Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- What Automobiles Did Your Ancestors Own?

 Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 

time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1)  What automobile models did your ancestors have?  Pick an ancestor and share something about their cars.

2)  Share your information about your ancestor's car(s) in your own blog post, writing a comment on this blog post, or put it in a Substack post, Facebook Note, or some other social media system.  Please leave a comment on this post so others can find it.

NOTE:  I could use ideas for different SNGF topics.  Please email me (randy.seaver@gmail.com).

Thank you to Lisa Gorrell for this week's SNGF challenge topic.

Here's mine:

1)  I know that my grandfather Lyle Carringer (1891-1976) owned a Ford Model T in about 1920 because I have a photograph of the car with my mother on the hood of the car -- see below:

My grandfather was partial to Hudson cars in the 1930s and into the 1950s, but I don't have a photo of the cars.

2)  My father drove across the country from Massachusetts to San Diego in 1940, but I don't know what kind of car he drove.  When he worked for Prudential Insurance, from 1946 to 1971, he had a new car every three years or so because he had to drive a 40 to 50 mile round trip to work several days a week.  I recall a blue Mercury in the 1950s that we rode in to Yosemite and bowling tournament vacations in the Central Valley in the mid-1950s.  My mother would get her right arm sunburned on our long trips in summer weather with no air conditioning.  In the late 1950s, my father bought a pink Oldsmobile:

After 1970, he became partial to Cadilac cars and owned several of them (one got crushed in the garage by the cement mixer).

                           =============================================

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Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

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ABC Biography of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle of Lancashire, New South Wales and California (1818-1861)

Using the ABC method described in Using Artificial Intelligence In the Ancestor Biography Creation (ABC) Process -- Updated, enhanced by further developments, here is another ancestor couple biography using the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.6 AI tool.

1) The genealogical sketch for the family of my wife Linda's 2nd great-grandparents Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle, including family members, record abstracts and sources, is in Genealogical Sketch of the Alexander Whittle (1818-1853) and Rachel Morley (1819-1861) Family of Lancashire, New South Wales and California.

(AI NotebookLM Infographic - Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle Family Biography)

2) For the Claude AI biography, I attached a PDF of the genealogical sketch for the specific ancestors using the plus (+) icon, and then prompted the AI tool with:  "You are an expert genealogist and family historian. Please create a biography based on information in the attached file for the Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle family. Include parents, siblings, spouses and children (with birth and death dates and places). Summarize life events, add historical events as appropriate, but do not add or embellish any extra genealogical details. Use section headings. Expand the information in each section to add more details. The tone should be engaging and suitable for family members."

3)  The Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.6 biography (lightly edited for accuracy) is: 

From Lancashire to the California Gold Fields

The Story of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley (1818-1861)

of Lancashire • New South Wales • California

 
Introduction

The story of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley is one of extraordinary journeys — from the smoky mill towns of northern England, across the oceans to the fledgling colony of New South Wales in Australia, and finally to the rough-and-tumble gold fields of California. Theirs is a tale shaped by ambition, hardship, the great social upheavals of the nineteenth century, and ultimately, tragedy. Within the span of barely fifteen years, this Lancashire couple crossed three continents, raised a family under remarkable circumstances, and left descendants whose own lives would be woven into the fabric of the American West.

This biography draws on parish records, immigration documents, colonial newspapers, and California death notices to reconstruct the lives of Alexander and Rachel, their parents, their siblings, and their children. It is offered to their descendants as a window into a world their ancestors navigated with courage and resilience.

Alexander Whittle's Origins: Chorley, Lancashire

Alexander Whittle was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England, and was christened on 4 January 1818 at St. Laurence's Church in that town. Chorley in the early nineteenth century was a rapidly industrializing market town in the heart of Lancashire, a county that was the engine room of Britain's Industrial Revolution. Textile mills, coal pits, and bleachworks dominated the landscape, and families like the Whittles lived and worked in the shadow of this industrial transformation.

He was the son of Alexander Whittle (1774–1855) and Margaret Mansley (1777–1850), who had married in Chorley on 4 July 1797. His father worked as an agricultural labourer and gardener — occupations that placed the family among the working poor, dependent on seasonal work and modest wages in a region where factory labor was rapidly displacing traditional trades. Together, Alexander senior and Margaret raised twelve children, a family of considerable size even by the standards of the era.

Alexander grew up among a large family of brothers and sisters. Their lives reflect the breadth of experience common to working-class Lancashire families of the period — some remained in England, at least one emigrated to Australia, and their young brother Alexander himself would travel the furthest of all:

• John Whittle, born before 11 March 1798 in Standish, Lancashire; no further record is known.
• Robert Whittle, born before 12 January 1800 in Standish, Lancashire; died before 24 November 1835 in Milnrow, Lancashire, at approximately age 35.
• Thomas Whittle, born 28 October 1801 in Chorley; married Jane Pendlebury on 6 July 1845 in Bolton-le-Moors.
• Ann Whittle, born 12 November 1803 in Chorley; died 7 February 1805 in Chorley, aged only one year.
• Richard Whittle, born 10 October 1805 in Chorley; married Hannah Gidman on 18 September 1826 in Prestwich, Lancashire.
• Joseph Whittle, born 15 August 1807 in Chorley; married Elizabeth Bilsborough on 23 May 1831 in Blackburn; died before 8 February 1889 in Bury, Lancashire.
• Stephen Whittle, born 13 March 1810 in Chorley; died 30 September 1863 in Carrisbrook, Victoria, Australia, aged 53 — another of the family who made his life in the Australian colonies.
• Elizabeth Whittle, born 29 December 1811 in Chorley; died 17 April 1818 in Chorley, aged 6.
• Edward Whittle, born before 12 December 1813 in Chorley; married Margaret Gibson on 2 April 1839 in Chorley; died 5 March 1882 in Over Darwen, Lancashire.
• Margaret Whittle, born before 14 January 1816 in Chorley; no further record.
• Alexander Whittle (our subject), born before 4 January 1818 in Chorley.
• Alfred Whittle, born before 4 May 1823 in Bolton-le-Moors; married Matilda Armstrong about 1847 in Birmingham; died 1877 in Liverpool, Lancashire.

