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We are discussing Tracing family history
With Antoinette Buchanan, Stephanie Ryan and Jennifer Higgins

Question:
I have traced my family tree for my g/grandfather Edward Aubin and from his death cert know he was born in Redcar Yorkshire UK in circ 1885 andhis marriage in Southern Cross WA circ 1897 to Theresa Marchant but cannot find any info on his arrival in Aust or his parents How could I find these things out?

Answer:
Jennifer - Your estimate of the year of Edward's birth may need recalculating - otherwise he got married in WA at the tender age of 12 years! Perhaps you meant c1875?.

I suggest you check the 1881 census for your subject, keeping in mind he may also have been called Edwin. At that time he would have been 5 or 6 years of age and so most probably still with his parents. You can check this on the Family Search website (free of charge). Choose the Advanced Search option and click on census in the left hand panel, then choose 1881 British Census from the drop down menu. This will give his parents' names and some of his siblings. A check of later censuses will provide more information about the family. You may check these on Genealogy, Family Trees and Family History Records Online. The National Library, some State libraries and major genealogical societies subscribe to Ancestry.com and you may view digitised pages of the census free of charge at these locations.

You may have already checked the English Birth indexes at the General Register Office. They are available online, fully searchable, at Free BDM. The database appears to have a full coverage for the years of Edwin's birth but his entry does not appear You may like to search digitised images of the pages of the English BDM indexes free of charge, to check that his birth hasn't been wrongly indexed. Don't forget to look at a year or two either side of his estimated date of birth in case he had a birthday later in the year after the census.

There are several indexes of arrivals into WA for the time of your interest. A good list is available at the Western Australian State Records Office . You will find these indexes at the National Library, State Libraries and major genealogical societies around Australia.

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