LIST 5 - BAPTISMS - ST DAVIDS HOBART
There were 663 baptisms recorded at St Davids during this decade,
meaning on average there was a little over one baptism each week. Of
this number 21 baptisms refer to children born prior to 1811.
The information recorded and presented for each child is exactly as
described for St Phillips in List 3.
The list is presented in chronological order by date of baptism then
alphabetically by father's surname.
With regard to the fathers, identities of 82% have been found. The
names of 78 fathers were not recorded and the arrival details of a
further 52 remain unknown.
With regard to the mothers, identities of 83% have been found. The
names of 13 mothers were not recorded and the arrival details of a
further 111 remain unknown.
There were nine duplicate entries on the register during the period
under study reducing the total of individual baptisms to 654. All
duplications were performed at St Davids. Frederick Hull was baptized
three times, twice at St Davids and once at St Johns Launceston.
Most children were baptized soon after birth but there were fifty five
who were later baptisms, the last being for Thomas Taylor in 1850 at
the age of thirty nine. The only problem is to determine if their
birth took place in the colony or not.
Where the father's surname has a second name separated by a slash '/',
the surname after the slash is how the name was spelt in the original
document or if second name is substantially different it refers to
an alias. Where the mother's surname has a second name separated by
a slash, the surname after the slash is her married name at the time
of the recording being made if she was married more than once.
The reference number would direct the reader to the relevant entry
in the original source document.
The register did not record the date of birth until 1814 so it has
been assumed, not unreasonably in most cases, that the year of baptism
roughly corresponds to the year of birth. The several children with
an exact date of birth recorded before 1814 were derived from other
sources.
Mary Dotman claims to have been born at Isle de France and
Frederick Hyde in India. Donald McLeod was born at sea on board
'Skelton'. John Oswell and Edward Williamson were born at
Parramatta and Jane Thomas and Joseph Wright were born at Sydney
before moving to Van Diemens Land
The list contains twenty baptisms of native children.
The reference numbers are often not in strict numerical sequence.
Numbers 175 to 218 and 346 to 389 and 776 to 786 are actually used
by St Johns Launcestion (no doubt reflecting Rev Knopwoods visit to
the northern settlement in 1811 and 1814). For some reason numbers
738 and 850 are not used.
It should be noted that the list contains considerably more
information than will be found in the original church register, being
the result of decades of research, principally associated with the
Pioneer Register Project. Many entries in the church register list
just the date of baptism and parents names, sometimes only the
mother's name if the birth was illegitimate.
Entries on this list have the reference identifier "SDH" on List 1.
To locate an entry on this list; firstly an alphabetical search
on the name would be made on List 1 from which the date of baptism
would be retrieved, secondly using the appropriate date, the baptism
would be located on this list and finally an alphabetical search
on the name would be made on the baptismal date if there should be
more than one entry for that date.
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