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John Henry Choyce |
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John
Henry Choyce
ELIZA (HERNSHAW) and DAVID FREDERICK CHOYCE,
CARTER and PORTER, of SHARDLOW(?)
CHESTERFIELD, and AUSTRALIA(?)
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JOHN
HENRY “JACK” CHOYCE
Seated front row left, son of
Eliza (Hernshaw) and David Choyce
Born 14 Sep 1889
Hooley Hill, Lancashire, England
John Henry Choyce married Rose Edith Hudson,
13 Jun 1917, at Perth, W. A.
John Henry Choyce died 30 Mar 1968
at Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
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The earliest ancestor in this family is known to
be named David Choyce and he was born in England.
I am speculating that he may have been David Frederick
Choyce, although I am not comfortable with that
speculation. It must be proved (or disproved).
Indexes at St. Catherine's House (SC) London,
England, include an entry for David Choyce born
within the Shardlow, Derbyshire, Registration District
in the J-1851 book (v.7b, p.711). However, that
David appears to have died as an infant (M-1852,
v7b, p.711). SC show a birth the following year,
in the same district, for a David Frederick Choyce
(D-1852, v.7b, p.308). There is also a birth for
Margaret Choyce, (J-1854, Shardlow, v.7b., p356).
Perhaps David, David Frederick, and Margaret were
all brothers and sister.
There is also a Shardlow marriage in the M-1849
(SC) for a John Choyce (v.7b, p.517). Perhaps he
was the father of the children cited. Any interested
family researcher (Colin?) has several good leads
for further genealogical research on this family,
both laterally from David and lineally through his
father.
Still another event took place within the Shardlow
district, some 22 years after David Frederick Choyce
was born: Henry Choyce married there in (D)-1876
(v.7b, p.53). Perhaps Henry was also the son of
John Choyce and brother to David Frederick, but
was born before his family moved to the Shardlow
district?
Also notable is a record of birth for: Henry Choyce,
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, in 1849 (v.xv,
p.18). Ashby is only about 10 miles south of Shardlow.
In the chapter for HENRY CHOYCE, LICENSED VICTUALLER,
OF ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH, CUDWORTH, AND SHEFFIELD. Was
Henry the brother of David? I speculated that he
may have been the son of Kezia (Clare) and Thomas
Choyce of Twycross, Leicester-shire, near Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
He can't be their son, and John's son as well, so,
careful research is needed to sort this all out.
Because of the uncertainty of David's origins, I
have named this chapter after his son, John Henry
Choyce, who is still an active if somewhat faded,
memory among his extensive Australian (and American?)
progeny.
David Choyce married Eliza Hernshaw, within the
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Registration District.
(SC-1877, v.7b, p.847). The middle name, Frederick,
does not appear in the Index.
Eliza (Hernshaw) and David Choyce had eight children.
The first five were born at Chesterfield, Derbyshire
(SC). The three youngest were born within the Ashton-under-Lyne
(SC) Lancashire, Registration District (if my speculation
is correct). Their names and SC references follow:
Elizabeth, S-1879, v.7b, p.636; Sarah Ann, J-1881,
v.7b, p.698; Lottie, S-1883, v.7b, p.679; Mary,
M-1886, v.7b, p.730; David, D-1887, v.7b, p.656;
John Henry, D-1889, v.8d, p.479; Miriam, M-1892,
v.8a, p.479; and Jessie Alfred Choyce, J-1896, v.8d,
p. 517.
Again I must remind my readers (especially Colin):
I know that John Henry Choyce was the son of Eliza
(Hernshaw) and David Choyce (from his birth certificate);
the rest of the children named are completely speculative.
However, I shall proceed under the presumption that
this speculation is correct. I must also mention
that I have found no reference to John Henry's father
with the middle name Frederick. He is referred to
only as David Choyce in primary documents.
It would appear that this family originated in Shardlow,
Derbyshire (or perhaps earlier at Ashby, Leicestershire?);
and then moved to Chesterfield, Derbyshire; and
still later to the area of Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire.
If they did originate at Ashby, the move to Shardlow
would have been 10 miles north; to Chesterfield
would have been another 25 miles north; and finally
to the Ashton area which would have been yet another
30 miles to the north and west.
No English death records are available to me for
either Eliza (Hernshaw) or David Choyce that I recognize
as theirs. Calculating from official documents for
their son, John Henry Choyce, he arrived in Australia
about the year 1910, which would have made him 21
years of age. Perhaps his parents and older brother
and younger sister all emigrated at the same time?
My Australian correspondent, Eric S. Tetlow, of
Yarra Glen, Victoria, who has no Choice or Choyce
in his ancestry, has been most helpful over many
years by sending official statistics for Choices
and Choyces in Australia. One set of records came
from the Karrakatta Cemetery in W. A. (Perth, I
presume) which included the following: Eliza Choyce,
died 2 Sep 1917: David Choyce, died 27 Jul 1927.
It would appear these records refer to Eliza and
David Choyce, parents of John Henry Choyce and his
siblings. David would have been 75 years old. A
copy of David's death certificate would prove his
relationship to John Henry by naming his children.
It would also indicate how long David had lived
in Australia. A copy of Eliza's death certificate
would verify the information on David's certificate
and would also give the names of her parents and
her date and place of birth. Valuable genealogical
documents.
Following are scraps of information made available
to me for the children I am attributing to Eliza
(Hernshaw) and David Choyce. A detailed account
of the family of John Henry Choyce will follow.
• Elizabeth Choyce was born in 1879 around
Chesterfield. Because I believe the family later
moved to Ashton-under-Lyne, I checked there for
marriage records at St. Catherine's House. There
is a marriage for Elizabeth (M-1898, v.8d, p. 811.).
• Sarah Ann Choyce, whom the family says was
called "Sally", was born in 1881 at Chesterfield.
There is a marriage entry for Sarah Ann in 1904.
(S-1904, Ashton, v.8d, p.803). We know from Ron
Choyce that Sally married Jim Garside.
• Lottie Choyce was born in 1883. There is
only one entry in SC for any Lottie, which is one
reason I was able to trace the family from Chesterfield
to Ashton. There is a marriage for Lottie in 1911.
(J-1911, Ashton, v.8d, p.831.)
• Mary Choyce, born in 1886. Of course, there
are so many entries for Mary Choyce, that I could
not isolate either a marriage record or a death
record at SC for this particular Mary. We must consider
that Mary may not have married (or died) until she
reached Australia (if indeed she went). There IS
an SC entry of marriage for Mary Choyce at Nottingham,
which is geographically plausible, and the year
is reasonable, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it
(S-1906, Nottingham, v.7b, p.679).
There is an SC entry of birth for young David Choyce,
as reported above, but there is no marriage entry
at SC. (There were few Choyces or Choices named
David in those days.)
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