Rachel Morley's Origins: Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire

Rachel Morley's early life was shaped by circumstances rather different from Alexander's. She was born in about 1819 and baptised on 25 December 1821 at St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire. Her baptism record lists no father, and her mother is given as Jane (Haslam) Morley — marking Rachel, from the very outset of her official existence, as illegitimate. She had a twin sister, Leah Morley, baptised on the same day, and no father was recorded for either girl. No Bastardy Bonds have been found to identify their father.

Rachel's mother, Jane (Haslam) Morley (1780–1834), had led a complex and difficult life. Jane had been married twice before Rachel and Leah were born. Her first marriage was to Robert Bury (1774–1802) in 1798 in Bolton-le-Moors; they had two children, Ann (born 1799) and Thomas Bury (born 1801). Following Robert's death in 1802, Jane married Thomas Morley (1781–1814) in 1807, also in Bolton-le-Moors, and they had three children together: John Morley (1807–1877), James Morley (born 1809), and Robert Morley (1815–1893). Thomas Morley died in 1814, leaving Jane a widow for the second time. Her twin daughters Rachel and Leah were born in 1819, without a recorded father.

Life for Jane and her youngest daughters was precarious. In 1830, when the twins were about eleven years old, a petition for their removal from Little Bolton to Blackburn, Lancashire, was filed — suggesting they had fallen on hard times and required relief from parish authorities. Jane Morley died on 2 July 1834, aged 53, and was buried in Bolton-le-Moors, leaving the teenage Rachel and Leah without their mother. It is possible the girls returned to Little Bolton after Jane's death; their path from that point until Rachel's marriage in 1840 is not documented.

Marriage and the Beginning of a New Life

Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley were married on 27 February 1840 at Bolton-le-Moors Parish Church, according to the rites of the established Church of England, after the reading of banns by the Curate, P.R. Robin. Alexander, described as a 'sawyer' (a craftsman who cut timber) and a bachelor of full age, lived on King Street. Rachel, described as a minor and spinster, lived on Lum Street. Her father's entry in the marriage register reads simply: 'Illegitimate.'

Alexander signed his name to the register; Rachel, like many women of her background and era, signed with a mark — an 'X' — indicating she could not write. The witnesses to their union were James Ganoe and James Systrot. It was a modest ceremony, yet it bound together two young people from the working poor of Lancashire, each carrying their own share of hardship and hope.

The couple had not waited for their wedding day in every respect. Their first child, Elizabeth Morley Whittle, had been born on 1 June 1839, nearly nine months before the wedding, and was baptised on 14 July 1839 at St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors. Pre-marital births, while not celebrated by the Church, were not uncommon among working-class Lancashire families of this period, and the couple's decision to marry formally suggests a commitment to making their family legitimate.

A Voyage to New South Wales, 1840–1841

Barely months after their wedding, Alexander and Rachel made the bold decision to emigrate to Australia. Britain's colonial authorities were actively encouraging settlement of New South Wales through 'bounty' schemes — arrangements by which the government subsidized the passage of selected emigrants, typically young families with skilled trades, in exchange for their labor in the colony. Alexander, as a sawyer, would have been a desirable candidate.

The family — Alexander (age 23), Rachel, and their infant daughter Elizabeth — departed Liverpool, England, on 14 September 1840 aboard the sailing ship Brothers. The voyage was an extraordinary undertaking: a journey of some 12,000 miles around the Cape of Good Hope, taking approximately six months. The Brothers carried 278 bounty immigrants in total, including 64 passengers from Lancashire alone, suggesting that word of the Australian opportunity had spread widely through the county's working communities.

The voyage was not without drama. On 6 January 1841, as the ship lay at the Cape of Good Hope preparing to resume its journey, a mutiny broke out among some of the seamen. They refused to work, demanded better conditions, and accused the captain of being shorthanded. The ringleaders were placed in irons. Upon arrival in Australia, the men continued to refuse work, leading to further legal proceedings. For the immigrant families crowded in the hold, it must have been an unsettling episode — a reminder of the raw dangers of long-distance maritime travel in the age of sail.

The Brothers arrived at Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) on 11 March 1841. The emigration index records the family as 'Alexander and Rachael Whittell,' noting Alexander's parents as Alexander Whittell and Margaret Mansley, and Rachel's mother as 'Jessie Haslam' — a phonetic variation of Jane (Haslam) Morley.

Life in Sydney

The Whittle family settled in Sydney, and over the following years Alexander established himself as a businessman and publican — a significant step up from his origins as a sawyer. Sydney in the 1840s was a rapidly growing colonial city, its streets crowded with emigrants, freed convicts, merchants, and adventurers. The family initially lived on Cumberland Street in Gipps Ward, as recorded in The Sydney Morning Herald in September 1842.

By 1846, Alexander had entered into a business partnership with a man named William Beach, though the partnership was dissolved by August of that year, with Alexander assuming all debts. By 1848 he was operating as a publican — the proprietor of a public house (a combined bar and restaurant) at their home on Sussex Street. The pub trade was a lucrative if demanding business in colonial Sydney, where the thirsty population of laborers, sailors, and traders kept such establishments busy.

In October 1848, Alexander demonstrated a litigious side: he had a Mr. Jones arrested for obtaining money and goods under false pretenses, alleging the man had shown him forged documents suggesting future wealth. It is a small glimpse into the sharp dealings and risks of colonial commerce.

The family grew during their Sydney years. Five more children were born and baptised at St. James's Church in Sydney:

• William Alfred Whittle, born 1 March 1842; died 23 December 1842, aged only nine months.
• Joseph Whittle, born 30 May 1843.
• John Whittle, born 26 August 1845; died before August 1850, probably in Sydney.
• Jane Whittle, born 2 August 1847.
• Margaret Whittle, born 31 July 1849; died 3 June 1850.

Of these six children (including Elizabeth), two died in infancy — William Alfred and Margaret — and a third, John, also disappeared from the record before the family left for California. Such childhood mortality was heartbreakingly common in the nineteenth century, even in a prosperous household.

