Albinia Richardson

BIRTH & BAPTISM Name: James R Richardson Gender: Male Child: Albania Richardson [Ancestry provides these pretty useless records sans dates, places and reg nos. but this looks like James Robert and Albinia/Albenia/Albania] [The name lives on in various parts of the family for some time]

Joseph Richardson refers to a sister at his committal hearing at Sale Court, but not by name, and he says she is in an asylum. I assumed this was Albinia, but I cannot find an Albinia in Victorian asylums. Since Joseph has no living sisters, he cannot have one in an asylum. Either he was misheard or he meant a sister-in-law, which is possible, or he believed that Mary was still living.

Found her. Albina is recorded on the birth certificate for Samuel and Mary in 1861, born between James (1851) and John William (1856) and died in infancy. Uses the same symbol for James who died in infancy in VDL. This suggests that the record here is indeed the correct Albina/Albinia.

DEATH & BURIAL Name: Albania Richardson Birth Year: abt 1852 Age: 1 Death Place: Connewarre, Victoria Father's name: James R Registration Year: 1853 Registration Place: Victoria Registration Number: 24692

Geelong Cemetery Trust has an 'Albania' Richardson Registry # 61022, at the East Geelong Cemetery where many Richardsons are buried. 'Albania' died 18 March 1853 and was buried next day at EAS-COE-OLD-X-825-X which just means she is in the old Church of England section, they know which row, but not which grave. We know Albinia or Albania, depending on who is writing it, was born 1852 and died 1853, so the mis spelling of her name might explain why I didn't find her before. Really need to confirm the 1852 birth date. Albania Richardson, father James Robt. died at Connewarre 1853 at age 1 yr.

An Albinia Richardson entered Leopold School No. 1146, in 1893. [ID 467824 in Geelong & Dist Historical Soc]. The Register is Kensington 1888-1912. Is this a niece named in her honour? Louis Edward had a daughter called Albinia, frequently misspelled. More research needed.