1. CHALMERS Betsy (1833-1929) [Mother of Rebecca Sinclair (1857)] Relationship Betsy Chalmers was born in 1833 and was the wife of Peter Sinclair And Betsy and Peter were the parents of Rebecca Sinclair Rebecca Sinclair married William Watkins and they were the parents of Eva Beatrice Watkins, Eva Beatrice Watkins married Archibald Edwards, and theywere parents of 7 children including Ronald Keith Edwards. Obituary for Betsy Cahalmers/Lyddon (The Advertiser Mon 27 May 1929) This obituary of Betsy can be very helpful in putting many pieces of the puzzle together.
Transcript
1. CHALMERS Betsy (1833-1929)
[Mother of Rebecca Sinclair (1857)]
Relationship
Betsy Chalmers was born in 1833 and was the wife of Peter Sinclair And Betsy and Peter were the parents of Rebecca Sinclair Rebecca Sinclair married William Watkins and they were the parents of Eva Beatrice Watkins, Eva Beatrice Watkins married Archibald Edwards, and theywere parents of 7 children including Ronald Keith Edwards.
Obituary for Betsy Cahalmers/Lyddon (The Advertiser Mon 27 May 1929)
This obituary of Betsy can be very helpful in putting many pieces of the puzzle together.
OBITUARY.
Mrs. Lyddon. who died at her residence, Springton, on May 22, in her 98th year, was born at
Stronsey, Orkney Islands. She was married in 1851 to Mr. Peter Sinclair, of Stronsey. He and
his wife and his father sailed for South Australia in the ship Adelaide and arrived at Port
Adelaide in January, 1852.
Mr. Sinclair and his father went to work for Mr. Alan Bell, at Mount Barker. At the end of
six months they went to Mount Crawford to work for Mr. David Randell.
After six months at Mount Crawford Mr. Sinclair and his father went to the Victorian
diggings, but were not among the successful ones, and Mr. Sinclair, sen., died there.
His son returned to Mount Crawford, where he afterwards lost his life as the result of a fall
from a horse.
After having spent nine years at Mount Crawford the widow settled in the Springton district,
and there married Mr.William Lyddon, who died nearly five years ago at the age of 85.
Mrs. Lyddon was highly respected and her home was noted for its hospitality.
By the first marriage Mrs. Lyddon had three children, one son and two daughters. The son,
Mr. James Sinclair, lost his life in a mine accident at Broken Hill.
The daughters are Mrs. W. Watkins. of Sanderson, and Mrs. T. Fuller, of Dawson.
From the second marriage she had three sons and four daughters. The surviving children are
Messrs. William Lyddon, of Cambrai, John and Peter Lyddon, of Springton, and Mrs. John
Vigar, of Lameroo.
Birth Details
Betsy’s obituary states that Betsy was born in Stronsay, Orkney Islands (Scotland) Her date of birth is unclear but quite likely between 1831-1834. I have nominally chosen to use 1833 for her birth year and Baikie Reid to be her mother. The range of years for Betsy’s birth is based on the following calculations. Her death record of 1929, at age 97 suggests her birth year to be 1831-1832 Her recorded age of 17 years when she departed for SA in Nov 1851 suggests that her birth year was between 1833-1834. The Scotland census of 1841 which was held on 6 June 1841 shows her age at 8 years, which suggests that she was born between 1832-1833 Her marriage record to William Lyddon does not provide any useful information. So there you have it …somewhere between 1831-1834. The birth records that best fits this range are.
It is very tempting to select the first of the above records (ie a mother Margaret Meil) mainly because it uses the name of Betsy rather than Betty, but several other things persuade me that this is not the correct choice, and that the more likely correct one is the second record which shows the mother to be Baikie (Reid). The 2nd record shown above with 23/03/1834 is actually a baptism date. When looking at the full handwritten record, the actual birth date is recorded in 1833 on 1833-08-20, and the mother’s name is Baikie Reid. Unusually, there was a 6 month difference between birth date and baptism date. Her mother’s name Baikie is believed to be an alternative name for Rebecca, which fits well!