In August 1849, Alexander published a formal notice in The Sydney Morning Herald, informing his creditors and debtors that he was about to leave Sydney 'for a short time.' He arranged the sale of his timber yard equipment, tools, furniture, and other goods, and directed that his affairs be managed in his absence by Rachel. What prompted this departure is not stated explicitly in the record — but the timing is telling.

The California Gold Rush: A Family Divided

In January 1848, gold had been discovered at Sutter's Mill in California, and within a year the news had reached every corner of the world. In Sydney, the excitement was intense: thousands of Australians — including many recent British emigrants — joined the great migration to California. The proximity of Australia to the Pacific made the journey to San Francisco quicker and cheaper from Sydney than from most of Europe. Alexander Whittle was among those who succumbed to the lure of gold.

He sailed from Sydney sometime after his notice of August 1849. No passenger list recording his departure or arrival has been found, and no United States Census record places him in California before his death. What is known is that he made his way to Angel's Camp (now in Calaveras County), in the heart of the California Mother Lode country — one of the richest gold-bearing districts in the state.

Back in Sydney, Rachel faced the consequences of her husband's absence. In May 1850, she applied for a publican's license to continue operating the Sussex Street public house in her own name. Her application was refused on a legal technicality: under the law as it then stood, a wife could not enter into the required recognizances while her husband was presumed to be alive. The court acknowledged it was 'a very hard case' but felt bound by the law. Rachel was left without her livelihood. The same month, her infant daughter Margaret died. Widowed in all but name, bereaved, and barred from her business, Rachel had little reason to remain in Sydney.

Rachel and the Children Cross the Pacific

After being denied the license in May 1850 and losing her youngest child in June 1850, Rachel gathered her three surviving children — Elizabeth (now about 11), Joseph (about 7), and Jane (about 3) — and set sail for California. No passenger lists record their crossing, but the 1852 California State Census places the family in San Francisco. The enumerator recorded them as 'Rachel Wadle' — a mishearing or miswriting of Whittle — with her children Elizabeth (age 13, born England), Joseph (age 9, born New South Wales), and Jane (age 5, born New South Wales).

San Francisco in 1851 and 1852 was one of the most turbulent cities on earth. The Gold Rush had transformed a small Mexican settlement into a raucous boomtown of tens of thousands, with hotels, gambling dens, saloons, and brothels lining streets that had been mudflats a few years before. Crime was rampant. Rachel, newly arrived and alone with three children, was almost immediately caught up in the city's dangerous energy.

In November 1851, The Daily Alta California newspaper reported that Rachel Whittle had been robbed while asleep in her home — a boarder had entered her room, attempted to remove a diamond ring from her finger, and she awoke to find her dress (containing $54 in cash) and petticoat stolen. The thieves were prosecuted, though ultimately acquitted at trial in December 1851. That Rachel already had a diamond ring and $54 in her pocket suggests she had not arrived in California penniless; she also appears to have been running a lodging house, given that the suspects were described as her boarders.

Alexander's Death in Angel's Camp

Meanwhile, Alexander's fortunes in the gold fields had not gone well. The Daily Placer Times and Transcript, published on 10 May 1853, reported that a man named Alexander Whittle, aged about thirty-five, had committed suicide in Calaveras the previous week. The paper attributed the cause to 'an absconding wife and liquor.' The Weekly Herald of New York, in its edition of 11 June 1853, carried a fuller account: an inquest had been held by Justice Tuffs near Angel's Camp on the body of Alexander Whittle, a native of England, who had taken his own life on Monday evening, about 8 o'clock, on Six Mile Creek.

Alexander Whittle died on or about 2 May 1853, at approximately 35 years of age. He had left England barely thirteen years earlier, full of hope. Whether he and Rachel ever saw each other again after he departed Sydney in 1849 is not known. The suggestion that Rachel had 'absconded' is unverified and may reflect a skewed account of what was, in reality, a wife attempting to survive and provide for her children in his long absence. Whatever the truth of their estrangement, his death was a lonely and tragic end.

Rachel's Later Life: San Francisco and Sacramento

Rachel Whittle remained in San Francisco after Alexander's death and appears several more times in the city's newspapers, usually in the context of legal proceedings that paint a vivid portrait of a woman struggling to survive in one of the roughest cities in America.

On 1 March 1854, the Alta California newspaper announced that Thomas Spencer had married 'Mrs. Rachel Whittle' at Trinity Church on 19 February 1854. Thomas Spencer appears to have been one of the men tried (and acquitted) in the 1851 theft case involving Rachel — a curious and intriguing connection. This second marriage, to a man of uncertain reputation, was not to last long: Thomas Spencer died on 18 April 1858 in San Francisco, leaving Rachel a widow for the second time.

By the late 1850s, Rachel appears to have moved to Sacramento. A notice in the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper in May 1858 sought information about 'Mrs. Rachel Spencer,' suggesting someone was trying to reach her with important news — possibly related to her late husband's estate. A year later, in May 1859, the same paper reported that Rachel Spencer had been convicted of using obscene and vulgar language on a public street and had been extremely disruptive during her trial, at one point being committed for contempt before her lawyer secured her removal to another room. The implication of inebriation is clear.

In April 1860, the Sacramento press reported that a man named Lafayette Andrews, 'while under the influence of frequent potations,' had visited the residence of 'Mrs. Rachel Spencer alias Mrs. Trask' and created a disturbance. The alias 'Trask' suggests Rachel may have entered into another relationship or marriage, though no record of this has been found. “Trask” could have been a nom-de-plume.

An intriguing notice appeared in the Daily Alta California as late as October 1870, asking 'Mrs. Alexander Whittle, who left Sydney, N.S. Wales, on or about August 1850,' to collect a letter at the San Francisco Post Office from 'an old friend.' Whether Rachel or her children ever saw this notice is unknown.

A mortuary and cemetery record for a 'Rachael M. Spencer' records her death in Sacramento on 10 October 1861 — cause listed as 'Intemperance.' She was said to be born in England and buried at New Helvetia Cemetery, Sacramento. The recorded age of 24 does not match Rachel Morley's true age of approximately 42 in 1861, suggesting a recording error, but all other details align. If this is indeed Rachel, she died at a relatively young age, worn down by years of poverty, displacement, and hardship. She outlived her husband by just eight years.

