My Sixteen – John William Giles - Part 2
What happened to him?
In Part 1, we were introduced John William Giles and his wife, Elizabeth Foreman, who lived in Sofala, central western New South Wales, Australia during the 1850s and ran a hotel, the Barley Mow. Their son, Larkin Foreman Giles, was born on 8 September 1862 in Sofala but John William Giles may have already left the area. His identity was hidden within the family for the next forty years. Larkin (Jack) Foreman Giles, grew up believing his stepfather, John Tangelder Gorus, was his biological father, and only learned the truth after his mother’s death. Now we will delve into who John William Giles was and what happened to him.
Whilst in Australia, John William Giles was consistently known by his full name. Assuming his wife, Elizabeth told the truth when she registered her son’s birth and named him as the father then he was John William Giles with a birthdate around 1819 from Surrey, England.
The only John William Giles baptised in Surrey around this time was the eldest son of John Pratt Giles and Mary Elizabeth Gibbs. He was baptised on 5 November 1817 at St Lawrence Church, Effingham, Surrey, England.[1] There were six children; John William Giles, Evelina Hannah Giles, Charles Pratt Giles, Frederick Sargeant Giles, Stephen James Giles, and Walter Jonathan Giles.[2] By 1841, they were living at Cobham, Surrey and their household included their niece, Louisa Giles.[3]
John Tangelder Gorus, who was to become Elizabeth’s second husband, was in Sofala from 1860 until 1863 when ‘Hunt and Gorus’ advertised themselves as photographic artists at 101 King Street, Sydney.[6] From 1864, J. T. Gorus continued as a photographer under his own name.[7]
Elizabeth Giles and J. T. Gorus tried to find John William Giles in 1867 because they wanted to marry. The law at the time allowed someone to remarry if their spouse was presumed dead because they had not been heard from for 7 years and they had made enquiries to find them without success.[8]
A notice appeared in the New South Wales Police Gazette on 27 March 1867 under ‘Missing Friends’ for information regarding:
John W. Giles, a native of Kingston, Surry, England, about 50 years of age, 5 feet 8 inches high, dark complexion; was seen about three years ago on board ‘The Queen of the Colonies’, trading between London and Brisbane, Queensland. He is supposed to have married in Queensland, and to be living in some part of that colony. Information to Inspector General of Police.[9]
The requester was ‘B. Giles care of Mr Gorus photographer Sydney’.[10] This was Elizabeth (Foreman) Giles, known as Betsy. ‘No trace’ was noted dated 13 September 1867.[11]
Another advertisement for a ‘Missing Friend’ in the Queensland Police Gazette of 1 May 1867 stated:
Missing friend; information is requested respecting John W. Giles, who left his wife seven years ago; six years since he went to England, where he remained a short time, and again returned to the colony; he again went to England (London), by the ‘Undaunted;’ is a native of Kingston, Surrey, England, about 49 or 50 years of age; supposed to have been on board the ‘Queen of the Colonies;’ was stated that he married again and settled in Queensland.[12]
If the advertisement was correct and John William Giles had left his wife in 1860, then Larkin Foreman Giles was not his son as he was born in September 1862. It is, however, possible these dates were ‘adjusted’ to ensure 7 years had elapsed so Elizabeth could remarry.
According to the Queensland Police Gazette, J. W. Giles was supposed to have gone back to England on the ship Undaunted, however Undaunted only came to Australia once in the 1860s. It left Plymouth on 11 April 1863 and arrived in Sydney on 13 July 1863.[13] It left Sydney for Calcutta on 22 August 1863 with four passengers on board but was wrecked near Cockburn Island, Queensland on 4 September 1863.[14] The crew and cargo were rescued by the barque Cornwallis.[15] There was a passenger, Mr J. Giles on the inbound journey but he was not one of the four passengers on the outbound journey.[16] If this was J. W. Giles, he arrived in Sydney in July 1863 but it is not known if he travelled to Sofala.
The ‘missing friend’ advertisement in the New South Wales Police Gazette on 27 March 1867 said he was seen on board The Queen of the Colonies circa 1864.[17] The Queen of the Colonies sailed from London on 25 June 1864 and arrived in Brisbane on 21 September 1864.[18] There were 442 passengers, most unnamed.[19] The Queen of the Colonies departed Brisbane on 20 November 1864 and arrived off Plymouth on 22 April 1865 with 3050oz of gold, a cargo of wool but no passengers.[20] It is unknown how Elizabeth knew this information about John William Giles, it may have been from his mother in England or she may have had someone investigate on her behalf.