There are four children to the same parents James Chalmers and Baikie Reid as shown below.
Note that three of these four children appear in the 1841 census on the following pages of this document. They are Janet, Isabella and Betsy It is important to note that the Betsy we are looking for had a sister named Janet who had a married name of Miller Janet Miller is mentioned in this article from South Rhine Cemetery in South Australia… William Lyddon was the eldest son of James and Harriet Lyddon who emigrated from Somerset, England in 1855. William married a widow Betsy Sinclair nee Chalmers, the sister of Janet Miller. To follow Janet up, SAGHS records show that Janet (Sinclair) Miller, (wife of James Miller) died in on 1908-01-31 near Truro in South Australia. Her age of death was recorded as 87 years, putting a calculated year of her birth as 1820-1821.
This fits perfectly with the Janet (Sinclair) Miller being the daughter of Baikie, and the sister of Betsy Chalmers. Betsy having a sister named Janet adds some weight to the conclusion that Betsy’s mother was Baikie and not Margaret Meil (even though the use of the name Betty rather that Betsy is a bit disconcerting). Here are some passenger list details of the Miller family who arrived on the Barque Amazon from Plymouth on 1 Feb 1852. It includes Janet Chalmers and shows her as being a sister to Betsy Chalmers
MILLER, Peter Senr (14/2/1821-26/7/1906) Born Stronsay, Co Orkney, Scotland. Died South Rhine SA. Overseer; Glen Para then Farmer; Braeside South Rhine. Presbyterian. m 1843. MILLER, Mrs Peter nee Janet CHALMERS (//c1821-5/1/1908) Born Stronsay, Co Orkney, Scotland. Died South Rhine SA. Sister to Mrs Peter Sinclair nee Elizabeth Betsy Chalmers. MILLER, Peter Junr (//c1844-18/10/1926) Born Stronsay, Co Orkney, Scotland. Died Springton SA. Farmer; Mt Crawford, Springton. Presbyterian. m 31/3/1869 Bride father James Shearer residence South Rhine, Mary nee Shearer. MILLER, James Fotheringham (//c1846-4/6/1917) Born Stronsay, Co Orkney, Scotland. Died South Rhine SA. Farmer; Mt Crawford, South Rhine. Presbyterian. m 10/4/1879 South Rhine, Frances nee Shearer. MILLER, Frances Fanny Shearer (//c1847-//) Never married. MILLER, William (//c1850-20/6/1922) Born Stronsay, Co Orkney, Scotland. Died South Rhine SA. Farmer; South Rhine, Belalie, Petersburg. Presbyterian. Never married. MILLER, Janet (//-11/11/1924) Born at sea. Died SA. m 11/4/1876 Bride father Peter Miller residence South Rhine, Brunswick Mitchell.
The other contender for mother of Betsy to be Margaret Meil, can be tested by looking at the children list for Margaret Meil to James Chalmers. Six children can be found for Margaret. Admittedly one of them is named Betsy, but there is no child found named Janet that could have been Betsy’s sister. To summarise why I believe that the mother of Betsy Chalmers is Baikie Reid rather than Margaret Meil… Evidence regarding the mother being Margaret Meil Evidence against: The child’s birth year of 1829 is about 2 years outside of the expected range of 1831-1834.
Evidence for: The child’s name is recorded as Betsy rather than Betty Evidence regarding the mother being Baikie Reid Evidence against: The child’s birth name is unfortunately recorded as Betty rather than Betsy (but this is not in-surmountable). Evidence for: The child’s birth year of 1833 fits nicely inside the expected birth range of 1831-1834. Baikie also has a daughter Janet born in 1821, who married James Miller and they to migrated to SA like Betsy did. This Janet (Sinclair) Miller is mentiond in South Australian records as being the sister of Betsy Chalmers. The obituary of Betsy Chalmers refers to Betsy having a daughter referred to as Mrs W. Watkins of Sanderston, and this person is almost certain to be Rebecca Chalmers who we know married William Watkins. The use of the name Rececca for her daughter is likely derived from Betsy’s first name Bakie, where Baikie is recognized as an alternative or slang name of Rebecca. Reuse of this name adds weight to the mother being Baikie. As I see it, the choice is overwhelming to select the Bakie Reid path. The alternative of the Meil path has only one thing going for it, that being the spelling of Betsy, but that is not sufficient to win the battle.
