Happy Birthday Fred Astaire!
Happy birthday to American singer and actor Fred Astaire, born Frederick Austerlitz on this day, 10th May, in 1899!
Here he is on the 1920 US Census with his parents Anna and Fred and sister Adele. The family had moved to New York after their father lost his job to launch the show biz career of the children, creating a brother-and-sister act.
Fred Astaire’s film career spanned 76 years, during which he made 31 films. He died in 1987.
New research from Ancestry reveals that New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson’s grandfather had a brush with the author of the Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.
The story began in World War I with Peter’s grandfather, William John Jackson, who fought at the bloody Battle of the Somme with the South Wales Borderers’ second battalion.
On July 24, 1916, a young Tolkien arrived at the Somme. He would share many of William’s frontline experiences.
William did some reconnaissance work there and his battalion was relieved by the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, who Tolkien was with.
William, born in 1889, survived the war and won a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his efforts on the Western Front. His record from the British Army WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 is shown above.
Tolkien went on to publish The Hobbit, a prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy, in 1937.
William John Jackson died in England in 1940 while his son, William Arthur, was serving in World War II.
Today marks 100 years since the death of Dracula author Abraham “Bram” Stoker. He died in 1912 aged 64 and can be found in our England & Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills & Administrations) 1861 – 1941.
As you can see from the record above, he left effects of GBP4723 to his wife Florence – approximately AUD$670,000 in today’s money - a considerable amount compared to the others listed on the record.
His wealth is also reflected in the 1891 England Census (shown below) where he appears with his wife and two servants – Mary Drinkwater, listed as a Cook and Ada Howard, a 22 year old house/parlourmaid. Stoker was a busy man, his occupation noted as Barrister, Theatrical Manager and Author.
Amazing how much information you can get from historical records!
Happy Birthday Charlie Chaplin! Born on 16 April 1889 in England, there is no official record of his birth but we did find him on the 1891 England Census, aged 2. He’s listed with his mother Hannah and brother Sydney John. Entertaining evidently ran in the family with his mother’s occupation noted as “professional singer music”.
After hearing the distress signals, the Carpathia ship took 4 hours to reach the Titanic and brought aboard the 710 survivors. The youngest passenger on the ship - Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean, aged 2 months and 23 days, was one of the survivors. Elizabeth went on to become the last remaining survivor of the Titanic before her death in 2009 and is shown in the Titanic Survivors, Carpathia Passenger List, 1912 above.
You can search the Titanic Collection free on Ancestry.com.au until 31 May 2012.
The sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912 took the lives of 1517 people. American Colonel John Jacob Astor IV was the richest passenger onboard the Titanic, with a fortune estimated at around $150 million (more than $102 billion in 2011 dollars). He did not survive when the ship sank and is one of the many listed in the UK, RMS Titanic, Deaths at Sea, 1912 collection.
You can search the Titanic Collection free on Ancestry.com.au until 31 May 2012.
The UK, RMS Titanic, Crew Records, 1912 includes records for crew members onboard the Titanic. Harold Godfrey Lowe was a Fifth Officer on the Titanic and was asleep in his quarters when the ship hit the iceberg at 11.49PM. He soon awakened and got straight to work, loading one of the life boats. Lowe’s boat was the only boat to return for survivors and he was later presented with a gold watch in recognition of his bravery and gallant services on that fateful night.
You can search the Titanic Collection free on Ancestry.com.au until 31 May 2012.
The RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, bound for New York City on 10 April 1912. The UK, RMS Titanic, Outward Passenger List, 1912 contains passenger lists for those who boarded in Southhampton and Queenstown, Ireland. The oldest passenger onboard the Titanic was Johan Svensson, aged 74, who was a 3rd class passenger who did not survive the disaster. He is shown in the Passenger List above.
You can search the Titanic Collection free on Ancestry.com.au until 31 May 2012.
The Belfast Newsletter, 1738–1925 collection contains images from an Irish newspaper, the Belfast Newsletter. These records chronicle almost two centuries of Irish history including the Great Famine, World War 1 and a bizarre sounding wedding! The article (shown above) reports on a wedding between a Mr Sutherland, 94 and Miss Stone, 16. It notes “The bridegroom was carried into church in an arm chair, and was supported by two men during the ceremony”. Not something you would see at an average wedding!
Our FREE Sydney Harbour Bridge Construction, 1922-1933 collection contains over 2000 photos of the building of the iconic bridge. It also includes a sketch of the Cantilever Bridge (shown above) which was submitted for tender. How different Sydney would look today if this design had been chosen!
Visit Ancestry.com.au
