S - San Francisco Minstrels

Daniel Chittenden isn’t a direct ancestor of mine. He is in my tree though, because he married my great-great-grandmother’s elder sister Eliza Laney. 

Eliza was born in Nelson, New Zealand in 1844, the first New Zealand born child for her newly immigrant parents. They had arrived two years before bringing their infant son, and her mother’s two children from her previous marriage. Her father Edward was reportedly the first baker in Nelson. Eliza and her siblings grew up in Nelson and Richmond where their father had bakeries and at one time a pub.

Daniel and Eliza were married in 1862 and had 11 children over the next 28 years. Reports of the celebrations for their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1912 appeared in the local newspapers.

Daniel has intrigued me for a bit. I often get side-tracked on random offshoot branches all over the tree, but it is often in these random searches of friends, neighbours and relatives where you find interesting information and links.

He was born in Maitland in New South Wales, Australia in 1838. From other people’s trees and my own research he appears to have had at least 7 siblings, the eldest two born in England but most of the others in various places in Australia. One of his sisters Naomi also married into the Laney family, marrying Eliza and my great-great-grandmother Sarah’s eldest brother William the year before Eliza’s marriage.

Daniel was a great cricketer, he appears a lot in newspaper reports of matches in the Wairau Valley where he played alongside my great-great-grandfather George Bartlett for the North Bank team. George was pretty great too ! (seems to have been a real talent of the male ancestors in several of my paternal family lines.)

Daniel was a dance teacher ! He advertised regularly in the local Nelson and Blenheim newspapers about his dance hall venues, welcoming students to learn the new dance steps. He also made appearances on stage in musicals sometimes accompanied by one of his daughters. Members of the wider family also appear to have owned a store, possibly a grocery or general store of sorts both in Nelson and in Blenheim. But where did this theatrical streak come from I wondered.

I started doing some hunting to see what I could see. Daniel’s brother Thomas was also involved in this musical enterprise hosting dance evenings in Nelson before his untimely death aged 26. Turns out his father George was in the theatre too, recorded in newspaper articles and advertisements as the Musical Director and member of the San Francisco Minstrels.

I found mention in newspapers of Chittenden people on shipping information, arriving from Melbourne, going to Melbourne or going elsewhere in New Zealand. So I changed tack. Instead of searching for “Chittenden” I began searching for “San Francisco Minstrels”, both at Papers Past and on Trove. They certainly travelled a fair bit ! 

In July 1861 it was recorded that the troupe had arrived in Wellington on the Prince Alfred and would be preforming at the Oddfellows Hall for three nights. In August they presented shows at the Mechanics Institute in Auckland.

“Songs, Glees, Choruses &c.,

Interspersed with

Witticisms, Repartees, Burlesques,

Dances &c, &c, &c”

In December 1861 they were performing at the San Francisco Minstrels Hall in Dunedin. They performed several shows in Nelson in May & June 1862 and later in June performed at The Royal Olympic Theatre in Manners Street, Wellington. They made a return visit to Wellington in October 1862 on their way to perform in Auckland.

Earlier than these performances though, the San Francisco Minstrels travelled Australia in 1858, visiting Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria – even touring the goldfields including spending some weeks in Bendigo putting on shows at the Shamrock Hotel (which I used to walk past almost every day a couple of years ago !) entertaining miners there with their acts.

They were still touring in the late 1870’s. Whether George was still involved at that stage is uncertain. (More newspapers to read yet.) But perhaps this theatrical life explains why his children were born in various places around Australia…and may be why I am yet to find records for all their births. One article I found on Trove alludes to the troupe having also toured America !

It seems from reading between the lines of some of the advertising that some of their performances included black-face acts which are frowned upon and rightly condemned as being in bad taste in today’s society – but which were acceptable 150 years or so ago. (Even in my life time I remember seeing troupe’s perform as such on tv.)

Daniel’s parents and two elder siblings emigrated to Australia arriving in Sydney on the Westminster in June 1838. On the passenger list, George gave his trade as a Carpenter and Joiner. This was certainly a trade followed by at least one other of his sons. So being a performer was a secondary form of income ? I’m still not sure when they left Australia to make New Zealand their home, was it after the tour of 1861 ? Was that how Daniel and Naomi met the Laney family and their future spouses ?