The Children of Alexander and Rachel Whittle

Despite their parents' turbulent lives, three of Alexander and Rachel's children survived to adulthood and established themselves in California. All three resided in Angel's Camp, California by the 1860 census -- perhaps Alexander had left an estate. Their stories are part of the rich human tapestry of the American West.

• Elizabeth Morley Whittle (1839–1912) -- Elizabeth Morley was born on 1 June 1839 in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire — before her parents' marriage — and was baptised on 14 July 1839 at St. Peter's Church. She sailed to Australia with her parents, and then crossed the Pacific as a child with her mother, and grew up in California. She married twice: First marriage: William Baker Ray, on 7 March 1855 in Calaveras County, California; they had three children. Second marriage: William Swerer, on 8 June 1863 in Sonora, Tuolumne, California; they had ten children.

Elizabeth died on 11 November 1912 in Tuttletown, Tuolumne County, California, aged 73. She had thirteen children in total, leaving a large family behind her. Tuttletown was a small gold-rush community in the Mother Lode country, not far from Angel's Camp where her father had died. Elizabeth's long life in Tuolumne County represents a remarkable rooting of the Whittle family in California.

• Joseph Whittle (1843–1886):  Joseph was born on 30 May 1843 in Sydney, New South Wales, and was one of the three children who made the voyage to California with his mother. He settled in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County — the very place where his father had died. On 29 October 1868, Joseph married Mary Ann Quig in Angel’s Camp. Together they had nine children, including triplets who died after birth. Joseph died on 7 October 1886 in Angel’s Camp, aged 43. His life was spent in the shadow of the gold fields where his father had met his end.

• Jane Whittle (1847–1921):  Jane was born on 2 August 1847 in Sydney, New South Wales, the youngest of the children to survive to adulthood. She was only about three years old when she and her mother and siblings left for California. In 1860, she was living with the family of her sister Elizabeth. On 12 November 1865, Jane married Elijah Pickrell McKnew in Tuolumne, California. They had eleven children together. Jane outlived all her siblings, dying on 7 February 1921 in San Francisco, California, aged 73. Her large family extended the Whittle line well into the twentieth century.

Children Who Did Not Survive -- Three of Alexander and Rachel's children died young:

• William Alfred Whittle, born 1 March 1842 in Sydney; died 23 December 1842, aged nine months.

• John Whittle, born 26 August 1845 in Sydney; died before August 1850, probably in Sydney.

• Margaret Whittle, born 31 July 1849 in Sydney; died 3 June 1850, aged ten months, in Sydney — just weeks after her father left for California and while her mother was battling to keep the family's business afloat.

A Legacy Across Three Continents

The story of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley is, above all, a story of ordinary people swept along by extraordinary historical currents. Born into the working poor of industrial Lancashire, they married young and seized the opportunity that Australia's bounty immigration scheme offered. In Sydney, Alexander built himself up from sawyer to publican, a respectable and prosperous position in colonial society. But the siren call of California gold proved irresistible — and fatal.

Rachel's story is, in many ways, the more remarkable. Abandoned — or at least left without support — in a foreign colony with three young children, she navigated the legal system, ran a boarding house, crossed the Pacific, and survived in one of the most dangerous cities in America. That her later years were marked by poverty and alcohol speaks to the limits of what even a capable and resourceful woman could achieve in the mid-nineteenth century without a husband's legal protection.

Their three surviving children, however, planted deep roots in California. Elizabeth's thirteen children, Joseph's nine, and Jane's eleven represent a combined legacy of thirty-three grandchildren of Alexander and Rachel. Through them, the Whittle name and bloodline spread across the counties of Calaveras, Tuolumne, and San Francisco — and doubtless far beyond.

From a christening at St. Laurence's Church in Chorley on a winter's day in 1818, to a grave on Six Mile Creek near Angel's Camp in 1853; from the baptisms of twin girls at St. Peter's in Bolton in 1821, to a widow's death in Sacramento in 1861 — the lives of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley encompassed an arc of human experience that few of their contemporaries could have imagined. Their descendants carry that story forward.

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A Note on Sources

This biography is based entirely on documented sources including: parish registers for St. Laurence's Church, Chorley and St. Peter's Church, Bolton-le-Moors; the Index to Bounty Immigrants Arriving in New South Wales, 1828–1842; the Australian Births and Baptisms collection (FamilySearch); the 1852 California State Census; contemporary Australian newspapers accessed via the National Library of Australia's Trove database; California newspapers accessed via GenealogyBank; and California mortuary and cemetery records held on Ancestry.com. No genealogical details have been added or embellished beyond what the primary record evidence supports.

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4) An Audio Overview (essentially a podcast) created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool) describing and celebrating the lives of the Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle family can be heard here (click on "Play" for the "Audio Overview").

5)  The Video Overview discussing the Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle family created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool is:  

6)  The Slide Deck produced by Google NotebookLM was incorporated into a Google Slides file, and the created Google Vids presentation is below:  

7)  I edited the Claude biography text to correct minor inconsistencies and errors. Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write. I was an aerospace engineer in my former life, and my research reports and genealogical sketches reflect "just the facts gleaned from my research." The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and create readable text in seconds, including local and national historical events and social history detail when requested.

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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Added and Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - Week of 2 to 8 May 2026

  Each week, I try to keep track of the number of Full-Text Search collections (indexed, searchable) and the Images collections (browsable but not searchable) -- see Sections 1) and 2) below. In addition, I list the genealogy historical record collections (often name-indexed) that are added, removed, and/or updated on FamilySearch and listed on the Historical Record Collection list  --  See Section 3.

1)  As of 8 May 2026, there are now 6,664 searchable and full-text transcribed image collections on FamilySearch Full-Text Search this week, a decrease of 1 from last week. There are over   1.98 BILLION "results" in the collections.  It is not possible to see which collections are new.

 

 2)  As of 8 May 2026, there are now 24,712 browsable (some indexed, none transcribed) image collections on FamilySearch Images this week, an increase of 45 from last week. There are over 6.014 BILLION images in these collections.  There are 2,101 collections from the United States, 6,926 from Europe and 220 from Canada.  It is not possible to see which collections are new.  