On 10 January 1868, Elizabeth was married to John Tangelder Gorus by Reverend John Dunmore Lang at Scots Church, Sydney.[21] Elizabeth’s father, Larkin Foreman, was a witness. It was around this time that Elizabeth’s son Larkin Foreman Giles became known as John (Jack) Foreman Gorus and came to believe J. T. Gorus was his father. He would have been 5 years old.
There was a J. W. Giles who took his employer, R. McLennan, to court in Rockhampton, Queensland in February 1868 to claim £24 15s for work and labour.[22] The summons was not served so the case was not heard.[23] If this was John William Giles, he may well have been in Australia when his wife remarried.
The J. W. Giles in the Police Gazette was “a native of Kingston, Surrey”, which could mean born or lived there. The John William Giles in the 1871 England Census lived with his mother Mary Elizabeth (Gibbs) Giles and cousin Louisa Giles at No. 5 Albert Road West, Kingston in the parish of Kingston-upon-Thames.[24] The Head of the household was Mary E. Giles, a widow, aged 76, an annuitant, born in Cobham, Surrey.[25] Louisa Giles, niece of Mary, was 38 years, unmarried, with no occupation listed, born in Merton, Surrey.[26] John W. Giles was unmarried, aged 54, a carman, born in Effingham, Surrey.[27] A carman was a driver of a horse-drawn vehicle to transport goods.[28]
John William Giles died on 24 January 1872 and was buried on 29 January 1872.[29] His father, John Pratt Giles, had died on 29 April 1865.[30] His mother, Mary Elizabeth (Gibbs) Giles died on 21 January 1878.[31] They are all buried in the same plot at Kingston Cemetery, Bonner Hill Road, Kingston-upon-Thames.[32] They did not leave a will.
The Effingham born John William Giles does not appear in the 1841, 1851 or 1861 Census for England and Wales when it is believed he was in Australia. There are no other John William Giles’ that lived in Kingston that appear in the 1861 or 1871 Census that match age, birth date, birth location or family members that could be the man in the advertisement.[33] This does not in itself constitute absolute confirmation of his identity, but it is one more piece of evidence.
Although J. W. Giles reportedly married again, there are no marriages in Queensland or New South Wales for a John William Giles during this period. There are three marriages for a John Giles in Queensland from 1860-1872, however none match his birth or death dates or his parent’s names, and some had children beyond J. W. Giles’ death in 1872.[34] There are a number of marriages in England during this period for a John William Giles with a father John but they all signed with a ‘mark’ whereas the John William Giles under discussion could read and write.[35] It can be confirmed with some degree of certainty that the Effingham born John William Giles was the man who married Elizabeth Foreman but was he Larkin Foreman Giles’ father? DNA may hold the answer.
[1] Ancestry.com. Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Anglican Parish Registers. Woking, Surrey, England: Surrey History Centre. John William Giles, Baptism, 5 November 1817; Effingham, Surrey, England, Ref. No. EFF/4/1, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=4772.
[2] Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=9841; Ancestry.com. Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Anglican Parish Registers. Woking, Surrey, England: Surrey History Centre, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=4772.
[3] Ancestry.com. 1841 Census Record for John Pratt Giles, Surrey, England, TNA, HO107/1071 Book 1 Folio 19 Page 35, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=8978.
[4] ‘Lancashire Relief Fund’, Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal (NSW : 1851-1904), Wednesday 1 October 1962, 3.
[5] ‘England in Difficulties’, Leader (Melbourne, Victoria; 1862-1918), Saturday 11 January 1862, 10.
[6] ‘Hunt and Gorus’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 12 February 1863, 1.
[7] ‘Business Cards: Central Photographic Gallery’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 13 January 1872, 9; Davies & Stanbury, The Mechanical Eye in Australia, 187.
[8] Henry Finlay, To have but not to hold: A history to marriage and divorce in Australia 1858-1975, (Annandale: The Federation Press, 2005), 30-31.
[9] Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1854-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: New South Wales Government. Police Gazettes. Series 10958, Reels 3129-3143, 3594-3606. State Records Authority of New South Wales. Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia; ‘Missing Friends’, New South Wales Police Gazette, 27 March 1867, 104, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1942.
[10] State Records NSW; Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia: Register of Enquiries made by the Detective Police 1859-83, NRS 10968, 4/5719; SR Reel 3041, 102.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Findmypast.com.au Queensland Police Gazette Index 1864-1874, Queensland Family History Society Inc., Vol IV, 33, http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/queensland-police-gazettes.
[13] ‘Shipping Arrivals: July 13’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 14 July 1863, 4.
[14]‘Departures: 22 August 1863’, Sydney Mail (Sydney, NSW), 29 August 1863, p. 9; ‘Shipping Intelligence’, Argus (Melbourne, Vic), 17 December 1863, 4.
