Genealogy Chat

Donald Forbes was born in Inverness, Scotland his obituary claims he came to Scotland at an early age but gives no details. He came a cattleman in Australia, he married Rachel Wood in Victoria in 1884 he died in WA in 1925. His daughter Jessie Adelaide Kingsford Forbes married the Murrays of Gnoweranerup of WA. Any information re his early years, his parents and when he came to Australia would be wonderful.

Susan

Did you mean he came to Australia rather than he came to Scotland ?

As he married in 1884. His birth may be on Scotland's People. Depends how old he was at marriage as Scotitish BMD.s started in 1855

Isn't his father's name on the marriage cert?

When was Donald born? That piece of info is VITAL

The name is too common for help to be given without it

PM received :

Yes I did mean Australia! Sorry about that

What about when he was born and his father's name? We need that info in order to be able to help, Susan and please can you post on the thread, rather than by PM, so that everyone can see.

I have told Susan how to get back to her thread..This was only her third posting.

Hello Susan and welcome to the boards.


It may be worthwhile putting your relatives details in to the Search All Trees boxes (click on Search above). There are quite a lot of members with your family names in their trees. If you find a connection, you can contact the tree owners for further information. Cx

Obit states he was 5mths old when he came to Australia and died on 28 Jul 1925 in his 75yr. yob circa 1850?
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/96633369?searchTerm=donald forbes&searchLimits=

Susan,
This may be totally coincidental and you will need to check.
One of the Obits state that he was born in Caithness 1852 ( not Inverness)
I cannot find a birth record but I did notice a couple named John Forbes and Ann Campbell who married in Thurso, Caithness 1852.
I could not find any births for children born in Scoland to this couple.

Out of curiosity, I then looked at births in Victoria
A couple with exactly the same names were having children in Victoria from 1855-1866.

Is Donald's father listed on any record?

Anne

Just trying to get the time frame in my head. Was he 5 months when he arrived in Australia or was he 5 months when he left Scotland. How long was the voyage to Australia in the 1850s?

Sorry... he was 5months old when he left FOR Australia.
This OBIT..
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/96633369?searchTerm=donald forbes&searchLimits=
There are a few obits and all say he was in his 75th year
To my mind that means he was 74yrs old at time of death.

How thick am I?
Of course, the 1884 marriage announcement?!
His father was the LATE Alexander Forbes of Essendon.
Therefore previous info in simply coincidental

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/6055086?searchTerm=forbes wood&searchLimits=l-decade=188|||l-category=Family+Notices|||l-title=13|||l-year=1884

name: Donald Forbes
gender: Male
baptism/christening date:
baptism/christening place:
birth date: 09 Feb 1849
birthplace: DAVIOT AND DUNLICHITY,INVERNESS,SCOTLAND
death date:
name note:
race:
father's name: John Forbes
father's birthplace:
father's age:
mother's name: Ann Bain
mother's birthplace:
mother's age:
indexing project (batch) number: C11095-4
system origin: Scotland-ODM
source film number: 990664
reference number:

Using the same idea as before, and knowing his father was called Alexander, how about this one?
parent Alexr. Forbes, Margt. Mc Intosh

nameDond. Forbes
genderMale
baptism/christening date 26 Nov 1847
baptism/christening place MOY AND DALAROSSIE,INVERNESS,SCOTLAND
birth date12 Nov 1847
parent Alexander Forbes, Margaret Mc Intosh

name Janet Forbes
gender Female
baptism/christening date12 May 1850
baptism/christening place MOY AND DALAROSSIE,INVERNESS,SCOTLAND
birth date 01 May 1850
father's name Alexander Forbes
father's birthplace
father's age
mother's name Margaret Mc Intosh




Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922
about Alexander Forbes
Name: Alexander Forbes
Father's Name: Alexander Forbes
Mother's Name: Margaret Mackintosh
Birth Place: Moonambel, Victoria
Registration Year: 1862
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration number: 8106



Australia Death Index, 1787-1985
about Margt Forbes
Name: Margt Forbes
Death Place: Esdon, Victoria *******
Age: 49
Father's Name: Forbes Alex
Mother's Name: Margt McIntosh
Registration Year: 1908
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration number: 5759
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1859

Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922
about Alexander Forbes
Name: Alexander Forbes
Father's Name: Alexander Forbes
Mother's Name: Margaret Mackintosh
Birth Place: Moonambel, Victoria
Registration Year: 1862
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration number: 8106



Australia Death Index, 1787-1985
about Isbla Ewart Forbes
Name: Isbla Ewart Forbes
Death Place: Renton, Victoria
Age: 67
Father's Name: Alex Forbes
Mother's Name: Margt Mcintosh
Registration Year: 1930
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration number: 10075
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1863

Anne, not sure about those baptisms - if he was 5 months when he left for Australia, the family must have been there before the 1850 birth. The family are still in Scotland in 1851 but at the moment, I can't find them later:

1851 Scotland Census
about Donald Forbes
Name: Donald Forbes
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1848
Relationship: Son
Father's Name: Alexander Forbes
Mother's Name: Margaret Forbes
Gender: Male
Where born: Dalarossie, Inverness
Parish Number: 105
Civil parish: Moy and Dalarossie
County: Inverness
Address: Knockando
ED: 5
Page: 4 (click to see others on page)
Household schedule number: 14
Line: 9
Roll: CSSCT1851_24
Household Members: Name Age
Alexander Forbes 47
Margaret Forbes 28
Donald Forbes 3
Janet Forbes 1

I wonder, could Donald have been confused about his age when he left Scotland? Could it have been 5 years and not 5 months?

Possible for Alexander in 1841 - family names tie up if they used the Scottish naming pattern:

1841 Scotland Census
about Mener Forbes
Name: Mener Forbes
[Alexer Forbes]
Age: 35
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1806
Gender: Male
Where born: Inverness, Scotland

Civil parish: Moy and Dalarossie
County: Inverness
Address: Krockandoo
Parish Number: 105
Household Members: Name Age
Donald Forbes 72
Janet Forbes 70
Mener Forbes 35
William Forbes 25
John Grant 40
Betsy Grant 30
John Grant 10
Janet Grant 6
Donald Grant 3
John Ross 12

If Donald was confused about his age in leaving Scotland, it could account for the discrepancy in his age at time of death too.
At this stage, all we know for certain that he was born in Scotland and his father was called Alexander, previously of Essendon and deceased at 1884.

I wondered about Alexander Forbes and Margaret McIntosh, only because a similar/possibly same couple materialise in Victoria in the 1860's
Based on the death of their daughter Margaret, this family had links to Essendon.

It is speculative at the moment, unfortunately with no difinitive proof.
After his marriage in 1884, Donald and his family moved to S.A and there is nothing that I could see within the names of his children that would provide any further evidence that he was the son of Alexander Forbes with Margaret McIntosh

To Anne and Potty

Many thanks for your help and hard work. I think Donald Forbes is the Scottish equivalent of John Smith! I sorry if some people think I didn't appreciate your help by not responsding immediately but I have a child with a disability and cannot always check for a response within an hour or two.

Your help was appreciated. I am trying to contact my husband's cousin to see if she knows anything.

Susan