What time period are you looking at? What info do you need? Do you already have birth death and marriage information?

You can search for births to 1906, deaths to 1976 and marriages to 1956 on the NSW Birth, Death and Marriage website. www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyhistory/search

If you find what you are looking for you can order the relevant certificate. I think it costs $AUD24 from the registry but you can get a complete transcription from a transcription agent - the 2 I know of are Marbract Services and Joy Murrin (just enter these names into your search engine). These are usually cheaper($AUD15 for a complete transcription).

If I need more information about a person than the certificate gives me I try to find their death notice in the newspaper. Once you have their death date (from the certificate, or if they died after 1976, try the Ryerson Index) then have a look at the Sydney Morning Herald. If this fellow was a prominent solicitor he will most likely be listed in the Herald. You may find out more information about him from the death notice. Your local library may have the Herald on microfilm (mine does) or you can post a request for a lookup either here or the Ancestry NSW board.

Let me know if I can help you further.

regards

Angela

regards

Max Bancroft

I found their marriage certificate reference:

716/1903 Oliver C Bridges to Isabella M McKenzie registered at Balmain North

Ellen's birth:

19214/1903 Bridges Ellen D parents Oliver and Isabella registered at Balmian South.

I cannot find a death for Oliver at all. There are 2 deaths of an Isabella Bridges

26243/1941 BRIDGES ISABELLA parents:GEORGE & ELIZABETH registered TAMWORTH

10920/1919 BRIDGES ISABELLA parents: GEORGE & ELIZABETH registered WARATAH (that's around Newcastle, NSW).

I cannot find a birth in NSW for Oliver. He seems to have just appeared. Either he was born in another state or was born in another country.

There are a number of Isabella McKenzie births but here are the only 2 Isabella M's:

16464/1886 MCKENZIE ISABELLA M Par: RODERICK MARY J COBAR

27836/1886 MCKENZIE ISABELLA M Par: ALEXANDER MARY A WAGGA WAGGA

If I were you I would buy a copy of the marriage certificate for Oliver and Isabella McKenzie as well as Ellen's birth certificate.

Do you happen to know if the family moved to another state? Did Ellen marry and where? I have searched the NSW indexes and cannot find her marriage.

Angela

1626/1907 BANCROFT THOMAS J BRIDGES ELLEN M KOGARAH .

My father was Stanley John Ryan. He was born at 9am 9/9/1909 to Ruby Agnes Ryan (a widow) at South Sydney Women's Hospital Stanley St. Newtown (who's records have since disappeared) and was given up to foster parents Tom and Ellen Bancroft according to an original Adoption Declaration I have dated 12/7/1924. It does make me wonder that Oliver and Isabella were not married until 1903 six years before their daughter married. Hardly the done thing back in those days especially for a prominent Sydney Solicitor. That record sounds a bit sus too. 19214/1903 Bridges Ellen D parents Oliver and Isabella at Balmain South appears to be a typo as is 26243/1941 Bridges Isabella parents George and Isabella Tamworth. The year doesn't make sense It should be around about 1880 as Ellen would have only been 4 years of age at the time of her marriage to Tom. Note.. My parents Stanley John Bancroft and Wilhelmina Thaler were married in 1931. As for 16464/1886 Mckenzie Isabella M parents Roderick Mary J Cobar and 27836/1886 Bridges Isabella M parents Alexander Mary A Wagga Wagga these may also be typos. I will start by ordering Ellen Bridges's Birth certificate and see what information it contains before I go further and order her parents certs.

I would appreciate any help you can give me in tracing Ruby Agnes Ryan. I have recently ruled out Ruby Alberta Bowman who married Edward Ryan in 1894 but Ruby may possibly be Ruby Agnes Roberts who married James Ryan in 1905.

regards

Max

Something here doesn't quite add up.

On one of your previous posts you said Ellen was born 1903. The reference is very clear on the bdm - Ellen D Bridges, 1903.

So it's impossible that the Ellen who was married to Thomas Bridges in 1907 could be the same. For a start she would only have been 4 years old and secondly the middle names are wrong. I think you have the wrong Ellen and therefore Oliver and Isabella are the wrong parents.

What we need to do firstly is to establish when Ellen Bancroft nee Bridges died. Here is her death certificate:

30858/1956 BANCROFT ELLEN MARGARET JAMES ANNA LOUISE NEWTOWN

So we know we are looking for the birth of an Ellen M with parents James and Anna Louise. I have had a look at the indexes for 1870 to 1900 and I come up with nothing. Perhaps an immigrant?? Or from another state? The only Ellen I can find is an Ellen Monaghan born in Braidwood in 1888 (who coincidentally is most likely one of mine as I have Monaghans from Braidwood) but she has the wrong parents and surname. Also an Ellen M Bridges born 1890 but with different parents.

