The St Clairs of Kent

I am new to this. I am trying to trace down the family of Charles Howard St Clair born around 1858 / Kent, son of James St Clair and Eliza Weldon. Charles married in March 1884 to Amy McFarlane. If you have or can find any information to this line of St Clair's I would be most grateful.

 

What a help it would be if you had a little more info,.. place in Kent, if covered by CityArc, so hard to find St.Clair Families even Sinclair.
I couldn't even bring up a marriage for Amy McFarlane/MacFarlane
in 1884 on FreeBmd nor Charles.

 

Is this the same Charles Howard St.Clair who was in Beechworth, Victoria Australia in 1914?

Or even the 'Hon.C.H.St.Clair Captain on the "Mongolia" 1912 London to Sydney?

 

Hello Shirl the Girl, and welcome to the forum

It does look like Charles must have emigrated, Ma-dotcom: a tree on Ancestry has his wife as Amy Eliza Bateman MacFarlane and gives the place of marriage as Victoria.

FamilySearch's 'Australia Births & Baptisms' has a Stanley Parlam SINCLAIR (son of Charles & Amy) b.15 Feb 1889 and bapt 3 Dec 1890 Prahan, Victoria. Is he the same person as Stanley James St Clair, for whom there are First World War army papers on NAA? He says his parents are both dead and gives his next-of-kin as brother Charles St Clair - though confusingly there is a note saying that his 'War Medal Etc' were sent to his father Charles St Clair, 5 Kate St, Prahan Vic. NB he was a missionary when he joined up; religion shown as Methodist. He was killed in action.

 

The youngest child shown on the Ancestry tree is a James Ronald St Clair (b.1891 Prahan) who seems to have had the alternative surname Trudgeon.

There are 75 pages of army papers on the NAA site for a James Ronald Trudgeon who also served as James Ronald Harcourt.
http://
recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=8394764&isAv=N

One set of papers says his parents are deceased and gives his next-of-kin as his guardian Mrs Louisa Trudgeon. But also in the file are some notifications of change of address of his next-of-kin, including one dated 27 June 1918 from Louisa Trudgeon, who describes herself as 'mother of Pte J.R. Harcourt'

Perhaps she was his adoptive mother? Louisa Trudgeon was the widow of Israel Trudgeon, who is described in his obituary in the Bendigo Advertiser of 24 Oct 1904 as a 'well-known figure in Methodist circles' and 'for 13 or 14 years "father" of the Cheltenham Home children'.

(The mother Amy died in 1892 according to the Ancestry tree; were the children taken into care afterwards? What had happened to their father?

And why did James Ronald use the surname Harcourt not St Clair / Sinclair? (One of the other children on the Ancestry tree, Elsie, has a middle name Harcourt.)

 

Stanley's middle name was perhaps Parlan, which was Amy's father's first name according to that same Ancestry tree.

The link with the Harcourt name seems to be on Amy's side of the family too: the (Melbourne) Argus of 10 January 1885 announces the marriage of 'Susanna (Susie) Jane Harcourt, second daughter of Mr. Parlan Macfarlane, of South Melbourne' to Edgar George Still UREN. The marriage was conducted 'at the residence of the bride's grandfather, J.T. Harcourt, J.P., St Kilda, by the Rev. John Harcourt, uncle of the bride'.

. . . but that takes us no further forward (or backward) with the St Clair side of the family

 

Since I have had no luck finding anything in Kent, I am still working away at the Australian end in the hope of enlightenment.

Now one of Charles & Amy's children, Elsie Amy Harcourt St Clair, was born on 18 October 1885 in Bairnsdale, Victoria, according to a Tribal Pages tree:

http://
tribalpages.com/family-tree/dab46

I had already come across some interesting references in the newspapers on Trove around that time to a Mr St Clair in Bairnsdale. For example, the Bairnsdale Advertiser of 2 April 1885 has an advertisment by 'Mr. Charles St. Clair, BANDMASTER, Bairnsdale Municipal Band, late of The Imperial Army and Navy Bands', offering 'private tuition on various instruments, viz. Clarionette, Cornet, Flute, Piccolo, Drums, Etc.' as well as 'Military Drill, Marching, Facings, Extension Motions; also, Rifle Drill, to a select number of young men who may desire in the future to form a Volunteer Corps'.

So did Charles have a military background himself, and if so, where? Might this help trace his origins?

 

It would appear you are correct Jane with this young Man. #6
["The youngest child shown on the Ancestry tree is a James Ronald St Clair (b.1891 Prahan) who seems to have had the alternative surname Trudgeon."]
[The mother Amy died in 1892]
His guardian then Mrs Trudgeon who would have been a 'Mother' to him if she had him from babyhood.
He may have had a falling out with sibs & chosen his Mothers other 'Family name' as his for reasons of his own.

Main Man may be of help with Victorian BMDs

 

Just a quick look on National Archives has found a Stanley James (I think) St Clair enlisted in Victoria. Notes his brother as Charles living at Beechworth. Stanley's occupation is Missionary.

 

I saw quite a few mentions of him in Electoral rolls but had to take my attentions elsewhere before adding to what may have been a wrong turn.


Israel Trudgeon married
Louisa Schneider 1870 in Victoria.

If this same lady married again, perhaps that's another reason for James to change his name back:
Harry Linley married Louisa Trudgeon 1915 Victoria

 

Oops, sorry, already been spotted by Huncamunca

 

Amella (sic)Harcourt married Marian Macfarlane in 1859 -Victoria. reg'n no. 1106
perhaps Amelia.

 

Stanley's Middle name is James.