This orphan has been claimed by: Margaret Wilkins-Russell
Catherine Wilkins was the sister of my maternal great-grandmother, Elizabeth
Sarah Wilkins (aka Eliza/Elizabeth Maud/Maud E). Catherine was born on 17
November 1858 in Hobart to John Thomas Wilkins and Sarah Simpson. In 1862
Catherine's mother deserted the family and her father, John, requested that
Catherine (then aged 3) and her two siblings, James (8) and Elizabeth (6), be
placed in the care of the Queen's Orphan School. However, this request was
refused.
Two years later, in 1864, Catherine's brother, James, was
drowned (aged 10) at Barnes Bay, Bruny. In January 1865 Catherine's father,
John, sailed to Sydney with Elizabeth (then aged 9), where they remained until
their deaths. No record has been found to indicate that Catherine accompanied
her father and sister to Sydney, however she obviously moved at some stage
because she married Frederick Newman in Sydney in 1881. By this time, however,
Catherine had changed her name to "Ethel Katherine".
You can use this contact form to send an email message to Margaret Wilkins-Russell