I think you need to start with Ellen and Thomas' marriage certificate - this seems to be the only definite piece of information you have. Then you will definitely know who her parents were and her age and then you can work backwards.

Now to the Ryans.

First I looked to see if Ruby remarried and found this:

7366/1918 WISEMAN JAMES RYAN RUBY SYDNEY

4023/1911 SMITH WILLIAM T RYAN RUBY A SYDNEY

The second one could be yours. Let's look now for her death:

There are 2 Ruby Agnes Smiths, but lots of other Ruby's. Here are the 2:

33872/1956 SMITH RUBY AGNES THOMAS WILLIAM MARY LUCY DUBBO

21591/1957 SMITH RUBY AGNES 72 YRS PETERSHAM PETERSHAM

I will look now for possible first marriages for Ruby:

6790/1905 RYAN JAMES ROBERTS RUBY A GLEBE

this looks like the one.

Looking for Ruby's birth:

2245/1886 ROBERTS RUBY A GEORGE E BRIDGET M A SYDNEY (this could be a possibility)

Let's look and see if James Ryan died:

8878/1907 RYAN JAMES G JAMES MARGARET GLEBE (likely to be him as it's registered in Glebe, the same place the marriage was registered).Other possibilities:

10017/1908 RYAN JAMES JOHN MARY LIVERPOOL

2618/1906 RYAN JAMES THOMAS MARGARET PADDINGTON

10986/1907 RYAN JAMES A MICHAEL BRIDGET REDFERN

10396/1905 RYAN JAMES PATRICK SUSAN REDFERN 3999/1905 RYAN JAMES 38 YRS SYDNEY SYDNEY

Let's see if Ruby and James had any children:

3237/1906 RYAN EILEEN V JAMES RUBY GLEBE

looks like they had at least 1 child - (I can't search after 1906).

So to sum up, I *think* this is what happened:

Ruby was born Ruby Agnes Roberts to (possibly) George and Bridget in 1886. She married James

So to sum up, I *think* this is what happened:

Ruby was born Ruby Agnes Roberts to (possibly) George and Bridget in 1886. She married James Ryan in Glebe in 1905. they had at least 1 child, Eileen, born 1906. Ruby had a baby Stanley in 1909. In 1911 she remarried to William Smith. Ruby died in 1957 in Petersham.

hope this helps.

Angela

many thanks

Max Bancroft

regards

Max Bancroft

326/1923 HUDSON ARTHUR J RYAN EILEEN V SYDNEY

and her possible death:

20670/1976 HUDSON EILEEN VERONICA PATRICK RUBY

note that her father is listed as Patrick instead of James..? She was so little when her real Dad died maybe the informant on the death certificate got the name wrong.

It may be worth following up on this family as Eileen could very well be your Dad's half sister.

From the Ryerson Index:

HUDSON Eileen Veronica Death notice 18AUG1976 Death 70 late of Dundas, formerly of Glebe published Sydney Morning Herald 20AUG1976

This must be her as it gives her age as 70 = birth date 1906. Have a look at the death notice, you may find out quite a bit about her.

Good luck

regards

Max

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Genealogy Message Board

Marriage of Eileen Ryan? Reply

Author: Angela Date: Jul 30, 3:31 AM

In Reply To: Re:Bridges / Mckensie by: Max bancroft

this could be the marriage of Eileen V Ryan born to Ruby and James:

326/1923 HUDSON ARTHUR J RYAN EILEEN V SYDNEY

and her possible death:

20670/1976 HUDSON EILEEN VERONICA PATRICK RUBY

note that her father is listed as Patrick instead of James..? She was so little when her real Dad died maybe the informant on the death certificate got the name wrong.

It may be worth following up on this family as Eileen could very well be your Dad's half sister.

From the Ryerson Index:

HUDSON Eileen Veronica Death notice 18AUG1976 Death 70 late of Dundas, formerly of Glebe published Sydney Morning Herald 20AUG1976

This must be her as it gives her age as 70 = birth date 1906. Have a look at the death notice, you may find out quite a bit about her.

Good luck

If you are in NSW you might find that your library has the SMH on microfilm - mine does.

I would offer to look it up for you but have recently gone back to work after some time being Mum. So I'm reduced to doing my family history at night now. (Sorry!) Your other alternative might be to try and ask someone for a look up -I find the Ancestry message boards are better for Australian lookups - Ancestry.co.uk and then go to communities, then search by location, Oceania, Australia, NSW. If you post your request there some kind soul might be able to help you.

But definitely try your library first. I was amazed at what mine had to offer. Two days a week there are even volunteers available from the local family history society who help people look for things. They are fantastic! Thank God for public libraries!

Good luck Max

Angela