Trove Tuesday: Richard goes missing

Sarah Alice Hillgrove, my great-grandmother, lived in Victoria. Her father, John, was born in Youghal, Cork. John's sister, Alice, also migrated to Australia, with her husband Aaron Pope, but they lived in Sydney, New South Wales. There's more to the story of the Pope family's life in Australia but now I want to concentrate on one of the sons.

I don't think Sarah ever met her cousins but it is possible she met cousin Richard Pope because he lived in Melbourne, Victoria for a few years before moving to Western Australia. Richard was born in Redfern, Sydney in 1850, and had several brothers and sisters, but for reasons unknown he 'disappeared' when he was only 13 years old. The advertisement that his father placed in the paper mentions that he left from Dr Egan's place in Jamison St (near Circular Quay). There was also a similar notice in the Police Gazette. Is it possible that Richard was working at Dr Egan's?

New South Wales Police Gazette, Nov 1863 p. 350

Sydney Morning Herald  3 Nov 1863

Richard was still missing almost a year later but he must have been spotted because his father put another notice in the paper. He was only 14 years old so the parents must have been very concerned.

Sydney Morning Herald 2 September 1864

I wish I knew what happened next. At some time in the next few years Richard must have returned home because he married Millicent Haynes in 1882 in Waterloo, the suburb next to Redfern. And when his nephew died in 1885 Richard's name is there with his brothers in the funeral notice.

Funeral notices for John Aaron Pope. Richard is named in the fourth notice.
Sydney Morning Herald 27 Apr 1885

Richard appears to have worked as a plasterer and he and Millicent lived in Redfern and then Hawthorn in Victoria in the 1890s before moving to Fremantle in Western Australia. In 1903, when he was 53, there is a newspaper report about a work injury.

The West Australian 17 Jan 1903

Richard died at Fremantle in 1921 when he was 71. Millicent died 10 years later. There are numerous descendants. I wonder if any of them know what happened to Richard in his 'missing' years. Did he ever talk about it?

West Australian 21 Apr 1921

The newspaper articles can be found on the Trove website at the National Library.