3)  As of 8 May 2026, there are 3,433 Historical Record Collections (many indexed, browsable) on FamilySearch (an increase of 3 from last week) on the Signed In screen.

The Deleted, Added and Updated Historical Record Collections this week include:

--- Collections Deleted ---

--- Collections Added ---

--- Collections Updated ---

Germany, Baden, Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau, Catholic Church Records, 1463-1931 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2790181); 11,306,368 indexed records with 1,709,621 record images (was 11,306,368 records with 1,709,697 images), UPDATED 05-May-2026
Italy, Bari, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1908 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1968511); 611,636 indexed records with 2,870,392 record images (was 605,987 records with 2,870,392 images), UPDATED 07-May-2026
Italy, Salerno, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1949 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1935404); 1,201,430 indexed records with 5,930,229 record images (was 1,186,348 records with 5,918,455 images), UPDATED 04-May-2026
South Africa, Gauteng, Johannesburg, Cemetery Records, 1840-2019 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4453927); 2,406,245 indexed records with 306,781 record images (was 2,272,299 records with 294,557 images), UPDATED 01-May-2026
Wales, Probate Abstracts, 1544-1858 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1876640); 1,041,288 indexed records with 112,068 record images (was 0 records with 112,068 images), UPDATED 04-May-2026

--- Collections with new images ---

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Civil Registration, 1861-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000041); 1 indexed records with 111,707 record images (was 1 records with 111,705 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Argentina, Military Records, 1911-1936 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000280); 2,929,239 indexed records with 2,929,261 record images (was 2,929,239 records with 2,929,259 images), last updated 03-Apr-2026
Brazil, Alagoas, Civil Registration, 1876-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469403); 1 indexed records with 454,200 record images (was 1 records with 454,198 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Brazil, Maranhão, Civil Registration, 1827-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469402); 1 indexed records with 906,160 record images (was 1 records with 906,155 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
England Marriages, 1538–1973 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473015); 10,303,917 indexed records with 12,554,364 record images (was 10,303,917 records with 12,553,096 images), last updated 06-Feb-2026

England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473014); 39,148,902 indexed records with 529,095 record images (was 39,148,902 records with 14,811 images), last updated 31-Jan-2026
Finland, Passport Registers, 1900-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4139415); 93,189 indexed records with 2,943 record images (was 93,189 records with 2,634 images), last updated 15-Sep-2025
Italy, Terni, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1513-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3335348); 249,328 indexed records with 90,218 record images (was 249,328 records with 87,821 images), last updated 29-Apr-2026
Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1675351); 128,729 indexed records with 1,719 record images (was 128,729 records with 1,205 images), last updated 06-Feb-2026
United States, Obituary Records, 2014-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000145); 1 indexed records with 28,204,723 record images (was 1 records with 28,204,718 images), last updated 22-Jul-2024

West Virginia, Deaths, 1804-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417434); 2,214,804 indexed records with 2,378,894 record images (was 2,214,804 records with 2,378,770 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026

--- Collections with images removed ---

Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1770729); 457,578 indexed records with 525,969 record images (was 457,578 records with 526,435 images), last updated 28-May-2025
Australia, Marriages, 1810-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1770858); 140,493 indexed records with 149,836 record images (was 140,493 records with 149,893 images), last updated 28-May-2025
England, Somerset, Church Records, 1501-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4380193); 4,285,771 indexed records with 4,777,053 record images (was 4,285,771 records with 4,834,190 images), last updated 04-Jan-2026
France, Loire-Atlantique, Civil Registration, 1792-1960 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3288440); 2,710,678 indexed records with 2,728,494 record images (was 2,710,678 records with 2,921,301 images), last updated 03-Feb-2026
Italy, Deaths and Burials, 1806-1910 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1708705); 76,671 indexed records with 428,888 record images (was 76,671 records with 428,969 images), last updated 28-Mar-2026

United Kingdom, British Armed Forces and Overseas Vital Records, 1761-2005 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4324570); 2,878,200 indexed records with 2,868,205 record images (was 2,878,200 records with 2,868,412 images), last updated 22-Sep-2021
West Virginia, Births, 1853-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417341); 987,420 indexed records with 1,289,126 record images (was 987,420 records with 1,289,651 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026
West Virginia, Marriages, 1780-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408729); 1,470,588 indexed records with 35,456 record images (was 1,470,588 records with 36,017 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026

--- Collections with new records ---

--- Collections with records removed ---

California, Birth Index, 1905-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001879); Index only (24,589,389 records), no images (was 24,589,390 records with 0 images), last updated 01-Mar-2012
United States, Public Records, 1970-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2199956); Index only (875,600,626 records), no images (was 875,600,627 records with 0 images), last updated 23-Dec-2025
United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000290); Index only (413,858,373 records), no images (was 413,858,414 records with 0 images), last updated 22-Jun-2024

===================================

My friend and SDGS colleague, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED, and to alphabetize the entries in each category. Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

Marshall notes that there are:

• 3,433 Historical Record Collection entries
• 0 removed entries
• 0  added entries 
• 5 updated entries
• 19 entries with more or fewer images 
• 3 entries with more or fewer records

Marshsll's list shows 3,433 Historical Record Collections this week, an increase of 0 collections. The image above shows 3,433 collections, so the Image number is in sync with Marshall's list number.

==========================================

See previous FamilySearch-related blog posts in        https://www.geneamusings.com/search/label/FamilySearch

The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not be posted immediately.

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Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 2 to 8 May 2026

  The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by "Date Updated" during the period from 2 to 8 May 2026.

