I am trying to find more about my ggg-grandmother Bridget Meade born c1812 in Cork City. Sent to Australia in 1832 on ship "Red Rover", left Cork April 1832, arrived Sydney August 1832. Ship bought out more than 100 girls from Cork Orphanage to Sydney - Bridget aged 19 (no.105 on ship's list)to a Rev. Mr Vincent as a housemaid. Father given as Philip Meade, a minister and mother as Margaret Kelly on her death certificate (died & buried Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia May 1872 aged 60 years)- can't confirm her parents. I have no birth date for her. Was she an orphan? She signed her marriage cert.(Nov 1832 to William Anderson, a scot)with an "X" so she could not write.
On a visit to Dublin PRO I searched St Anne's Shandon bapt. records with no luck - plenty of orphans featured. Which parish covered the orphanage? Where is/was the orphanage? Was she an orphan? If not - what was she doing there? A minister's daughter would surely be able to read and write and the orphanage did educate the children. In have read the book by Sydney based McLaughlin, "Barefoot & Pregnant" concerning Irish girls and their coming to Australia. This book covers the orphanage in part. It also says that babies were given to ministers/wet nurses and were taken to the orphanage - this could account for the minister being taken by her for a father - I just don't know and nor does anyone else in our family.
Her gravestone says that she was a native of Cork City - I am stuck!! I have been researching for many years.
I live in New Zealand - my great grandfather (William Anderson)and his family came across to NZ from Sydney in 1903. The rest of Bridget's descendants live in Australia.
All help will be gratefully received.

Hello,
I also descend from William Anderson and Bridget via their son William b 1833 and his daughter Caroline b 1857. Caroline's 13th child Alice Anderson is my great grandmother. It sounds like you have much of the info that I have however. I too have searched and come up bare for records relating to her birth in Ireland.
I have been focusing of late on Bridget's last husband George Edward Denham who died in 1903 in Port Macquarie. I have been wondering if her second husband James Edgar and George are one and the same person and there is no marriage record for George and Bridget and also interestingly no death record for James Edgar...
I too live in Port Macquarie and so have access to the library here where the local paper has many entries pertaining to this well known family of the district.
I would be more than happy to swap info and see if there is anything either of us has that the other does not. My email is message2theresa@yahoo.com.

Looking forward to your reply
Theresa

I too like Theresa (Hi again) descend from William Anderson and Bridget via their son William b 1833 and his daughter Caroline b 1857. Caroline's 7th child Annie Adelaide Anderson/Ford is my great grandmother.

I too have much the same information you seek, it's difficult as many records were destroyed or ill kept.

Hi All,

I too am researching the family of Bridget Meade, wife of my 3 x ggfather George Edward Denham, an orphan who emmigrated to Australia from Cork in 1832. I also have much of the same info and the parents names of Phillip Meade and Margaret Kelly were given to me by the late Neville Anderson some time ago, however, he was unable to provide source information for the parents names. Bridget's death certificate lists her father's occupation as a minister and her mothers maiden name as Kelly, however, I have found an interesting christening in the Roman Catholic registers for Cobh, a seaport village in Cork, details as follows:

Bridget Meade, chr 26 Jun 1814 Cobh Roman Catholic. Father: Thomas Meade, mother: Bridget Grand. Witnesses: Mary Regan & Michael Daly. Notes: E Priest: M Kiely.

This entry is from the http://ifhf.rootsireland.ie website and I cannot find any further details pertaining to siblings or her parents (marriage, christening & burial records).

There is also another Bridget Meed listed on the website but I think the above fits the Bridget Meade who came to Australia on the Red Rover in 1832 (note surname of priest).

The other entry is as follows:
Bridget Meed, chr 4 Dec 1814 at Killavullen, Cork (Roman Catholic); Father: Thomas Meed; mother: Mary Lynch. Witnesses: Robert Blake & Mary Higgins.

Also, I have managed to contact the Cork Ancestral Project and searching between the years 1807 & 1817 there is a 3rd candidate:
Bridget Meade, chr 17 May 1812 at St Marys & St Annes, Cork (Roman Catholic); Father: Patrick Meade; mother: Anastatia Meade.
Sponsors: David Daltin & Ellen McCarthy. Register 4, page 139.
Comments: Celebrant John McDonagh, child Bridgitt, mother Ansty.

Would be interested in any feedback on the above and if anybody has any research that may suggest a Roman Catholic link.

Regards

colinmartin74 "@" yahoo.com.au

re Cobh RC registers - records for this parish go back to 1812 for baptisms and marriages. RC records dont usually include details of death/burials.


S.

Hi Shane
Just read your post - who holds these records? Just the church?
Many thanks for replying - I had all but given up!
Regards
Carol

Hi Colin
I have tried an email - did you receive it?
Regards
Carol

Hi All,

Just as an offshoot to my original message and chasing up on possible leads, I have done some further research concerning the parents of the candidate Bridgets mentioned in my original message. The only marriage I was able to find is the one pertaining to the Bridget Meade of Cork 1812:

Marriage of Patrick Meade (of Lisgoold) & Anastatia Meade (of the Union) at Aghada, Cork dated 2 Mar 1802. Both parties Roman Catholic and previously unmarried. Witnesses: Garrett Meade & Mary Meade. Notes: Priest D O Flinn with licence from right rev Dr Coppinger.
Source: www.rootsireland.ie

I have been unable to find marriages for either the parents of Bridget Meade of Cobh 1814 or Bridget Meed of Killavullen 1814.

Regards

colinmartin74 "@" yahoo.com.au

St Mary's & St Ann's RC church is not St Ann's Shandon (anglican)but the nearby RC Cathedral. http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/ has church records & is free to search.

Hi there Liisasx,
Are you the person that has posted a photo of Bridget Anderson/Mead on Ancestry? I cannot open it as it is a private photo. Do you have a photo of her? Would you share it?
Caroline Ford (nee Anderson) was my Great grandfather's older sister. He was William John.