Thomas William [de] Tracey / Tracy : Salvation Army Officer.
In search of descendants
In days gone by, it seems that
communication was not so different from today. While today’s communication may
take the form of a quick email or text, previously, especially with the advent
of the photographic post card, many were whipped up and sent off to family
members both close and distant, with message that seem obscure to many, the
meaning only decipherable by the recipient. My husband’s ancestors seemed to be very
prolific post card writers, and I have in my possession one sent from Thomas W.
de Tracey to an unknown family member. Thomas William Tracy / Tracey was only
very indirectly linked to my husband’s maternal family via the sister of his
mother. I would dearly like to reunite this wonderful photograph, with its accompanying
message to a direct descendant, instead it of lying idle in the bottom of my
unknown photos box.
The photo, taken in Ararat, Victoria or its surrounds,
shows Thomas de Tracey standing, dressed in his Salvation Army uniform, along
with salutation, “Yours on service, Thomas W. de Tracey” across the front of
the picture. The
photograph was taken by “TRG Williams, photographer and picture framer ARARAT”
This photographer's mark takes the form of a blue oval ink stamp, placed
on the top left corner of the post card.
The card has no postmark, so the
date it was sent is unknown, but with the inclusion of the “de” in his name it
would most likely been taken around 1915-1920 based on the response received from
the Salvation Army archivist, which is included below. No postal address is recorded either, just the
message written on the verso which reads:
“I hope you know who this is? It
isn’t Felix O’Callaghan on his last legs, but simply your humble [illegible]
Hope you like it.
Ta – ta,
Be a good boy,
Tom”
I carried out some research on
Officer Tracey through the Salvation Army Archives, the Victorian Births Deaths
and Marriages historical online indexes, and a quick search for any reference
to him on any Australian Ancestry family trees, as well as Google. Enough
information was gained from these sources to clearly identify him, without
going to the expense of purchasing all relevant certificates for someone, who
is so distantly related, that he and his family have not been added to my
family tree - though I did purchase his marriage certificate, which I thought
would give the most accurate information as it was provided by the man, (along with his wife, who was herself a
Salvation Army Officer) himself.
After my initial enquiry with
Salvation Army Archivist, located in Melbourne, the answer I received states
that:
“I have found that we had a
Thomas De Tracey who was a Salvation Army officer. At times the 'de' was
omitted and he was Thomas Tracey. It seems he became an officer in 1904, was
married by 1915 and in 1922 was no longer an officer, but attended the Sunshine
or Footscray Corps. It was in 1922 that an infant was dedicated. In 1904 he was
appointed to Devonport, 1906 he was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain. In
1907 he seemed to be a member of the Biorama Company, 1907 he was appointed to
Beaconsfield, 1909 he was appointed to Rochester [Vic.], 1917 he was appointed
to Preston [Vic.] We do not have any photos of him, so are not able to confirm
him with the photo you sent. However, the initials T.W. in our database would
seem to be the same person. It seems that after his marriage the 'de' was used.
Please do not hesitate to contact
us again if we can help further.
Regards
Dorothy Hill, Mrs.
Research Officer”
I fully understand the
implications for the compounding of errors on many family trees that are found
online, however having been in contact with some of the owners of the trees in
which Thomas was found in trying to locate direct descendants, I believe that
the majority of the information to be well sourced and correct.
The information I gained from
ancestry.com.au indicates that Thomas William Tracy, the son of Thomas Henry
TRACY (1857-1921) and Alice Jane CUTTING (1862-1949) who married in 1883, was born in
St. Arnaud, Victoria, during 1884, dying in Fairfield, Victoria, on the 19th
June 1964. He was the eldest of nine children. His 8 siblings, all born in St.
Arnaud, Victoria were named:
1. Edward Ernest Tracy (1887-1963)
2. Alfred Frank Tracy (1888-1889)
3. George James Tracy (1893-1959)
4. Ellen Martha Tracy (1895-1963)
5. John Clifford Tracy (1897-1897)
6. Alice Florence Tracy (1898-1898)
7. Arthur Patrick Albert Tracy (1900- ?)
8. Mabel Daphne Gertrude Tracy (1901-?)
Thomas De Tracy married Eleanor Gertrude
Barnett (born 1883 in Hamilton, Victoria, her parents being George William
BARNETT and Elizabeth Ann ALDRIGE) at the Salvation Army Hall in St. Arnaud,
Victoria, on the 22nd December 1914. Their children are unrecorded in any of
the online trees, though as stated in the response from the Salvation Army, it
seems they did have at least one child. The restrictions placed on searching births recorded in Victoria only prior to 1913, means that
it is impossible to check how many children were born to this couple.
I find the decision to change his
surname fascinating. The fact that his surname and that of his father and
siblings were all spelt TRACY is obvious from the birth records. That he
decided to not only add the “de” in front of his surname seems odd, but to also
change the spelling to TRACEY seems even stranger. This change of spelling is noted in his
marriage and death certificate and indexes, as well as on numerous Australian Electoral
Rolls after 1915 while previous Electoral Rolls for 1907 and 1909 have his name
recorded as TRACY. I am sure this is the same man, as his occupation in each
case is given as Salvation Army Officer.
If anyone with direct links to
this upstanding young man would like to have this original photographic post
card, I would be happy to pass it along to home were it can be truly valued. If
a home among descendants cannot be found, I may donate it to the Salvation Army
for their records, if they are willing to give it a good home.
Sources:
· Ancestry Australia public family trees
· Australian Electoral Rolls sourced on Ancestry Australia online
· Photograph held by self
· Salvation Army Archives, Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria
· Victorian Birth Deaths and Marriages Index
· Victorian Marriage certificate purchased by self
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