Genealogy Chat

Ryerson has Peter's death, fairly recently:

COUSINS Peter Death notice 10MAR2008 Publication Herald Sun (Melbourne) 10MAR2008
COUSINS Peter Churchill Death notice 06MAR2008 Death 79 Herald Sun (Melbourne) 08MAR2008
COUSINS Peter Churchill Funeral notice 19MAR2008 Funeral Herald Sun (Melbourne) 14MAR2008


The last date is the published date. I would day he died 6th March. You can request a lookup from the site's homepage. Should list next of kin. :-)

Enjoy your weekend!

I have just had a look on Google Earth at 38 Macpherson street, Dandenong. Would you believe that the next road up is Ronald Avenue. Joan

will do MarieCeleste, I'm away this weekend but will look into it next week. Thanks Joan

Australian Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980
Name: Peter Churchill Cousins
Gender: Male
Electoral Year: 1954
State: Victoria
District: La Trobe
Subdistrict: Dandenong

He's a clerk and is living with Constance Vere W Cousins

(Have tracked him through to 1980 ER, by which time he's married)

Joan - why don't you send off for the marriage certificate of Ronald Cousins and Constance Vere Ward Reid in Australia. I'm sure one of our Australian helpers will advise you on how to do so. That
should prove conclusively one way or the other if we're following the right people (I'm 99.99% sure that we are!)

I wish I could uncover something that gives me a clue to Ronalds place of residence in Aus Cherilyn. If that is him then him having a child is a suprise to me. Yes his mothers maiden name was Churchill, his father married twice but never had children by his second wife.
The photo album I found contains no photos from Aus, and although various unknown babies are named in there I don't remember a Peter, but he may never have been brought to England.
The big puzzle here is still why Ronalds wife is always refered to as Bea.
Thanks to all who have helped in this, yet another good reason to get older relations to write down all their family memories. Joan :-D

Just noticed Churchill was his mother Emily's maiden name!

This is the newspaper notice for the Ronald who died in 1947 in Victoria (from NLA Trove site):

The Argus, Thursday 4 December 1947
COUSINS. —On December 2, at his home, 38 Macpherson street, Dandenong, Ronald Cousins, late R. E. Signals, 1st A. I. F. , the dearly beloved husband of Constance Vere Ward Cousins, and loving father of Peter Churchill, aged 52 years. (Privately cremated Springvale Crematorium, December 3.)

This does make him born 1895, but states he served in the Australian forces in WWI. Can't find his enlistment.

Not sure if Peter was a son of Constance's from a previous marriage? or if Churchill was his middle name?

How nice to have those keepsakes Joan.

I'd hoped we could tie up every last little detail of this mystery for you.

My mother had two old autograph books, amazing reading!! I have just had a look through them and found one with a water colour painting from Uncle Ronald and Bea. So it looks like she was always refered to as Bea. I assumed it was short for Beatrice, wrongly it seems. I am convinced that Bea was some form of nickname or pet name,
J

Just looking at it from another viewpoint - the inscription on the photo says

"In loving memory of our beloved Ronald.
Yours as always Bea"

Bea might have sent the photo, but it may not be her IN the photo. Perhaps Bea was another relative who had a photo of Ronald with his wife, and sent it to Lillian after Ronald's death. The term could be used in the same way as we'd say "beloved mother" or "beloved brother".

The Ronald that married Beatrice was born c1917.

It is possible that he was also related to the family as names were passed down so perhaps a child of Ronald seniors siblings or even his fathers siblings?

Oh LK - we both returned at the same time (I hadn't refreshed screen) thinking the same thing!

This one has got my head in a spin!

I know this marriage has already been posted:

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1935
Cousins Ronald A Rhodes Devonport 5b 819
Rhodes Beatrice H M Cousins Devonport 5b 819

I think it mightn't be right for a number of reasons:

On no other record does Ronald have initial "A"
It's probably too late as "Bea" was with him in gran's garden around 1926/7

That Beatrice then married again in 1953:

England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
Name: Beatrice H M Cousins
Spouse : Eric H Tench
Date of registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1953
Registration district: Plymouth
Inferred County: Devonshire
Volume Number: 7a
Page Number: 1280

She was probably too young to have been with Ronald in the 1920s:

England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
Name: Beatrice H M Tench
Birth Date: abt 1922
Date of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1955
Age at Death: 33
Registration district: Plymouth
Inferred County: Devon
Volume: 7a
Page: 472

I think the age at death needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as she'd have only been 13 when she married in 1935.

Marriages Mar 1915
Rhodes James Williams Devonport 5b 681
Williams Clara Rhodes Devonport 5b 681

Beatrices mother was maiden nam Williams and born Devonport so

possible siblings

Births Sep 1915
Rhodes Lilian M Williams Devonport 5b 433
Births Mar 1917
Rhodes Beatrice H M Williams Devonport 5b 412
Births Mar 1921
Rhodes James E Williams Devonport 5b 478
Births Sep 1923
Rhodes Kitty C Williams Devonport 5b 449

England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005 about Beatrice H M Rhodes
Name: Beatrice H M Rhodes
Mother's Maiden Surname: Williams
Date of registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1917
Registration district: Devonport
Inferred County: Devonshire
Volume Number: 5b
Page Number: 412



England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005 about Beatrice H M Rhodes
Name: Beatrice H M Rhodes
Spouse Surname: Cousis
Date of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1935
Registration district: Devonport
Inferred County: Devonshire
Volume Number: 5b
Page Number: 819

possible death for Ronald
Deaths Jun 1943 (>99%)
COUSINS Ronald 27 Taunton 5c 274

England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005 about Beatrice H M Rhodes
Name: Beatrice H M Rhodes
Spouse Surname: Tench
Date of registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1953
Registration district: Plymouth
Inferred County: Devonshire
Volume Number: 7a
Page Number: 1280

England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005 about Beatrice H M Cousins
Name: Beatrice H M Cousins
Spouse Surname: Tench
Date of registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1953
Registration district: Plymouth
Inferred County: Devonshire
Volume Number: 7a
Page Number: 1280

England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005 about Beatrice H M Tench
Name: Beatrice H M Tench
Birth Date: abt 1922
Date of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1955
Age at Death: 33
Registration district: Plymouth
Inferred County: Devon
Volume: 7a
Page: 472

Have found 2 possible children for Rhodes/Cousins and Tench marriage.

Beatrice has not left the Plymouth area for her major life events and appears to be too young to be married to Ronald!!!

May be worth following Beatrice.
Only way to be sure is the certificates.

Hi MarieCeleste, will certainly give that site a go, thanks for the tip.
The photo that started this investigation is in a cardboard folder, but after I removed it (no damage caused) I found written on the back-
To Lillian (my Grandma)
In loving memory of our beloved Ronald.
Yours as always Bea x
I have looked twice and it is Bea not Ve. Could have been a nickname.
Joan

This would be her birth:

Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922
Name: Constance Vere Ward Reid
Birth Date: 26 Jan 1897
Father's Name: George William Reid
Mother's name: Annie Nichols
Birth Place: Renmark
Registration Place: Burra, South Australia
Page Number: 41
Volume Number: 599

Joan, Ancestry has a spin-off site called Mundia and it's completely free.

You can't search records like BMD and census but you can search and view all public Ancestry trees and contact the tree owners. It's very useful.
Here's the link http://www.mundia.com/gb/

Out of curiosity, where did you get Ronald's wife's name as Bea? Constance's full name was Constance Vere Reid Ward so wonder if she used Vere which could sound a bit similar.