James Scmit

[George Hawkins]

Hello again.
I am looking for information about another Danish great great grandfather. His name was James Scmit and he was born in 1849. He emigrated to Australia in 1869. He married Maude Shipway, and they later settled in New Zealand. Any help is most appreciated.
George

[Anne Marie Holck]

There is a danish researcher living in Australia, that has a lot of information about danish immigrants to Australia before 1900. His name is Robert Ørsted Jensen. His email-address is rojensen(...)bigpond.net.au
Change (...) to @

[George Hawkins]

Thanks Anne Marie.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

Hello,

James is not exactly a Scandinavian name so I guess he changed his name into an English name.

This young man emigrated in 1869 to Melbourne. He seems to have been born some years later. However sometimes it is wrong in databases.



Navn:  Schmidt, Hans Christian Stilling:  Landmand
Alder:  17 Bestemmelsessted:  Melbourne
Kontrakt nr.:  668900 Forevisningsdato:  11/9/1869
Sidste oph.sogn:  Ødis Sidste oph. amt:  Vejle
Sidste oph.sted:  Ødis, Kolding Amt Bestemmelses land:  Australien
Bestemmelses by:  Melbourne Bestemmelses stat:  Victoria

His last residence is in O/dis. He was a farmer/farm labourer.

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

Yes, James could be any name I guess. Maybe Jakob? I found elsewhere he came from Jylland, which narrows it down a bit.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

Hello,

The one I suggested also came from Jylland. I also thought about Jacob as a possible name. Hans Christian left Denmark from Copenhagen. Some people left from Hamburg.

Do you know where he first settled in Australia?

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

Probably 1869 according to information I have.

[George Hawkins]

Some more information from his marriage certificate. It was very smudgy and hard to read. When James Scmit got married to Maud Shipway in 1889, he was a widower aged 49 with 5 children, his previous wife having died in 1888. Birthplace Denmark. Father's name also James Smith, profession: bookmaker.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

If he was 49 in 1889, he would have been born around 1840. He could have been a sailor who jumped ship in Australia.
In what state of Australia they live?

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

Victoria. He married Maud Shipway in Geelong Victoria, 1889.

[George Hawkins]

The Hans Christian Schmidt may be him. Our James Scmit was from Jutland, but left from Copenhagen. What is this person's parents' names? On his wedding certificate from Australia he has recorded James Smith as his father's name. I think I saw somewhere his mother was called Caroline, but I am not sure of this.

[George Hawkins]

I am afraid that Han Christian Schmidt can not be the James Scmit I am looking for, as Scmit was recorded as being in Ballarat, Australia in 1856.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

If born in 1840, he must have been about 16 in 1856.
He seems to be too young to be an ordinary immigrant. Aren't there lists of sailors who jumped ship?
James could also be Jens.

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

Do you know where we can find lists of sailors that jumped ship?

[Anne Marie Holck]

Did you contact Robert Orsted Jensen? He will probably be able to help you further!

[Eva Morfiadakis]

http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/

Perhaps you can find something here.

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

Thanks for the link Eva.
I will try and contact Robert on the weekend - I have been very busy with the end of the school term.

[George Hawkins]

I tried the email, but it failed. I guess he has changed his email address. 

[George Hawkins]

His Danish name may be Jens Scmit. The birth record of one of his children has his name recorded as such.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

Have you found his death record? I looked for him in NZ but couldn't find his death there. Where did he die?

Eva M

[Inge-Lise Trampedach]

Roberts mail er:  orsted-jensen(@)bigpond.com, fjern paranteserne.
Web site: http://orsted-jensen.weebly.com/

[George Hawkins]

Thanks for that Inge-Lise. Eva, he died in Lawrence New Zealand in the Otago region, 25 April 1914.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

There is a James Smith who died in 1914 whose age was 86. That gives the year of bith in 1828.
There is also a younger James Smith who was 58, i.e. born in 1856.

Is yours one of them?

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

The older one sounds possible.

[George Hawkins]

Robert Orsted Jensen has sent me the following information. Maybe this can help track James Smith (AKA Jens Scmit AKA Jens Schmidt) down...

"...this fellows name would have been spelled "Jens Schmidt" and I would put his arrival at a year or two prior to 1856 and his his age to 22-26 at arrival, this is from my experience, and thus the to about 1830. Boys in the teens rarely migrated or jumped ships, in particular not on their own,



On this ground I have a likely candidate recorded as a J Schmidt and arriving to Sydney on 14 April 1854 by the ship Oscar Vidal under Capt Ross from Hamburg. He is no 142 on the shipping list. Judge from the name I believe that he is very likely you man. But there are no record of his age. The Oscar Vidal was a former Danish 36 gun frigat which was in action during 1548-50 War. This at least is a powerful hint."

[Eva Morfiadakis]

It will probably be difficult to find him. Do you have the name of his children? He may have given a child the name of his father or mother.

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

He had lots of children:
To his first wife Honora Bourke: Christianna, Honora, Caroline, Jens, Harriet, Charlotte
To his second wife Maud Shipway: James Thomas, Eva May, Maud Ann, Christian, Norman

[George Hawkins]

Some further information I have located:
His first marriage, while his name is written as James Smith he has signed it Jens Smith. He states he was born in Copenhagen. His father's name is written as John Smith, his mother as Caroline. The father is listed as a shoemaker.

A local history book about Table Hill, Milton NZ states his name was "James Thomas Smith (born Jacob or Jakob Scmit or Schmidt) was born 2 November 1833 at Jutland, Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of John and Caroline Smit."
(Of course Copenhagen not being on Jutland makes this a bit confusing....)

James and his first wife Honora were married according to the rites of the Catholic Church. She was Irish, I do not know if he was Catholic or not.

Maybe this will give a few clues to go on.

[Eva Morfiadakis]

I notice that none of his children was named John=Johan/Johannes.

Eva M

[George Hawkins]

One daughter appears to be named after his mother. What would 'Caroline' be in Danish?