The original info for this tree was derived from an unclear photocopy of an incomplete tree of unknown origin which has proved to be inaccurate too (!) so the full picture is only now becoming clear, aided and abetted particularly by Jane Trotman, Janina Trotman & Anna Edwards. However, there's still a long way to go so ....

Joseph Thomas Beckwith - Birth in 1854 is shown on tree as "UK" and a matching birth record for him has now been found in Holborn (central London) in Dec qtr of 1854 plus a baptism at St Giles in Camberwell on 17th Dec 1854. Shown on tree as having died 25th Dec 1930 and a matching death record has been found in Perth, Western Australia .... so when his parents moved from Adelaide c1883, he (and most other siblings too) migrated to the far west with them.

Marriage to Francis Emma BENNETT (1874-1953) is recorded as being in 1896 and the birth of a daughter Birdie/Bertha in 1898 - see 10-9.1 below.  

In the 1910 Electoral Roll for South Fremantle, Joseph Thomas is shown as a butcher and the couple are living at 187 Alexander Road which presumably is not too far away from his brother James Henry Beckwith (9.3 below) who appears in the list for the same district at North Lake.

She married Charles Edwin RALPH on 8 June 1876 in Adelaide. This marriage opened up a huge can of family history worms as most people claim that Charles Edwin Ralph married a Harriet Mary Williams in Helston Cornwall in 1884. Research revealed that there were actually three Charles Ralphs born in Helston between 1852 and 1857 - Charles Edwin, plain Charles and Charles Edward in date order but the situation isn't helped by them appearing in censuses variously as plain Charles, Charles E or even just Edward. Anyway, it was actually Charles Edward who in 1884 took the hand of young Harriet Williams in Helston.  

Charles Edwin Ralph was born in Helston in March/April 1852, one of the very many children of James Ralph (1822-1874, a butcher in Meneague Street in the centre of Helston) and Eliza Toy (1822-1865, also of Helston). Both these parents are further confirmed by Charles's death record in Blackburn, Victoria, Australia in 1938 at the age of 86. He didn't follow his father's trade for in the 1871 census he is shown (in Helston) as a 'Whitesmith' - a Blacksmith who tends to work with whiter metals like tin rather than iron  - and he is consistently shown as a 'Blacksmith' after arrival in Adelaide, South Australia. However, trade was not good there or indeed in Mallala (40 miles north) and he was declared bankrupt just 5 yeas after marrying Annie - 

'In re Charles Edwin Ralph, of Adelaide, Blacksmith — Final hearing. The accountant reported :—" Liabilities, £130 5s.5d.; assets, book debts, £4 10s. 51; deficiency. £125 15s. The insolvent kept a blacksmith's shop from May 2, 1881  till October 24 1882.  The gross takings for the whole period appear to have been £694 11s. 71, and the expenses for material, wages, &c amount to £760 2s. He owed at starting £30 Is. 56., and the cash account does not balance by £30 3s. 21 = £820 6s. 71;  deficiency, £125 15s.  Since October the insolvent has earned about £36, and has not added to his indebtedness. Cause of insolvency—Not having done enough business to make a living out of. The books kept were sufficient for insolvent's purposes." A second class certificate was awarded.'

South Australian Advertiser – 4th April 1883

James Henry Beckwith - b 8th April 1860 in Adelaide, d 1950 in Perth, WA

Presumably he moved west from Adelaide to the Perth area of WA at about the same time as most of his family for in 1903  he married Sabina Josephine Mar(ia) MORAN (1882-1966) in Fremantle.  According to her death record in Perth, her parents were Bernard J Moran and Anne.

In the 1910 Electoral Roll for South Fremantle, he is shown as a farmer, they are living at North Lake and she is shown as 'Robert Sabina Beckwith - female'. Hmm. In later electoral rolls when they were in North Perth, James is shown as a 'pipe fitter' right up to 1947, the last available edition before he died.