The ADDED and Updated collections include:

• South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1974; 4,252,459 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/8/2026. This database contains the following South Carolina death records: statewide death certificates, 1915-1960 and 1962-1974. Charleston City death records, 1821-1914; Spartanburg City death records, 1895-1897 and 1903-1914;   Union City death records, 1900 and 1913-1914.
• Bas Rhin, France, Censuses, 1819-1921; 4,937,632 indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/8/2026. This collection contains census records from Bas-Rhin, France, between the years of 1819 and 1921.
• UK and Allied Countries, World War II Liberated Prisoner of War Questionnaires, 1945-1949; 133,521 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/7/2026. This collection contains questionnaires completed by prisoners of war from the Second World War. The questionnaires were given to thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers captured by Germany.
• UK, World War II Women's Land Army Index Cards, 1938-1950; 179,282 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/7/2026. This collection contains records of employment for those who served in the Women’s Land Army (WLA) from 1939 to 1948.
• Arkansas, U.S., Divorces, 1923-1975; 1,467,276 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/7/2026. This collection contains divorce records filed in Arkansas between 1923 and 1975. The records include “divorce decree or dismissal” and “divorce petition” documents.
• Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1950; 8,644,610 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/7/2026. This collection contains records of marriages that occurred in Iowa between 1880 and 1950. The records include official marriage licenses, returns of marriages, and affidavits to obtain marriages.
• Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1790-1945; 20,403,826 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/7/2026. This collection contains birth, marriage and death records from numerous local registry offices in the eastern provinces of Prussia, most of which are now part of Poland. 
• Ain, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1509-1911; 19,904,180 indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/7/2026. This collection contains births, marriages, and deaths between 1600 and 1911 in Ain, France.
• Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Railroad Employment Cards, 1881-1906; 17,387 indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/7/2026. This collection contains employment records for US Postal Service personnel who worked on the railway mail service in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1881 and 1965. 
• California, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current; 1,427,824,044 indexed records without record images, Updated 5/6/2026. This index allows you to search for your ancestor by name in California newspapers that are available on Newspapers.com™ from the 1800s to the present.
• Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., St Luke's Episcopal Church Records, 1864-1961; 31,509 indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/6/2026. This collection contains baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia, dated between 1864 and 1961. 
• 1950 United States Federal Census; 154,510,411 indexed records with record images, Updated 5/5/2026. A U.S. census record is only available to the general public 72 years after Census Day. 
• Pulaski, Arkansas, U.S., Coroners Files, 1865-1903; 81,407 indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/4/2026. This collection contains coroner’s inquisition records filed in Pulaski County, Arkansas, between 1865 and 1903.
• Edinburgh, Scotland, Mortcloth Records for St Cuthbert Burial Grounds, 1780-1854; 957 indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/4/2026. This collection contains mortcloth records dated between 1780 and 1854 for St Cuthbert’s Parish and Burial Ground in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

=========================================

The complete Ancestry.com Card Catalog is at https://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx.

By my count, there are 6 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above. There are now 33,931 collections available as of 8 May, an INCREASE of 6 from last week.

==============================================

Disclosure: I pay for an All-Access subscription from Ancestry.com. In past years, Ancestry.com provided a complimentary All Access subscription, an autosomal DNA test, material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and hosted events and meals that I attended in Salt Lake City.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/05/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_0269272362.html

 Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Facebook, X, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Please note that all Comments are moderated so they may not appear immediately.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.

Genealogical Sketch of the Alexander Whittle (1818-1853) and Rachel Morley (1819-1861) Family of Lancashire, New South Wales and California

This is a genealogical sketch of the lives of theAlexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle family of Lancashire, New South Wales and California. They are my wife's 2nd great-grandparents.

=============================

Alexander Whittle’s Early Life

Alexander Whittle was born before January 4, 1818, in Chorley, Lancashire, England, and christened on the same date at St. Laurence's Church.[1] He was the son of Alexander Whittle (1774-1855) and Margaret Mansley (1777-1850), who married on July 4, 1797 in Chorley. Alexander and Margaret Whittle had twelve children:

• John Whittle was born before 11 March 1798 in Standish, Lancashire, no further record.
• Robert Whittle was born before 12 January 1800 in Standish, Lancashire, England; died before 24 November 1835 at the age of 35 in Milnrow, Lancashire.
• Thomas Whittle, born 28 October 1801, Chorley, Lancashire; married Jane Pendlebury, 6 Jul 1845, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.
• Ann Whittle was born on 12 November 1803 in Chorley, Lancashire; died on 7 February 1805 at the age of 1 in Chorley, Lancashire.
• Richard Whittle, born 10 October 1805, Chorley, Lancashire; married Hannah Gidman, 18 September 1826, Prestwich, Lancashire.
• Joseph Whittle, born 15 August 1807, Chorley, Lancashire; married Elizabeth Bilsborough, 23 May 1831, Blackburn, Lancashire; died bef 8 February 1889, Bury, Lancashire, England.
• Stephen Whittle was born on 13 March 1810 in Chorley, Lancashire; died on 30 September 1863 at the age of 53 in Carrisbrook, Victoria, Australia.
• Elizabeth Whittle was born on 29 December 1811 in Chorley, Lancashire; died on 17 Apr 1818 at the age of 6 in Chorley, Lancashire.
• Edward Whittle, born before 12 December 1813, Chorley, Lancashire; married Margaret Gibson, 2 April 1839, Chorley, Lancashire; died 5 March 1882, Over Darwen, Lancashire.
• Margaret Whittle was born before 14 January 1816 in Chorley, Lancashire; no further record.
• Alexander Whittle, born before 4 January 1818, Chorley, Lancashire; married Rachel Morley, 17 August 1840, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire; died 2 May 1853, Angels Camp, Calaveras, California.
• Alfred Whittle, born before 4 May 1823, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire; married Matilda Armstrong, about 1847, Birmingham, Warwickshire; died 1877, Liverpool, Lancashire.

Young Alexander grew up in the industrial heartland of northern England during a time of significant economic and social change. His father worked as an agricultural laborer and gardener, a common occupation in the Chorley area.

Rachel Morley’s Early Life

Rachel Morley was born in about 1819 and was baptized on 25 December 1821 in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors in Lancashire.[2-3] In the baptism record, no father was listed, and her mother was Jane (Haslam) Morley. Leah Morley, daughter of Jane Morley, was born in 1819 and baptized on 25 December 1821. The father of Rachel and Leah is not known, and no Bastardy Bonds were found.

