Sarah Ann Collis was supposedly born 1832 in Melbourn, Cambrideshire to James Collis and Ann Skinner, but although I have found baptisms for her siblings I can't find one for her. Ann Skinner died 1836 and according to his obituary James Collis emigrated to Australia, arriving 22 Jun 1848 but I have not found a record. Sarah married William Clark Stanford in Melbourne, Victoria on 19 Nov 1948 with her surname recorded as Collins. They had six children but only one lived into adulthood. After William's death in 1863, Sarah married James Wearne on 12 Dec 1875 at Maldon, Victoria, and they had one child, Edith Minnie Wearne (1877-1955). Sarah died 24 Oct 1904 at Maldon. Can anyone help me find her birth/baptism? And the record of the arrival of her and her father in 1848?
I thought I will have one more look for the family's arrival and discovered they arrived on a ship named Adelaide. She travelled with her father, James and brothers, Daniel and William
Isee this one, James collis -carpenter & Joiner -widower with one son under 14- paid his fare. Episcopalian from Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, can read only. Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839–1923 James Collis Estimated Birth Year: abt 1798 Age: 50 Arrived: 22 Jun 1848 Port: Port Phillip Bay, Australia Departure Port: Plymouth Sarah aged 16 Dressmaker- Cambs, Wesleyan, reads only.
Something I find a bit strange on the ship manifest of the Adelaide is that Sarah is listed as Wesleyan but James 50 William 28 and Daniel 18 are all C of E. ?? Could this be why you can't find her baptism?
I saw Episcopalian for James & son under 14 also on previous page for Daniel son of James etc. Where are you looking Sue?
Daniel should read 13 not 18. I'll be back...... dont go away. http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.asp?series=NRS5316&item=4_4816&ship=Adelaide Page 10 says she is Wesleyan
Just realised I don't have Daniel's baptism either. But on the Cambridgeshire FHS website, a quick search on their index suggests that Sarah was baptised at Melbourne in 1831 and there was a Daniel baptised at Orwell in 1840. The 1841 census gives Daniel's age as 7 and therefore birth year as 1834. Can't see any detail without paying for two separate CDs, ha ha! It is strange that she is listed as Wesleyan and the others as C of E.
It would seem that the men are listed as Cof E on the NSW passenger list but Daniel and William are listed as Episcoplian on the Victorian Passenger list ( have not found Sarah and James yet). So much for accuracy and consistency!
Perhaps the Baptisms were due to them being carried out in which ever church was expedient, & on ships logs/manifests they may have just been popped in with a general C of E. Sarah & James also Daniel via Ancestry.
Church of England and Episcopalian are pretty much the same thing (at least historically). The Anglican (C of E) sister churches in Scotland and the USA both have Episcopal in their name, and their members are sometimes known as Episcopalians. That doesn't explain the Wesleyan daughter, though. A mistake in the ship's log? If the rest of the family were C of E, you'd expect her at least to have started out that way too, but maybe she had a change of heart. Perhaps (as young girls sometimes did) she could have spent a few years living with a relative as a servant/nanny etc, and if the relative was Wesleyan, she became one too.