For their children, please see 10-9.3 below

Harriet Mary - b 2nd Mar 1862 in Adelaide. 

Omitted from the original tree, like Emily below, she is reported in the South Australian Register as having married in Adelaide by licence (as 2nd daughter of Joseph Beckwith of Adelaide) on 25th March 1883 one W R OWEN of Liverpool.  The marriage record gives his full name as William Rennison Owen, son of John Owen. 

Nothing further is known. Did she stay in SA rather than move with the family later that year to WA? Presumably we can rule out the Harriet Owen nee Beckwith, widow of William Owen, who is claiming a widow's pension in July 1883 in Michigan, USA ?

Emily Haines Beckwith - b 2nd April 1864 in Adelaide. The 'Haines' comes from her grandmother Ann nee Haines who died in central London in 1833.

On 12th Feb 1881 at the tender age of 16 and 'at the residence of Mr Tibly Laura' in Queensland she married Henry Davy EDWARDS (1855 - 1922) and between Nov 1881 and 1899 they had eight children .... some of whose descendents are still in Brisbane.

Emily died in hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1910 at the age of 46. 

For more info on their offspring & descendents, please see the Edwards-Meagher family tree on Ancestry.com.au 

Sydney Herbert Frederick Beckwith - b 19th Oct 1865 in Adelaide

Married 11 Aug 1890 in Adeaide one Mary Ada Lovell, dau of Charles Thomas LOVELL.

He died in S Aus between 1916 and 1925.

Died aged 10 in Norwood, Adelaide on 28th March 1878

Edwin Charles Beckwith - b 13th May 1869 in the Portland Estate district of Adelaide. 

In Yalgoo, W Aus in 1898 he married Emily Ann USHER (1865-1959 or 1875-1960 from another source) and had 3 children. The problem now is who they were because there are at least 2 different full stories :
- The original tree showed Alice, Winsome and Decima with the 1st two as having married a CLAYTON-SMITH and a COLE respectively. Sadly little can be verified with WA BMD records as there are no traces of Alice or Winsome at all while a Decima A O Beckwith was born in Esperence in 1914 and married a John H HILTON in 1936 but neither record shows parental details.
- A member's tree on Ancestry lists Arthur Edwin Beckwith (1898-1898), Lionel Morris Beckwith (1903- ) and Evelyn Myrtle Winifred (1905 - ) with no more detail. WA records confirm that Evelyn married a Frederick C COLES in 1924 which is close to the COLE shown in the tree for "Winsome" but there are no mentions of the other two.
- Another tree lists just one daughter - Emily Alice Fortescu (sic) Beckwith b1898. Hmm ! 
.... so the truth is probably that Winsome is Evelyn Myrtle Winifred but hopefully more light will shine upon this story one day !

Given that Edwin Charles and  his 1st cousin Edward Charles were always being confused with one another, the following possibly relates to Edwin....

South Australian Police Gazette of 1st Jun 1881 reads - "Edward Charles Beckwith, Nathaniel Blackeby and Daniel William Osbourne (arrested) by foot constable Dunlevie for pigeon stealing from John Nile at Adelaide. Ordered to be Whipped"

South Australian Police Gazette 23 May 1883 (same entry also appears 8 June) - "Edward Charles Beckworth, Peter McCardell, Charles Square and Frederick Zeuner (arrested) by foot constables Lawton and Edwards for Pidgeon stealing from Arthur Green at Adelaide. Beckworth and McCardell sent to reformatory, Square and Zeuner ordered to be whipped."

Is it a pure coincidence that Edwin's sister Emily Haines Beckwith married an Edwards? 

Jane Beckwith - b 9th Jul 1871 in Adelaide. 

Married in Christ Church, Geraldton, W Australia.on 6th March 1899 to Thomas Hall MOORE (6th Aug 1875 to 11th Jan 1915)  They had 5 daughters (one named Maude Australian Moore in 1910 in Blackwood WA and another surviving until 1996) and one son - Thomas Joseph Moore (who died age 2).  