Jane (Haslam) (Bury) Morley (1780-1834) had been married twice before – first to Robert Bury (1774-1802) in 1798 in Bolton-le-Moors, and they had two children – Ann (1799-????) and Thomas Bury (1801-????). Jane (Haslam) Bury married Thomas Morley (1781-1814) in 1807 in Bolton-le-Moors, and they had three children – John Morley (1807-1877), James Morley (1809-????), and Robert Morley (1815-1893).

Jane apparently raised her twin daughters alone in Little Bolton until 1830 when there was a petition for removal for all three of them from Little Bolton to Blackburn, Lancashire. The petition dated 29 November 1830 notes that the daughters were eleven years old. Jane Morley died, age 53, a resident of Little Bolton, Lancashire, and was buried in Bolton le Moors on 2 July 1834. Leah and Rachel Morley may have returned to Little Bolton with their mother.

Marriage and Family

Alexander Whittle married Rachel Morley on 27 February 1840, in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.[4-5] The information for Alexander included:

• Name: Alexander Whittle;
• Age (Groom): full age;
• Condition (Groom): Bachelor;
• Rank or Profession (Groom): Sawyer;
• Residence at the Time of Marriage (Groom): King St.;
• Name and Surname of Father (Groom) : Alexander Whittle;
• Rank or Profession of Father (Groom): Sawyer.

The information for Rachel included:

• Name and Surname (Bride): Rachel Morley;
• Age (Bride): Minor;
• Condition (Bride): Spinster;
• Rank or Profession (Bride): ----;
• Residence at the Time of Marriage (Bride): Lum St.;
• Name and Surname of Father (Bride) : Illegitimate;
• Rank or Profession of Father (Bride): ----.

They were married in the Bolton-le-Moors Parish Church according to the rites and ceremonies in the established church after banns by P.R. Robin, Curate. Alexander signed his name and Rachel signed with a mark. The witnesses were James Ganoe and James Systrot.

The young couple's first child, Elizabeth Morley (later Whittle), was born on 1 June 1839, and baptized on 14 July 1839, at St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors. Elizabeth's birth before her parents' marriage was not uncommon in this era.

Their time in Lancashire after marriage was brief, as they soon embarked on a journey that would take them halfway around the world. Alexander and Rachel Whittle, along with their young daughter Elizabeth, emigrated to Australia. This migration was part of a larger wave of British emigration to the Australian colonies during the 1840s, when the British government encouraged settlement through various assisted passage schemes.

The migration record of the Alexander Whittle family was obtained from the "Index to Bounty Immigrants Arriving in N.S.W. Australia, 1828-1842."[6] The information includes:

• Principal's Name = Alexander Whittell
• Estimated birth year = 1818
• Age in years = 23
• Native place of Principal = Bolton, Lancashire, England
• Father's name = Alexander Whittell
• Mother's name = Margaret Mansley
• Spouse's name = Rachael Whittell
• Native place of spouse = Bolton, Lancashire, England
• Spouse's Father's name = Thomas Morley
• Spouse's Mother's name = Jessie Haslam
• Ship = Brothers
• Date of arrival = 11 Mar 1841

The sailing ship Brothers departed from Liverpool, England, on 14 September 1840, via the Cape of Good Hope, with a stop over at the Cape on 24 December 1840 with a total of 278 Bounty Immigrants, plus crew, including 64 passengers from Lancashire, England. A mutiny occurred at the Cape of Good Hope, on 6 January 1841, as the ship was about to continue on it's journey. Some seamen refused to work, demanded better conditions and accused the captain of being short-handed, leading to irons and later, upon arrival, a continued refusal to work. The Brothers arrived at Port Jackson on 11 March 1841.

After their arrival, the Alexander Whittle family settled in Sydney, Australia, and they had five more children, as noted in the "Australian Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981" collection on FamilySearch. The index entries provide both the birth and baptism dates. They were all baptized in the St. James church in Sydney, children of Alexander and Rachel Whittle:[7]

Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley had the following children:

• Elizabeth Morley Whittle, born 1 June 1839, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire; married (1) William Baker Ray, 7 March 1855, Calaveras, California, three children; married (2) William Swerer, 8 Jun 1863, Sonora, Tuolumne, California, ten children; died 11 November 1912, Tuttletown, Tuolumne, California.
• William Alfred Whittle was born on 1 March 1842 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He died on 23 December 1842 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• Joseph Whittle, born 30 May 1843, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; married Mary Ann Quig, 29 October 1868, Angels Camp, Calaveras, California, nine children; died 7 October 1886, Angels Camp, Calaveras, California.
• John Whittle was born on 26 August 1845 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; he died before 1851 probably in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• Jane Whittle, born 2 August 1847, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; married Elijah Pickrell McKnew, 12 November 1865, Tuolumne, California, eleven children; died 7 February 1921, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
• Margaret Whittle was born on 31 July 1849 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; she died on 3 June 1850 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Alexander and Rachel Whittle appear in Sydney, Australia newspapers in the 1842 to 1850 time frame (see http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper), including:

• On 14 September 1842, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Alexander Whittle had a house on Cumberland Street in Gipps Ward.
•  On 13 August 1846, The Sydney Morning Herald ran a notice that Alexander Whittle and William Beach had dissolved their partnership in a business, and Mr. Whittle is assuming all debts.
• On 30 October 1848, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Alexander Whittle of Sussex Street, a publican, had Mr. Jones arrested for obtaining money and goods under false pretenses -- he showed him a large amount of future money.
• On 31 August 1849, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that:

"The undersigned being on the eve of leaving Sydney for a short time, hereby requests all persons having any claims against him to forward them to his residence in Sussex-street, for examination and immediate payments; and all persons indebted to him are requested to pay their respective accounts at the same place, to A. Whittle or to Mrs. Rachel Whittle by whom the business will be carried on as usual in the home, and whose receipt will be a sufficient discharge.
.........................ALEXANDER WHITTLE
N.B. The cedar, pine, pits, racks, turned work, lathe, office, and the business of the yard, will be sold by auction, together with two or three dozen chairs, two sets of bedsteads, tables, boxes, and other things, on the 3rd September, if not previously disposed of my private contract.

