Death at sea of Walter Wilkes Plaisted (1836 - 1871)

Walter Wilkes Plaisted (1836 - 1871), my 3rd great grand uncle, died of phthisis (tuberculosis) on board the SS Geelong during the passage from Singapore to Melbourne. His probate file, held by the Public Records Office of Victoria, includes an inventory of his effects, a fascinating insight into the possessions of a traveller of 1871.

death notice for Walter Wilkes Plaisted in the Melbourne Argus of 27 February 1871

Walter was the son of John Plaisted (1800 - 1858) and  Ann nee Green (1801 - 1882).  He was the fifth of eight children. Walter's father, John, also died of tuberculosis and in fact the family quite possibly emigrated to Australia for the sake of John Plaisted's health.

The Plaisted family arrived in Adelaide on the Rajah in April 1850.  Walter was then fourteen years old.  In 1856, aged 19,  he was witness in a court case about a forged check. He was a clerk of the South Australian Banking Company.  According to his father's death certificate, John Plaisted had moved to Melbourne five years before his death, about 1853. Walter had obviously stayed in Adelaide, at least until 1856, after his parents moved to Victoria.

At the time of his death Walter was unmarried. He had made a will and left his possessions to be divided between his five living siblings.  At probate he was declared to be a gentleman usually residing at Gipps Street, Richmond. Walter's property amounted to less than forty pounds. His brother Thomas was sworn to administer the estate.

Public Records Office of Victoria: probate file for Walter Wilkes Plaisted, gentleman, usual residence Richmond, who died 7 February 1871, file number 8/804; VPRS 28/P2, unit 1

Inventory of effects of the late W W Plaisted a first class passenger from Singapore to Melbourne. Died on board S. S. 'Geelong' at sea 7th February 1871.

1 small parcel containing

1 gold watch & key (in case)
1 gold guard with appendages
1 set Gold studs
I pr gold sleeve links
1 gold scarf pin
2 pencil cases
Cash 6 Sovereigns 1 Rupee
1 Bunch Keys
.....

1 Black Box No 1 containing

7 prs Cloth Trousers
8 No    "      Coats
9 No    "      Vests
1 No Worsted Jacket
7 No Crimean Shirts [defined by oxforddictionaries.com as a coloured flannel shirt as worn by workers in the bush]
19 No White      "
18 prs     "        Trousers
13 No     "        Vests
11  "        "         Coats
7    "   Chamber Towels
4    "   Cotton Sheets
9    "   Pillow Cases
4    "  Sleeping Jackets
4    "  Singlets
9 prs Socks
8   "  Pyjamas
3 No Hat Covers
1   "  Large Scrap Book
1 Book of Photographic Sketches
1 Portfolio containing papers
2 Albums containing Photographs
1 small Medicine Box
1 Packet Stationery
1 Masonic Apron (in tin case)
1 Flask
1 small Carpet Rug

-----------------

1 Black Portmanteau No 2 containing

1 Bundle Magazines &c
1      "      Books
3 Portraits (framed)
8 Pieces Prints (cotton)
2 Scarfs
2 Sashes
44 Neckties
2 doz Linen Collars
1 Book mark
1 pr Braces
1  "  Kid Gloves
4 Cups
1 dressing Gown
3 White Handkerchiefs
1 Comb 2 hairbrushes
1 Tooth brush
1 Sponge
1 bath Scrubber
1 China basket of sundries

-----------------

1 Black Portmanteau No 3 containing

3 prs Slippers
4   "  Boots & Shoes
1 Red Blanket

-----------------

1 Canvas Bag No 4
containing soiled linen &c viz
1 White Blanket
7 Sleeping Shirts
3 Prs Pyjamas
9 Linen Collars
1 pr White Trousers
5 White Handkerchiefs
3 prs Socks
4 Flannel Waistbands
1 Singlet
3 Bath Towels
4 White Vests
6     "      Shirts
1 Felt Hat

-----------------

Loose Articles

1 Rattan Chair
1 Silk Umbrella 1 Pith Hat

add Japan'd box & tray & Japanese Sword
3 Paper Kites
2 Malacca Canes

Sources

•  POLICE COURTS. (1856, January 3). South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), p. 4. Retrieved  from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49746638
• Public Records Office of Victoria: will and probate files for Walter Wilkes Plaisted, gentleman, usual residence Richmond, who died 7 February 1871, file number 8/804; VPRS 28/P0, unit 99; VPRS 28/P2, unit 1; VPRS 7591/P2, unit 1

Related posts

• P is for phthisis (tuberculosis)

Victorian Archives Centre

Yesterday (13 November 2013)  I attended the Victorian Archives Centre Stakeholder meeting on behalf of the Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AAGRA).

Some exciting developments were shared with us.

By the end of this month a new probate index will be launched covering 1841-2007.

An agreement has been signed with FamilySearch to digitise wills and probate records from 1926 - 1937 extending the digitisation of those records which is currently up to 1925.

An agreement with another company is close to being finalised to digitise all the current microform holdings that have been produced by the Public Record Office. And further discussions with others are being held around additional digitisation projects.  Accessibility of frequently used items of the collection looks to be taking a great leap forward!

There was a presentation on online transformation and redevelopment of the website of the Public Record Office (PROV). Building and delivery of the website will occur up until 2015.  The current disparate components of the website:

• Access the collection
• PROV online indexes
• PROV wiki

will be integrated. Website standards, including accessibilty standards, will be incorporated.

A beta site may be available this time next year.  It will run in parallel with the existing website while any issues are sorted out.

There was some discussion about availability of the collection via Trove.  At the moment metadata is shared with researchdata.ands.org.au . Have a look at http://researchdata.ands.org.au/search/#!/class=collection/p=1/group=Public%20Record%20Office%20Victoria/ to get new insights into the PROV's collection.

The discussion also covered

• regional archives centres including the new reading room for the Bendigo Archives Centre
• the Local History Grants program and the Victorian Community History Awards
• the new exhibition over summer will be Streets of Melbourne opening on 25 November
• following on from the success of the first open day, another is being panned for March 2014

At the round table at the end of the meeting updates from other stakeholders included

• news of digitisation projects of ratebooks of the City of Melbourne 
• the new Docklands library will open in March and will include exhibition space devoted to the heritage of the area
• the History Teachers' Association of Victoria have produced a video series on why study history with interviews with a number of people who have studied History and now work in a range of related professions.
• the update from the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations (VAFHO) mentioned the success of the Ballarat conference earlier this year and also the Family History Feast held as a joint venture between the State Library, PROV and the National Archives.  Also that National Family History Week was now National Family History Month and would be held in August next year.
• the Genealogical Society of Victoria (GSV) mentioned several large projects including imaging Fawkner Cemetery records and indexing the Richmond rate books.
• the Australian Women's Archives Project mentioned an online encyclopaedia about Women in Leadership to be launched early next year

On 1 February moved this post across from my other blogging site (A Family Historian from Ballarat) as I have decided to have only one blog.