Lydia was born 17th March 1863 in London. She travelled as a baby with her mother Ann Lydia Chidgey (nee Townley)and paternal grandparents,to New Zealand in 1863. Her parents separated about 1868/1869. I believe she was taken to live with her father Cornelius Chidgey (a carpenter) in Melbourne in Aug 1869. He abandoned her to State care on 31-Dec-1870. She left the Ward system in Feb 1878. After that I can find no trace of her or her father.

I have tried several name variations... Chidgey, if you can't read/write could have been recorded in many ways but have come up with nothing.She may have been known as Henrietta-maybe Hetty, Ettie-because her mothers was know as Lydia Chidgey rather than Ann Lydia.

Lydia's mother,younger sisters and maternal grandparents, uncles and aunties all made their way to Australia via New Zealand and lived in Victoria (Melbourne), SA (Adelaide) and NSW (Sydney & Orange). My hope is that they were looking for her. Lydia's sister recorded her as being 53 when their mother died, but she wasn't included in the death notice,so I'm thinking that she didn't really know if Lydia was alive at all at that time maybe just hoped that she was.

Can any help find out what happened to Lydia?

Thanks
Wendy