[15] ‘Shipping Intelligence’, Argus (Melbourne, Vic), 17 December 1863, 4.
[16] Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters, Number on Reel: 36, 15 July 1863, Undaunted, http://marinersandships.com.au. Source: State Records Authority of New South Wales: Shipping Master's Office; Passengers Arriving 1855 - 1922; NGS 13278, [X127] reel 411. Transcription shows Mr J. Gile however original scanned copy on this website shows the ‘s’ in some names ending in ‘s’ to curve under, therefore name is Mr J. Giles; ‘Shipping: Freights for London’, Courier (Brisbane, Qld), 29 December 1863, 2.
[17] Ancestry.com. New South Wales Police Gazette, 27 March 1867, 104.
[18] Ibid; ‘The Queen of the Colonies’, Courier (Brisbane, Qld), 23 September 1864, 2; ‘Shipping Intelligence: Arrivals’, Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Ipswich, Qld), 24 September 1864, 2.
[19] ‘The Queen of the Colonies’, Courier (Brisbane, Qld), 23 September 1864, 2.
[20] ‘Brisbane: Departures’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), 22 November 1864, 4; Merriott Families Genealogy. https://merriottfamiliesgenealogy.net; ‘Australia: Plymouth, Saturday’, London Evening Standard (London, England), 24 April 1865, 5.
[21] New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Marriage Certificate of John Tangelder Gorus and Elizabeth Giles (Registration Number 65/1868).
[22] ‘The civil causes for trial are’, Rockhampton Bulletin and Central Queensland Advertiser (Rockhampton, Qld), 18 February 1868, 2.
[23] ‘Civil Sittings’, Northern Argus (Rockhampton, Qld), 29 February 1868, 2.
[24] Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871. 1871 Census Record for John W. Giles, Kingston, Surrey, England, TNA, Class: RG10, Piece: 859, Folio: 47, Page: 29, GSU roll: 827763, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=7619.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Victorian Occupations and Job Descriptions, http://www.victorianoccupations.com/occupations-c.php.
[29] Ancestry.com. Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.Original data: Anglican Parish Registers. Woking, Surrey, England: Surrey History Centre, Reference Number: P33/1/34, No. 2114. Burial Register for John William Giles, buried 29 January 1872, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=4786; Burial records at Kingston and Surbiton Cemeteries ranging from 1855 to 2003, Church of England, Section C, Grave 440.
[30] Ancestry.com. Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Anglican Parish Registers. Woking, Surrey, England: Surrey History Centre, Reference Number; P33/1/34, No. 94, Burial Register for John Pratt Giles, buried 4 May 1865, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=4786; Burial records at Kingston and Surbiton Cemeteries ranging from 1855 to 2003, Church of England, Section C, Grave 440, https://www.kingston.gov.uk/directory/20/grave_records.
[31] Ancestry.com. Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Anglican Parish Registers. Woking, Surrey, England: Surrey History Centre, Reference Number; P33/1/35, No. 1259, Burial Register for Mary Elizabeth Giles, buried 25 January 1878, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=4786; Burial records at Kingston and Surbiton Cemeteries ranging from 1855 to 2003, Church of England, Section C, Grave 440.
[32] Burial records at Kingston and Surbiton Cemeteries ranging from 1855 to 2003, Church of England, Section C, Grave 440.
[33] Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=8767; Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871. http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=7619.
[34] New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Marriage Index entry for John Giles and Mary McDougall (1863, 2896); Jane Wilson (1864, 2910); Mary St George (1871, 3091). https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/marriages?9; Ancestry.com. Ancestry Family Trees. Walker Family, Owner: Griffin1941. q.v. John Giles (1839-1898) married Mary McDougall 1863; Ancestry.com. Ancestry Family Trees. Ian Giles Family Tree, Owner: irgiles48. q.v. John Giles (1830-1885) married Jane Wilson 1864; Ancestry.com. Ancestry Family Trees. Corne, Roberts, Allman, St George Family Tree, Owner: geoffanddi. q.v. John Giles (1827-1904) married Mary St George 1871; Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Queensland Government, Marriage Index entry for John Giles and Ellen Mercer (1864, C93), https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/queryEntry.m?type=marriages; Ancestry.com. Ancestry Family Trees. Harris-Thomas_Derksen Family 2024-10-28, Owner: BillTh10. q.v. John Giles (1838-1931) married Ellen Mercer, 1864. Accessed 12 Dec 2024.
[35]Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Church of England Parish Registers, 1754-1921. London Metropolitan Archives, London, http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1623.
Definitely a puzzle requiring some DNA evidence to sort it out!