1841 Census Information
(note that this family shown in the 1841 census cannot be found in Stronsay in the 1851 census. This is consistent with the family having migrated to South Australia between 1841 and 1851.
Name: Betsy Chalmers
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1841
Event Place: Stronsay, Orkney, Scotland
Address: FOTHEQUOY
Gender: Female
Age: 8
Birthplace: Orkney
Schedule Type: 29
Parish: Stronsay
Piece/Folio: 1
County: Orkney
Birth Year (Estimated): 1833
Piece: 31
Digital Folder Number: 004091837
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
James Chalmers M 45 Orkney
Rebacca Chalmers F 40 Orkney
Jannet Chalmers F 20 Orkney (suggests a birth year of about 1821)
Isabella Chalmers F 10 Orkney (suggests a birth year of about 1831)
Betsy Chalmers F 8 Orkney (suggests a birth year of abt. 1833)
Page: 7
Line Number: 2
GS Film number: 1042621
Digital Folder Number: 004091837
Image Number: 00057
The other child James born 1823-06-15 is not shown in the household.
James would have been about 18 years old at the time. Possibly he was old enough to
have flown the coop.
Marriage Details
From her obituary, it states that Betsy Chalmers from Stronsay, Orkney, Scotland originally married Peter Sinclair in 1851. This FamilySearch record finds her convincing marriage on 1851-08-28 in Stronsay, Orkney, Scotland) Name: Peter Sinclair
Spouse's Name: Betsy Chalmers
Event Date: 28 Aug 1851
Event Place: Stronsay, Orkney, Scotland
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M11031-4
System Origin: Scotland-ODM
GS Film number: 990516
Based on her birth year of 1834, Betsy would have been about 17 years old at the time of her marriage to Peter Sinclair. This is consisten with a recorded age of 17 years on the passenger list of the ship Adelaide which departed for South Australia in the same year (1851). Following the death of her husband Peter Sinclair in about 1859, Betsy remarried to William Lyddon in Adelaide on 1863-02-27
Groom SURNAME: LYDDON
Groom Given Names: William
Bride SURNAME: SINCLAIR
Bride Given Names: Betsy
Marriage Date: 1863-02-27
Groom Age: FL
Groom Status: N
Groom's Father: James LYDDON
Bride Age: FL
Bride Status: N
Bride's Father: James CHAMBERS
Marriage Place: Res of Rev J Gardner [Adelaide]
District: Ade
Symbols:
Book: 53
Page: 369
Cross Reference:
Migration Details
Betsy’s obituary of 1929 states that she and her husband (later to be identified as Peter Sinclair) and
his father arrived in Port Adelaide on the ship “Adelaide” in January 1852. (Note that no children are
mentioned on the passenger list, strongly suggesting that all their children (including Rebecca
Sinclair) were born in Australia)
Also, on the voyage were the father of Peter, James Sinclair, and presumably his mother, Jane
Sinclair(possibly nee Cooper)
Sinclair James 47 Agr. Labourer 1492/3 Orkney
Jane 48
Sinclair Peter 26 Agr. Labourer 1493/1 Orkney
Betsy 17
Children of Marriage of Betsy Chalmers and Peter Sinclair
There are believed to be 3 children from the first marriage of Betsy (obtained from the obituary of
Betsy Chalmers)
Rebecca Sinclair born abt. 1857, probably in SA but a birth record cannot be found, but her father Peter Sinclair is mentioned on Rebecca’s marriage record. Jane Sinclair born in SA on 1860-05-16 to Betsy Chalmers. Her birthplace was recorded as Springfield.
And James Sinclair born in SA (died in Broken Hill) candidate marriage possibly on 1888-07-10.
Children of Marriage of Betsy Chalmers and William Lyddon
From her 2nd marriage, Betsy Chalmers and William Lyddon had 7 children, most of them listed as
being born around the South Rhine area. South Rhine is located near Springton.
