Who are the parents of Bridget MEADE ?

On Bridget’s death certificate, the information was given by her husband George Edward Denham

- died 3 May 1872 Port Macquarie
- age 60
- father was an unknown Meade and his occupation was Minister
- mother was an unknown Kelly.
- born Ireland
- lived 41 years in Australia
- married to George at age 26 in Sydney
- 4 sons + 2 daughters to George living + 1 daughter deceased

There are My Heritage trees with parents as Patrick MEADE and Anastatia BOWLAND

The only additional information given is
- Anastatis was born Aghada, Ireland
- Patrick was born Lisgoold, Ireland
- Patrick and Anastatia were married 2 March 1802 at Aghada, Ireland
- Bridget had siblings
* Edmund BOWLAND baptised 14 Feb 1798 Aghada to John BOWLAND and Anastatis ?(married 6 Feb 1797 Aghada, Ireland)
* David MEADE baptised 8 December 1802 Aghada
* James MEADE baptised 5 August 1809 Aghada
* John MEADE baptised 25 June 1815 Cork

You replied on 29/09/2017 5:16 PM.
Hi Shirley
Here is the death certificate.
George Edward Denham would know that she came from Cork City as he and William Anderson were both crew members on the “Red Rover” !
I wonder why Bridget married James Edgar when George sounds as though he was a candidate? No accounting for taste!
Just read the cert again – says father was a Minister. That’s strange because Bridget couldn’t read or write and Ministers could. I wonder if Miss Kelly was housemaid or servant etc to Rev. Meade and he had his way with her. Bridget being the result. Nothing to say that they were married.
Also a Minister sounds better than perhaps a labourer or no father named at all.
I don’t think that Bridget ever married George because she was already married and never divorced, so James Edgar had shot through and she went with George and that was that. De Facto. If she was a Catholic from way back then that would be a double no-no. It obviously worked out for them and that’s the main thing.
Did you censure my email – I wouldn’t like it to get out to Colin etc. If he has got what he has got then I don’t think it should be changed without his permission – he has done this and that’s his problem. He thinks he is right so it is up to us to prove it wrong and then change it. A challenge for us to do so!! Would Theresa know anything or Margaret Smith White, or Irene. You never know what they may have heard along the way.
Cheers
Carol

Hi Shirley
That is what I mean about Colin and his research about Bridget that I mentioned in a previous email to you. He had no proof about her parents – I suggested to him that maybe she was a Roman Catholic girl-look back at one of my recent emails to you about it. The main thing for me is that there are no Patrick or Anastatia in our family names and I found a young lass with that name down in Tasmania? on shipping records which I didn’t follow up (it was ages ago) but there was no connection to our family that I could see and she was much younger than Bridget.
There is a book called “Fair Game” which is a good documentary about the orphan girls (not all orphans either and I think that maybe Bridget was not an orphan) and the Red Rover and the history of it all. Needs to be read!!
There is no proof that I know of that Bridget’s parents were called Margaret and now Hines(where did that come from?) and Phillip. It is like Chinese whispers with people getting lazy and just accepting what has been written by someone who accepts what has been written by someone and so on.
How Irish are Phillip and Margaret names? I started going through the original Irish baptisms for Cork (hundreds)that are online from the Irish National Archives. A few Mead/Meades but so far over all the baptisms of every surname, I have yet to come across a Phillip.
Irish research is hard and we may never know who her parents were but that is no reason till fill the gap with someone just because it fits (or nearly fits) in the date field etc. I prefer to leave the field empty and I have learnt this lesson over my research years. I am a stickler for proof!!
Her death cert gives father as unknown Meade and mother as unknown Kelly. This information given by George Edward Denham. Now if he was that vague after being with Bridget for about 32 years and did not know who they were – her children probably were just as vague. She could have been illegitimate which could have made Meade her mother’s name or her mother maybe was a Kelly and George could have said “well her surname was Meade but I don’t know her father’s name and she didn’t really know either so we will guess that he was a Meade” or “she wouldn’t speak about her parents” and the registrar writes down “unknown Meade”. Same for mother – he could have said “I don’t know, she was told that they thought her mother was a Kelly but that was all, she really wasn’t sure”, so Registrar writes down “unknown Kelly”.
Alternatively Bridget could have been embarrassed by her background and Port Macquarie was not a big place so George was suitably vague with parent details. Being a “Rover Girl” was not a badge of honour in some people’s eyes. Who knows?
Bridget and William Anderson had 4 children, William (named for the father), David (named after William’s father David), Jessie and Jane. By following the naming pattern Jessie should have been Bridget’s mother and Jane would have been William’s mother. William’s mother was Janet and Jane was used instead of that as it was another form of Janet – so who was Jessie?? We have Helen, Margaret, Elspet, Euphemia as family etc but not a Jessie. Not really a very Irish name but it is significant as it was used to name their first daughter and that was important! And it was used by the families of Bridget’s children, both Anderson and Denham as a tribute to Jessie as she was really respected and a muchloved half sister to Caroline Denham. Over all the names from then and further into the granchildren – there is no Phillip or Margaret.
Well that is my position and I am sticking to it till I get a positive case or PROOF to make me change it!!