So, Daniel Chittenden, uncle of my great-grandmother, what a surprise it was to find out about your family and the San Francisco Minstrels.

Industrial Action leading to Emigration

Goodness knows where yesterday went - but I am sure that somewhere in the world it is STILL Christmas Day. I'm sure I just read that Hawaii is 23 hours behind NZ, and I know LA is about 19 hours behind, so my cousin there must still be celebrating after Santa's visit.

I had great intentions for this post after having rediscovered some events in my family tree. Three sets of my 2 x great grandparents were married in Christmas week. December 25, 26 and 27. My great great grandparents Sarah Elizabeth Laney and George Bartlett were first generation Kiwis when they married at Bartletts Creek, Marlborough in 1870 but the others were married in England. Maria Ann Horskins married Julius Fuller at St Mary, Newington, Surrey in 1859 and were bound for New Zealand just a few months later. Their youngest son would marry the daughter of Sarah Ann Daniels and Edward Mark Vose in 1901.

Sarah and Edward were married on December 25, 1862 - 150 years ago this Christmas Day - at St Margaret, Plumstead, Kent. Edward was the 3rd or possibly 4th son of Edward and Elizabeth (nee Weller) Vose. Edward snr was in the Royal Sappers & Miners, Edward jnr had been born in Ireland while they were stationed there surveying and mapping the country. Sarah was the 5th daughter of Josiah & Hannah (nee Carter) Daniels born in West Lavington, Wiltshire. Edward jnr and his brothers all seem to have found employment  of some sort at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, Edward was a labourer at the time of their marriage, but by 1871 was listed as a Gas Stoker on the census. Sarah moved to London perhaps with her sister Elizabeth by 1861, as both are employed in the household of Walter Mitchell M.A. Assistant Hospellier (?) at St Barts Hospital. I'm not exactly sure what that means but since his wife's occupation was given as "Clergyman's Wife", I'm guessing it is something along those lines. Sarah, aged 17 (18 on the census) was the nursemaid. There were eight children ranging from 12 down to 2 year old twins - I bet she was busy. Eighteen months later she was married.

In 1879, the little family with their four children emigrated to New Zealand. They came on the Stad Haarlem, a steamer and made the trip in 51 days. The Vose family became market gardeners in Canterbury at Prebbleton and Riccarton. Sarah was a well known local midwife in her new community - I wonder if she had worked as one in England before they emigrated. So, where does Trove come into all this ?

Well its all about the Stad Haarlem. I had read the diary kept on board through the voyage, and some snippets from local papers, but I found more on Trove which I hadnt seen before, and which give a bit more insight into the decision to emigrate that these people made, and of the "experiment" to take large numbers at once on a ship not actually designed to take so many.

Gippsland Times (Vic. 1861 - 1954) Wednesday 5 March 1879 page 3 article62026700-3-001

 South Australian Register (Adelaide SA 1839 - 1900) Thursday 13 March 1879 page 5 article42973041-3-001

The following was an article from Plymouth Thursday 30 January 1862, but published in Australia in March.

South Australian Register (Adelaide SA 1839 - 1900) Thursday 13 March 1879 page 6 article42973028-3-001

  The Argus (Melbourne Vic 1848 - 1956) Tuesday 15 April 1879 page 5 article5939453-3-001

Table Bay, I discovered is in South Africa - the stopover there was reported in the South Australian register as well, from the Cape papers - but appears to have been shorter than the eight days reported at her arrival in New Zealand.

South Australian Register (Adelaide SA 1839 - 1900) Monday 14 April 1879 page 7 article42970688-3-001

And the final decision about this "experiment" in emigration

 South Australian Register (Adelaide SA 1839 - 1900) Tuesday 27 May 1879 page 5 article42976128-3-002

So, there we go, Happy Sesquicentennial Anniversary to Sarah and Edward - and now I know a bit more about their voyage and their fellow emigrant shipmates.

This post forms part of Trove Tuesday as suggested by Amy, from Branches, Leaves & Pollen.