John died of Typhoid and the extra handwritten note (above) against occupation = clerk reads 'Tally clerk at Geraldton Jetty'. Jane died on 18 Aug 1954 in Geraldton, WA .

Alice Springs Beckwith - b 23rd Aug 1873 in Adelaide, died 1950 in Freemantle WA.

One family source says that James and Joseph Beckwith fell out over money matters and contact between the two 'sides' does seem to have been lost rather quickly after they arrived in Australia. However, it is an appealing thought that Alice was possibly named in memory of James who died the previous year as a direct result of having worked on the building the south-north telegraph line during which Alice Springs was discovered.

In 1903 and again in 1906 Alice appears in the Electoral roll for Geraldton, WA, on "domestic duties" in Marine Terrace together with her mother Elizabeth Maria Beckwith..

On 15th July 1906 in Geraldton, Alice married Albert Howard TROTMAN - b 5th Dec 1877 in Berlin, Victoria, died in Freemantle either in 1942 (death record) or 3rd May 1944 (Ancestry tree). He was one of the 13 children of John Trotman (1833-1916) & Susanna HOWARD (1842-1918), both born in London, UK and who emigrated c1865.

They had at least two children - see 10-9.10

She married William James HIGGS in Perth in 1931 when she is shown as 'Bertha' but in the Electoral Rolls both before and after marriage she is shown as 'Birdie' - in 1925 as Birdie Beckwith, a 'typiste' living with her parents at 97 Wray Avenue, Fremantle and in 1931 as Birdie Higgs with her husband, a carpenter, at 234 Sterling St, Fremantle plus again in 1937 as Birdie Higgs with carpenter William at 183 Thomas St, Subiaco, West Perth.

No deaths or other info found.

No marriage or death records found so nothing more known.

Later in 1903 she married Dirk KREYTS although the marriage transcriptions give his Christian name as either Dvik or Dire. No comment. Dirk was born in 1874 in Collingwood, Victoria, the son of Dirk Kreyts (1842-1911) and Alieda Reitman (1843-1878 who also appears as Aleda and Elida in some Victoria records). Both are believed to have been from the Shiedam area of Holland and had emigrated in 1869 after their marriage. Alieda died in childbirth when son Dirk was just 4 years old and Dirk snr re-married some years later so the misinterpretation of this in some Ancestry trees just has to be seen to be believed. For example, one tree has just one Dirk, aged 115 when he died while another has him marrying his daughter-in-law !

In 1909 the couple are living at 187 Smith St in Fitzroy, he a hairdresser and she on 'home duties' and in 1949 the situation was just the same except that they were then at 149 Buckingham St in Richmond. Dirk died in Richmond in 1953 but no death record has yet been traced for an Emily Kreyts.   

He married Mary Violet Victoria ARMSTRONG in Victoria in 1905 (b1882, daughter of Peter Armstrong & Annie RANSOM). By 1914 the couple were living at Frankston, Flinders, he a blacksmith and she on home duties and the situation was unchanged in 1931 except that they were then at Haig St, Mornington.

Charles Edwin Ralph died in 1948 in Parkville, Victoria aged 67 while Mary Violet Victoria Ralph died in 'Park' (same as Parkville ?), Victoria in 1956. Offspring not traced.

In 1905 in Victoria she married Walter ALLAN (b1874 in Victoria and shown as 'Walt Allan' on the marriage record). He was the son of  Walter Innes Allan (1840-1903) and Elizabeth Gillingham (1840-1908) (parents from swannman5's public member tree). 

Annie died aged 23 in 1906 in Richmond, Victoria after just a year of marriage with no known offspring while Walter probably died in 1933 in Mount Park, Melbourne aged 59. It is possible that Walter re-married (poss twice) as there are marriage records for 'Walt Allan' in Victoria to Flor Whittaker in 1911 and Olive Stanford in 1920. 

No marriage or death records can be found.

