Charles KNEE

[heritageseeker]

Hi all, a couple of years on and still trying to find information on my great grandfather Charles Knee so am re-posting this message.

Would like to know anything about him but in particular, any records prior to 1873 i.e his emigration to Australia, his life in China.

I have found a record of him on the Australian Chinese Naturalisation databased but can't find any other information about him. If anyone can help, it'd be most appreciated.

Certificate Year: 1873
Certificate - No: 133
Certificate Date: 03/03/73
Memorial No: 73/01722

Name: CHARLES KNEE
Native Place: CANTON
Ship: IN THIS COLONY Arrival
Year: 1850
Date of Application: 26/02/73
Age at Application: 40
Sydney: N
City: CUEN, SCONE
Primary Occupation: shepherd
Secondary Occupation:
Source: 4/1195; 4/1202 Reason: Y
Remarks: desirous of acquiring landed property & settling in the country, Letters 5 Mar

I note that the Letters 5 Mar no longer exist on file.

He lived in the Scone area of NSW, Australia. Note he is buried in Scone cemetery I think but there is no headstone.

Kind regards, Shauna

[Henry]

Hi Shauna,

Welcome to the Forum !

Do any of the immigration / ship manifests include a Chinese name for your grandfather? Possibly, his Chinese name may also appear on a marriage certificate and/or birth certificates for his children.

If you could check the Scone cemetery and find his grave and if there is a headstone, all the information that you would need to trace back to your ancestral village in China would be inscribed in Chinese: name, ancestral village name, county, and province. If so, take a clear digital photo of the headstone and attach it or post it here on the Forum so we can translate and help you:

siyigenealogy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=comment&action=display&thread=421


There are several Forum members, e.g., Geoff and Kate Bagnall, that have done extensive research on Chinese in Australia and they can probably tell you other additional public records to check.


Henry

[kerry]

The problem is that "Knee" is not actually a Chinese surname. Chinese family names are in chinese script. The english transliterations of them are approximate, vague and usually for the convenience of Australian paperwork. It may not even be a transliteration. Can someone who is a Chinese speaker tell us if the name of the body part in Chinese could also happen to be a family name?

For some background ideas, try your library for a copy of "Golden Threads: the Chinese in Regional NSW" by Janis Wilton. (If any of my family are listening, that will do for Christmas, thanks!)

Find anything written in Chinese. If you can't find his headstone, check his immediate offspring. A cousin's grandfather (actually mentioned in the boo above) also didn't have there name in Chinese. Even on his grave which was all done in English. But we found one of his daughters had married a more traditional Chinese speaking man, and he had arranged for her name to be recorded in English and Chinese on her grave - hence we could confirm what the family's real surname is.

The back of old photgraphs are also a good bet. Good luck.

[geoff]

Hello Shauna,

Have you checked State Records of NSW for his arrival in 1850 or Mariners & ships in Australian Waters online at mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/? I noticed that arrivals in 1850 are still being transcribed online so you'll have to contact State Records to view arrivals on microfiche or microfilm. A complication.......he maybe not recorded as a passenger called "Charles Knee"? This goes back to finding his Chinese name.

There's a Charles KNEE who died in 1892 & death registered in Scone. He might have died in say Scone hospital (hospital covering smaller surrounding towns) & his death was registered in Scone. He may not have necessarily lived in Scone or been buried in Scone cemetery. He might have lived in a smaller nearby country town & chosen to be buried in his home town. Is he buried in Scone cemetery? Do you have any evidence of his place of residence? Source is NSW BDM online, 11932/1892. Father & mother's names unknown. Have you bought this death registration as it might have some other info on it? Transcription agents will cost less that NSWBDM.

Found this Charles William Godfrey KNEE, born Scone NSW. Is he a descendant? Source is National Archives online naa.gov.au. Details as follows.......

KNEE CHARLES WILLIAM GODFREY : Service Number - N163922 : Date of birth - 13 Mar 1915 : Place of birth - SCONE NSW : Place of enlistment - QUIRINDI NSW : Next of Kin - KNEE LORNA
Series number B884
Control symbol N163922
Contents date range 1939 - 1948
Access status Not yet examined
Location Canberra
Barcode 5691559

This Charles Knee served in WW2 in Australian Army. Source:
www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/name.asp

I may have repeated some of the info that I'd previously given you, but just in case........

Regards,
Geoff