Residence Details
South Rhine (from birth records of her children to William Lyddon) Springton (from her obituary, and also birth of her daughter Jane Sinclair) Mount Crawford (from her obituary)
Death Details
Betsy Chalmers died (under her 2nd married name of Lyddon) at Springton years on 1929-05-22 at
the age of 97.
Deceased SURNAME: LYDDON
Given Names: Betsy
Death Date: 1929-05-22
Sex: F
Age: 97y
Status: W
Relative 1: William LYDDON [DH]
Relative 2:
Residence: Springton
Death Place: Springton
District: Ang
Symbols: S
Book: 512
Page: 455
Cross Reference:
The following obituary for Betsy Chalmers (remarried as Betsy Lyddon) was published in The
Advertiser / Mon 27 May 1929 / Page 11 / Obituary
OBITUARY (Enhanced/Corrected version)
(Changes that I have made, to add clarity to the original text, are highlighted by being in bold and
italics).
Mrs. Lyddon (Betsy Chalmers/Sinclair/Lyddon) who died at her residence at Springton on
May 22, in her 98th year, was born at Stronsey, Orkney Islands. She was married in 1851 to
Mr. Peter Sinclair, of Stronsey. (A matching marriage record of 1851-08-28 has been
found)
He (Peter Sinclair) and his wife (Betsy Chalmers/Sinclair) and his father (possibly James
Sinclair) sailed for South Australia in the ship Adelaide and arrived at Port Adelaide in
January 1852 (31 Jan 1852). (Note that Peter’s mother is not mentioned amongst the people
here, but she (Jane) does appear to be included in the passenger list.)
Mr. Sinclair (Peter Sinclair) and his father (possibly James Sinclair) went to work for Mr.
Alan Bell, at Mount Barker. At the end of six months they went to Mount Crawford to work
for Mr. David Randell. After six months at Mount Crawford Mr. Sinclair (Peter Sinclair) and
his father went to the Victorian diggings, but were not among the successful ones, and Mr.
Sinclair, sen. (possibly James Sinclair), died there. (What happened to the wife of James
Sinclair, Jane ?)
His son (Peter Sinclair) returned to Mount Crawford, where he afterwards lost his life as the
result of a fall from a horse.
After having spent nine years at Mount Crawford the widow (Betsy
Chalmers/Sinclair/Lyddon) settled in the Springton district, and there married Mr. William
Lyddon, who died nearly five years ago at the age of 85.
Mrs. Lyddon was highly respected, and her home was noted for its hospitality. By the first
marriage (to Peter Sinclair) Mrs. Lyddon had three children, one son and two daughters.
The son, Mr. James Sinclair, lost his life in a mine accident at Broken Hill. The daughters are
Mrs. W. Watkins (Rebecca Sinclair, married to William Watkins) of Sanderson, and Mrs.
T. Fuller (Jane Sinclair married to Thomas Wall Fuller), of Dawson.
From the second marriage she had three sons and four daughters. The surviving children are
Messrs. William Lyddon of Cambrai, John and Peter Lyddon, of Springton, and Mrs. John
Vigar (Janet Lyddon married John Vigar) of Lameroo.
The original of the obituary can be found at this location
Betsy is buried at the South Rhine Cemetery together with her second husband William Lyddon Row F Her death date of 1929-05-22 at age of 97 years suggests a birth year of 1831-1832, although a birth year of 1834 has been adopted, mainly from her birth record back in Stronsay, Orkland.
Misc
From southrhinecemetery.com/pioneer-families/
William Lyddon (d 24/09/1924) married to Betsy
William Lyddon was the eldest son of James and Harriet Lyddon who emigrated from
Somerset, England in 1855. William married a widow Betsy Sinclair nee Chalmers, the sister
of Janet Miller. William died at the age of 85 and Betsy in 1929 aged 97. Their son John was
the last Clerk at the District Council of Springton-South Rhine. He died in 1956 aged 89.
William Lyddon died on 24 Sept 1924 and is is buried at the South Rhine Cemetery, as is Betsy, Row F