He married Esther Amy LOWRIE in Perth in 1929 and in 1936 the couple are listed at Election Road, Bussleton, Sussex, Forrest WA, he shown as a clerk and she 'home duties'. In the following years they move about quite regularly and by 1954 they are at 59 Ellesmere St, Mt Hawthorne, Stirling, WA, he still as a clerk (although reverse listed as Reginald James), and now with them is their eldest son, James, listed as a printer. In 1958, after James Reg snr's death in 1956, Esther Amy is still at the same address in 1958 as is her son James. 

No birth record has been positively traced for Esther but, given the penchant for swapping 1st and middle names, a possible is an Amy E Lowrie in 1910 in Mt Margaret, WA. No death has been found for her & the other offspring listed on the old tree are untraced.   

In 1929 he married Doris RITTER (1908-1966) in Perth, daughter of Ernest & Louisa RITTER.

In 1954 the family is living at what looks like Lot 600, Hope Ave, Manning Park in Swan, South Perth with Roy listed as a Brewery Worker and son Kevin Roy Beckwith as an Airman. By 1958 the house is number 10, Hope Ave, both men are now in the brewery and they are joined by Kevin's bride, Florence Adeline Beckwith. No trace has so far been found of a daughter 'Lynette' shown on the original tree but this could very possibly have been her second Christian name so, with so many W Aus Beckwiths similarly middle-named, it's needle in haystack time.  

In 1937 she was on 'home duties' living at 19 Commonwealth Ave in the Balkatta district of Fremantle but in 1943 she was on 'home duties' with her brother Arthur William (below - no occupation) and their parents (James & Sabina) at 58 View Street, North Perth. There was no change in 1947 except that Arthur was no longer with them.

She married at age 37 in 1950 (presumably just after her father had died) one Baynard Vivian HITCHENS but 4 years later she was on the Electoral Roll back on 'home duties' at 58 View Street as Ivy Victoria Hitchons (v poor transcript) and again in 1963, more clearly this time, as Hitchens. In both years, Baynard Vivian Hitchens was living at 48 Bulwer Street with no occupation listed. .

She died in Perth in 1967 age 54, he in 1964 age 60. No offspring found. 

No marriage found and no wife or offspring shown on original tree. See Ivy above for his location up to 1943. From 1949 he is listed as a clerk initially at Chandler, Toodyay in Moore, WA; in 1954 he's at Carnarvon, Gascoyne, Kalgoorlie while in 1958 he is back in Perth at Parliament Place. 

'Howard' TROTMAN b 1907 in Geraldton, WA

As is mentioned elsewhere, Howard and his wife visited London in the late 1970s and they spent some time researching at Goldsmiths, the results of which were the first really comprehensive picture of the family. However, all that was really known this end was that Howard married a Joy and both died in 1985 not long after making initial contact with English Beckwiths when visiting London and that they had two sons, Colin & Keith (Roger Beckwith). 

Transpires that Howard was officially Albert Howard Trotman (after his father), his wife was Joy Edeline Irene SCOTT and that they had in fact had three sons, Colin Howard & Keith Eugene as above plus Murray Scott, the youngest, who died aged almost 14 on 30th Jan 1958. Joy was born in 1912 in Bunbury in the Wellington registration district of Western Australia, one of at least seven children of Eugene Henry William Scott (1882-1937) and Grace Campbell Hill Forest (1888-1950). Both Howard & Joy Trotman died in 1985 in Applecross, WA, he on August 13th aet 78, she on June 27th aet 73.

As noted elsewhere, Colin Trotman has inherited the Goldsmith's Freedom doc of 1854 of "Joseph, son of Robert William", which confirms which Joseph it was who emigrated to Australia. Colin still lives in Perth while Keith has lived in California for some years.

On 21st March 1940 she married a Mr Cooper and she died on 27th April 1994 in Perth, WA 

No known offspring.

These cells are being left blank in the hope that more data will be forthcoming in the future !

 Generation 11

 Generation 12