This is why the do not, nor are the parents for our Bridget Meade, as there are 2 different families altogether.
And what is no her, Bridget's death certificate is proof who they are.

There are My Heritage trees with parents as Patrick MEADE and Anastatia BOWLAND

The only additional information given is
- Anastatis was born Aghada, Ireland
- Patrick was born Lisgoold, Ireland
- Patrick and Anastatia were married 2 March 1802 at Aghada, Ireland
- Bridget had siblings
* Edmund BOWLAND baptised 14 Feb 1798 Aghada to John BOWLAND and Anastatis ?(married 6 Feb 1797 Aghada, Ireland)
* David MEADE baptised 8 December 1802 Aghada
* James MEADE baptised 5 August 1809 Aghada
* John MEADE baptised 25 June 1815 Cork

Colin Bradley Martin who created Patrick MEADE and Anstatia BOWLAND on Geni is no longer on Geni so isn't available to ask so I I have created a new Bridget MEADE and split Patrick, Anastatis and Bridget away from the Red Rover Bridget until evidence can be obtained to support the connection.

Bridget Meade

Thank Leanne
Cheers Shirley

Private User - Did you send me an email about this discussion?

Yes, Leanne I did send you messages about the discussion.
When I last had a look at Bridget Meade, she had 2 sets of parents, again.
I thought that after we went through who her parent were it was cleared up.

I know that the other side of Bridget Meade Anderson family have found information that has been given to them, but it's only hear say and not prof.

It has on her death certificate that her parents were unknown.
This information was given by her husband of 30 years.

Shirley

We know that other family member might try to find who the parents are for Bridget’s Meade.
They would need to provide documented proof, as it would override what Bridget's husband at the time of her death said/put on his wife's death certificate.

I think that her husband, George Denham, at the time of his wife’s death, would have known who his wife’s parents were.

I am sure, just like any other married couples they would have talked about this at some stage in the marriage.

That is why he, George Denham, who is Bridget husband, has put them down on his wife Bridget’s death certificate as
- Father was an unknown Meade and his occupation was Minister
- Mother was an unknown Kelly.

I started to investigate into this and found that there was a Meade family in Cork Ireland who came from a line of Meade Minister.

Even if we try to find, Mr NN Meade Minister for all we know unknown Kelly might have had been the house maid and where do we even start to look for her.
Perhaps that is why, Bridget was placed into an orphanage, because she was illegitimate and her mother was an unknown Kelly, who might have had been the house maid.

Most of the early Church records have been distorted and there are not enough early Irish records available.
Therefore, perhaps we should go with what is on her, Bridget’s death certificate, as her husband at the time of her death, would have known who his wife’s parents were. Perhaps even more then what we might try to find today.