Genealogy Chat

I am trying to piece together some family history related to my great-grandfather, George Scarvell (b. 1845). The problem I have is that Scarvell was almost certainly not his real name; we think he worked as a coachman for a prominent family with that name in the Windsor area on New South Wales, and at some stage took their surname, with our without permission. He later joined the NSW police force under the Scarvell name and used it throughout his life, on his marriage certificate & the birth certificates for his children. He died in 1902. There is no record of his birth, using the date he used on various certificates, or the conflicting places he quoted as his birthplace.
His son, William George Scarvell (b. 1876) was my grandfather.
If anyone has some information, or even some clues as to how to track this man, I'd appreciate it.

where have you seen him with another name- maybe he was just the poor relation that the richer rellies employed

Don't forget , you can call yourself what ever you like, with very limited proviso

Name: Alice Maud Scarvell
Gender: Female
Christening Date: 25 Oct 1881
Christening Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: George Scarvell
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Margaret Johnson
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C00342-4
System Origin: Australia-EASy
GS Film number: 992733
Reference ID: 1404

Never seen another name for him, that's a large part of the problem. He could have been an illegitimate son of one of the real Scarvells, that is one possibility. Doesn't help know who he really was, tho, unless you can be sure he was illegitimate.

Possible marriage
Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1950 about George Scarvell
Name: George Scarvell
Spouse Name: Margaret Johnston
Marriage Date: 1874
Marriage Place: New South Wales
Registration Place: Bathurst, New South Wales
Registration Year: 1874
Registration number: 1735

This is the only birth I could find, maybe to early for your George.

, 1788-1922 about George Scarvell
Name: George Scarvell
Birth Date: 1834
Father's Name: John L Scarvell
Mother's Name: Sarah
Birth Place: New South Wales
Registration Year: 1834
Registration Place: Sydney, New South Wales
Volume Number: V1834428 129

Or this marriage

Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1950 about George Scarvell
Name: George Scarvell
Spouse Name: Mary Amelia Anne Stewart
Marriage Date: 1871
Marriage Place: New South Wales
Registration Place: Windsor, New South Wales
Registration Year: 1871
Registration number: 3801

The marriage of George Scarvell & Margaret Johnston is OK, that's my GGfather; but the birth of George Scarvell quoted above is from the family I was referring to, the well-to-do landowners in the Windsor area.

I'm pretty-much convinced that he was an employee of the Windsor Scarvells for a couple of reasons: he called onbe of his children Jessie and there was a daughter of the Windsor Scarvells called Jessie, who went on to become a famous landscape painter. I don't think it's a coincidence. BUT...it still doesn't tell me who my GGfather really was.

According to a tree on Ancestry, the birth that Sylvia has posted for George, is the George who married Mary Amelia Anne Stewart. The tree has his death in 1877.

Do you have George's marriage certificate?