up for adoption purposes.
Sorry can't be of more help.

cheers
crankypants

 

[Lynne Ryan]

Hi there ..THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING...no the cert to me looks just drawn up by unofficial means,i cant scan either to show its been glued in to a bigger book i tried to scan with my small scanner,but looks as if i;d have to take it in somewhere....i looked under shepherd too,but this mary ann was born england,i did find though her and a girl child coming out on a boat under shepherd,then trace from there disappeared for a few years,then she turns up againin qld,how i know its her is from data with the williamson man,this lady has been some elusive one,i can tell you,i get onto a lead and it peters out till out of the blue she turns up with baby and husband on my mothers side ...not once but three times,but each time the lead ends,and i have had so trouble tracing her ....i have my cousins trying to trace in england,from where she has supposely came from,what i am now thinking was she a convict with child under shepherd,or maybe she may have been in service with child...but i am not sure where to start....with this....i am pretty sure that the date of her arriving was the 1850's but i'd have to go back thru record to be sure...phew some rellies do have skeltons and this one has quite a few bones missing....but i am taking on board everyones ideas and am doing each link really good so i don't miss anything...her last known place at death was Cairns QLD,SO i am also doing a backward search to see if i can meet up some wherein the middle...
so thank you cheers Lynne
...