As family history researchers or genealogists, we know that to find our ancestors in the records, we need to try all sorts of different spelling of their surname. One of my late wife’s paternal great grandmothers was born Alice Iland, though some records show that surname as ‘Ireland’, ‘Island’ or even ‘Ilund’ or ‘Hyland’. We accept that ancestors may not have known how to spell their name and informants on records may have been vague about spelling too. But we also need to allow for transcription errors from the original record in the official registration of the event to a ‘certified true copy’ of that record – the ones for which we may pay handsomely from General Record Offices.

Possibly, we all have found an error in a certified true copy. My previous blog here (Jul 2025) was about Rebecca Jones (born Moore), the other paternal great grandmother of my wife. On the certificate of marriage for one of Rebecca’s daughters, Helen Jones, the groom’s mother, Elizabeth Mason, is stated as being the bride’s mother, instead of Rebecca.[1] I assume it was a careless transcription error as Elizabeth Mason was also one of the witnesses to the ceremony and correctly shown as such on that certificate. The mistake had not been recognised.

On the death certificate of Alice Iland’s father, Richard Iland, (who had accidentally drowned) his mother is listed as “Mary Ann McDonald”.[2] Mary Ann McDonald was his wife, not his mother! In this case, the informant was a J.P. in Maryborough, who should have seen the error as Mary Ann is correctly listed as Richard’s wife on that certificate. So this is likely to be another careless transcription error in the General Record Office. But we cannot blame all errors in these certificates on the informants or the transcribers. What about when the individual person has not known of their true birthplace?

Augustus Barlow and Alice Iland, Maryborough, Queensland 1880s. Photo from author’s collection of Barlow family photos.

Alice Iland married Augustus Barlow in Maryborough, Queensland, on 19 November 1880.[3] On their marriage certificate, the birthplace of her husband is listed as “Germany” and the birthplace of Alice is listed as “Sheerness Scotland”. I spent many years unsuccessfully searching for a birth or baptism record in Scotland for Alice and using the variations of the Iland/Ireland surname. It was only while researching Alice’s parents, Richard Iland and Mary Ann McDonald/McDonnell that I found that Alice was born in Sheerness, Sheppey, Kent, not Scotland at all. She was born in the 2^nd Quarter of 1861 (Mar/Apr/May).[4] While I could not find an exact date of birth, I found Alice listed in the 1861 England Census where her age was one-twelfth (or one month old).[5] The Census was taken on Sunday 7 April, so Alice is likely to have been born in early March 1861.

With further research, it seems that Alice herself certainly believed she was born in Scotland. May Beatrice Mary Barlow, the second daughter of Albert and Alice, was born at her parents’ residence on Gayndah Road, Maryborough, on 16 November 1884.[6] In the certified true copy of the birth registration of May Beatrice, Alice is named as the mother, aged 22 years, and it gives the mother’s birthplace as “Scotland”. The informant was her husband, Albert August. So it seems Alice would have told her husband that she was born in Scotland and he would have had no reason to question it.

Another error (or omission?) on the birth certificate of May Beatrice is that only Charles, their first born child, is listed under “Issue – living or deceased”.[7] Their second born child, Isabella, is not mentioned, though she was born in Maryborough in May 1883 and died in 1967.[8] One would hardly forget an eighteen month old daughter, so why was she omitted?

I have so far been unable to find exactly when Alice arrived in Queensland. I have extensively researched the Queensland Archives, Assisted Passengers to Queensland for Alice, her parents and each of her siblings in case they noted an arrival date.[9] Her younger sister, Margaret, was born in Queensland on 26 Mar 1867, so the parents brought the family to Australia sometime between March 1861, when Alice was born in England and March 1867, when Margaret was born in Australia.[10] Both parents had died in Maryborough, not long before Alice was married. According to her father’s death certificate in 1878, he had been in Queensland for thirteen years, meaning he had arrived in about 1865.[11] According to her mother’s death certificate in 1877, she had been in Queensland for eleven years, meaning she had arrived in about 1866.[12] My broader search covered the years 1863 to 1867, but to no avail. Perhaps they entered Australia via a different state? Richard had been a mariner in 1861, as Mary Ann, his wife, is referred to as “Seaman’s wife” in the 1861 England Census.[13] Maybe he had brought his family out on a ship on which he was working and they were not recorded as immigrants?

