A Family of Swindell Emigrants

Four separate emigrations in this Swindells family from Stockport.

1    Elizabeth Swindells to New Zealand

Ruth Ward forwarded me four certificates from the New Zealand Society of Genealogists' collection which related to the Swindell surname. The first was the birth certificate for a George Jackson whose mother was Elizabeth Swindells:-

I was able to trace Elizabeth and George Jackson in the 1871 census in Stockport and then found their marriage in 1869 in St Mary's, Cheadle, Cheshire. This named Elizabeth's father as William and together with the 1871 census identified Elizabeth as the daughter of William Swindells and Sarah Ann Hague, baptised on the 28th of July 1850 at St Thomas, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Lancashire.

George, Elizabeth and child William had sailed on an assisted passage to New Zealand on the Douglas and arrived in Wellington on the 14th of June 1873. They were apparently headed for Hawkes Bay but I know nothing more about their time in New Zealand.

The history of the White Wings Line (Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900) has this to say about the Douglas:

The Lancashire Witch 1856-1867 - no  picture found for the Douglas

The Douglas, a vessel of 1428 tons register, was chartered by both the Shaw, Savill Company and the New Zealand Shipping Company. She visited Wellington in 1873, arriving from London on September 25 under the aegis of the Shaw, Savill line, and again in the following year, arriving on October 22 after a passage of 113 days. In 1873 there was a slight outbreak of scarlatina and smallpox aboard at the beginning of the voyage, and the passengers were subjected to a short quarantine when Wellington was reached. Among the passengers who came out in her in 1874 was C. Gibson, now living in Mount Eden, Auckland. On both these trips Captain Wilson was in command. the  Douglas did not visit New Zealand again until 1886, when she was chartered for a voyage to Auckland by the N.Z.S.S. Co. She left London on September 2, 1885, but when off the Scilly Islands she was struck by a terrific hurricane which carried away a number of her sails, washed away the starboard light, stove in the longboat, and swept the decks clean of movables. The ship had to put into Falmouth for repairs and finally left that port on the 22nd of September. Auckland was reached on January 17, 1886. On this occasion she was commanded by Captain Melville. In recording the arrival of the vessel in Auckland the "Star" said she was originally a screw steamer, afterwards converted into a ship.

2   Matthew Hague Swindells to the United States

Elizabeth's younger brother Matthew Hague Swindells was born on the 9th of January 1853, and baptised on the 17th of July 1853 at St Thomas, Heaton Norris, Stockport. He started life in the cotton mills of Stockport but in 1892 he emigrated with his wife Margaret Ann (Johnson) to Philadelphia. He and Margaret arrived in New York on the 7th of August 1892 aboard the SS Majestic.

SS Majestic

The previous year the SS Majestic had won the Blue Riband for its westward crossing of 5 days 18 hours and 8 minutes.

He found life sufficiently to his liking to apply for apply for naturalization in 1898 and became a citizen in 1905. Like many immigrants he probably had probably had a number of different job initially - in 1900 he was a steel polisher - but by 1910 he had set himself up with a cigar store. He did sufficiently well that in 1921 he applied for a passport and made the first of virtually annual voyages home to Cheshire, the last being in 1932.

Matthew Swindells from his passport application

Matthew and Margaret had no children and Margaret had died by 1910. Matthew died in 1937 having spent over half his life in the USA.

3     James Swindells to the USA

Elizabeth's nephew James Swindells was living in 1911 with his parents in Stockport working as a trimmer in a motor factory in Stockport - ie installing the upholstery in motor cars. I have not been able to discover any motor car manufacturer this early in Stockport but he could have been working at Crossley's in Openshaw. However this would have been five miles from home. 

On the 12th of October he boarded the S.S. Dominion in Liverpool and set sail for Philadelphia, no doubt to join his uncle Matthew. The voyage was slow and it was just under a month later when he landed at Philadelphia on the 11th of November. He would have had about 1000 fellow passengers aboard the ship.

S.S. Dominion - courtesy of www.norwayheritage.com

When James emigrated he was probably unaware of the storm brewing in Europe that was to lead to the first world war but he was conscripted from 1917 to 1919. It is not known if he crossed the Atlantic again to serve in Europe. He was again registered for the draft for 1942 - by which time he had moved to California.

His father, mother and sister came out to join him in 1918 but after his parents' deaths James did not seem to establish roots though he stayed in touch with his sister. He died in 1976 in California.

4    James William Swindells to the USA

Elizabeth's youngest brother James lost his two youngest sons in the first world war, one killed in France and one dying in service in the UK. Two daughters had early died in early childhood, one son had emigrated to the USA and the other, though married in 1909, had no children. James William, who was nearly 60, probably felt there was little to keep him in England and migrated to join his son James and eldest brother Matthew in Philadelphia. He, his wife Louise and daughter Louise sailed aboard the SS Aquitania from Southampton, landing in New York on the 13th of September 1919 after a 7 day voyage. He had joined his brother and his son in Philadelphia by 1920.

S.S. Aquitania

He found light work as a garage watchman but died three years later in 1923. His wife Louisa survived until 1936, living with her daughter Louisa who had married in 1923.

More about the Swindell Surname