August and Alice Barlow (nee Iland). Photo taken by author 21 Jul 2004 at Maryborough Cemetery.

Having sorted out this maze of errors, omissions or misunderstandings, I tried to discover more of how Alice had lived since she arrived as a young child in Queensland. She would have been of school age, so searching Queensland school pupils’ indexes through Queensland Family History Society seemed a good place to start.[14] Alice does not appear but her two siblings born in Queensland, Margaret and Julia, both attended Maryborough Central Girls State School in the 1870s.[15] Alice began appearing in electoral rolls after 1907, the first year in which women in Queensland were permitted to vote. In every roll where she appears, her occupation is “Home duties”.[16]  Her name appearing in newspapers was equally sparse. Her only mentions were in relation to her own death and funeral and those of close family members.[17] There were no references to social occasions.

I have wondered if Alice maintained her own circle of friends as time went on as according to my late father-in-law, his extended Barlow family enjoyed singing at church. The German community in Maryborough in the late 1800s was quite large and they may have kept to themselves, practising their faith attending church and its related social activities. Without further documentary evidence, I trust Alice had an enjoyable life.

[1] Marriage of John MASON to Helen JONES, 16 Jul 1887, house of William MASON, Walker Street, Maryborough, photocopy of certified true copy of entry in Register at General Registry Office, Brisbane, 1887/C/1324.
[2] Death Certificate of Richard ILAND, died 14 Mar 1878, accidental drowning, 1878/C/2944, Certified copy of Register of Death, General Registry Office, Brisbane.
[3] Marriage Certificate of Augustus BARLOW and Alice ILAND, 19 Nov 1880, certified true copy of entry in Register of Marriages, General Registry Office, Brisbane.
[4] Birth Registration of Alice ILAND, Sheppey, Kent, 2nd quarter, 1861, Findmypast, England & Wales Births 1837-2006, accessed 12 Oct 2025.
[5] Census Record for Alice ILAND, one month old with family, England Census 1861, Minster, Sheppey, Sheerness, Kent, Piece 531, Folio 102, Page 17, Ancestry, accessed 12 Oct 2025.
[6] Birth Certificate of May Beatrice Mary BARLOW, born 16 Nov 1884, 1884/C/5830, Certified copy of Register of Birth, General Registry Office, Brisbane.
[7] Birth Certificate of May Beatrice Mary BARLOW.
[8] Birth registration of Isabella BARLOW, born 8 May 1883, Queensland Births, Deaths, Marriages, 1883/C/5186, https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/, Death registration of Isabella BARLOW, died 10 Sep 1967, Queensland Births, Deaths, Marriages, 1967/C/4406, https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/.
[9] Passengers arriving on immigrant ships arriving in Queensland, https://www.archivessearch.qld.gov.au/items/ITM18474.
[10] Birth registration of Margaret ILAND, born 26 Mar 1887, Queensland Births, Deaths, Marriages, 1887/C/2823, https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/.
[11] Death Certificate of Richard ILAND.
[12] Death Certificate of Mary Ann ILAND.
[13] Census Record for Alice ILAND, 1861.
[14] Queensland School Pupils Indexes. Parts 1-6 Combined, https://www.qfhs.org.au/online-access/qspi/, accessed 15 Oct 2025.
[15] Queensland School Pupils Indexes. Parts 1-6 Combined, Queensland Family History Society.
[16] Alice BARLOW in Electoral Rolls, Queensland Electoral Rolls 1903-1980, Ancestry.com.au, accessed 15 Oct 2025.
[17] Trove, Online newspapers, Australia, https://trove.nla.gov.au/.