Witness Joe Makin ..................... A. WHITTLE
August 30"

• * On 2 April 1850, The Sydney Morning Herald provided a list of Publicans General Licenses for Sydney for the coming year, and it includes:

" #162 Rachel Whittle, Sussex-street
#163 Alexander Whittle, Sussex-street"

• On 6 May 1850, The Sydney Morning Herald listed several court cases, including:

"Application of Margaret Birmingham
The husband of this applicant had gone to California. The license was first applied for in the name of the husband, but an application had also been made in the name of the wife. The first having been withdrawn, the latter was now taken into consideration. It was admitted that the husband was absent in California. He was, however, shortly expected to arrive in Sydney."

And further down:

"The Attorney-General was of the opinion, that the presumption of law being that the husband was alive, the wife could not enter into recognizances. Several other magistrates expressed a similar opinion, but admitted that the case was a very hard one, and regretted that they were prevented by law from granting the application. The license was therefore refused."

And further down:

"Application of Rachel Whittle
This was a precisely similar case, and was similarly disposed of."

In summary, from theinformation from the Australian Newspapers, it appears that:

• The Whittles were residing in Sydney in September 1842.
• Alexander Whittle was a publican (owned and operated a "pub" -- a public house -- probably a restaurant and bar) in the 1848 to 1850 time period, and perhaps earlier. The pub was in their home on Sussex Street in Sydney.
• Alexander Whittle left Sydney in or after September 1849 after giving notice to debtors and creditors, and putting his personal property up for sale.
• Rachel Whittle was denied a publicans license in May 1850 because her husband was not residing in Sydney.

Life in California

The discovery of gold in California in 1848 sparked a global migration phenomenon, and the Whittle family became part of this historic gold rush. Like thousands of others seeking fortune, Alexander Whittle made the decision to leave Australia and try his luck in California's gold country. He sailed from Sydney to San Francisco after September 1849. There are no passenger list records for his journey. There are no United States Census records for Alexander Whittle born before 1830 in the 1850 through 1900 census records.

After being denied the license to continue the Public House in May 1850 and the death of her daughter in June1850, Rachel and her three surviving children sailed to California and landed in San Francisco before December 1851. There are no passenger lists for their journey.

Rachel "Wadle" (age 32, born England) and her children Elizabeth (age 13, born Australia), Joseph (age 9, born Australia) and Jane (age 5, born Australia) were enumerated on the 1852 California State Census residing in San Francisco, California.[8] "Wadle" is a misspelling of Whittle.

After arriving in San Francisco, Alexander Whittle went to Angel’s Camp, now in Calaveras County, California, to work as a miner in the gold fields. It is not known if he ever saw his wife and children again. Alexander died on or about 2 May 1853 in Angel’s Camp, now Calaveras County, as noted in two newspaper articles:

• In the Daily Placer Times and Transcript, dated 10th May 1853, an article says:[9]

"A man by the name of Alexander Whittle, aged about thirty five, committed suicide in Calaveras last week. Cause, an absconding wife and liquor."

• In the The Weekly Herald of New York City, dated Saturday, June 11, 1853, an article titled "Nine Days Later from California, "Arrival of the El Dorado and Prometheus" has an item:[10]

"SUICIDE -- On Tuesday morning an inquest was held by Justice Tuffs, near Angel's Camp, on the body of Alexander Whittle, a native of England, who committed suicide Monday evening, about 8'o'clock, on Six Mile creek.

Rachel’s Later Life

Once Rachel Whittle got to California, she appears several times in the San Francisco newspapers. for instance:

• From the Daily Alta California newspaper, Volume 2, Number 339, 16 November 1851:

"Robbery -- Thomas O'Brien, John Foster and Thomas Spencer were charged with having robbed Rachel Whittle of a pistol, a dress, and a petticoat. By the evidence of the woman herself, it appeared that after she had gone to bed and was asleep, James O'Brien came into her room and got into her bed, and she was awakened by his trying to take a diamond ring off her finger. She got out of bed and ran into the bar-room. O'Brien followed her. She went to the door and screamed, when the police came in and found O'Brien concealed upstairs. She then missed her dress and petticoat. The dress contained $54 in the pocket. The house was searched, and the dress was found under the head of Spencer, and the petticoat in O'Brien's room, they being lodgers in the house. The parties were all sent to the Court of Sessions on a charge of grand larceny with the bail fixed at $1500 each."

• From the Daily Alta California newspaper, Volume 2, Number 363, 10 December 1851:

"Court of Sessions -- Before Judges Campbell, Corbett and Shepheard. People vs. John Foster -- Defendant was charged with grand larceny, in having stolen a ring and $202 in money from Rachael Whittle while she was asleep in her bed. Foster was a boarder in the house. Defendant was found not guilty, and Spencer and O'Brien, jointly indicted with Foster, were acquitted."

Rachel Whittle married again, as shown in this article in the Alta California newspaper dated 1 March 1854:[11]

“In Trinity Church, by the Rector, on the 19th instant, Thomas Spencer, to Mrs. Rachel Whittle, both of San Francisco.”

Thomas Spencer died on 18 April 1858 in San Francisco, California, leaving Rachel a widow for the second time. Rachel may have moved to Sacramento soon after. There are newspaper articles about her:

• From the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, Volume 15, Number 2229, 19 May 1858:

"WANTED -- Information of the whereabouts of Mrs. Rachel Spencer, who may hear of something to her advantage by applying, without loss of time, to H. Olmerd, Bernard street, between Mason and Jones, San Francisco."

• From the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, Volume 17, Number 2549, 28 May 1859:

"Rachel Spencer, charged with using obscene and vulgar language on the public street, was adjudged guilty and will be sentenced today. The defendant was extremely obstreperous (probably on account of inebriation) during the examination of the case, disregarding the frequent warning of the Court, and finally compelling the Court to order that she be committed till 10 o'clock this morning for contempt. Upon the motion of her counsel and his waiving her presence and promising to remove her to another room, the order was rescinded and the trial proceeded, with the above result."

• From the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, Volume 19, Number 2829, 20 April 1860:

"DISTURBING THE PEACE -- Lafayette Andrews, while under the influence of frequent potations, visited the residence of Mrs. Rachel Spencer alias Mrs. Trask, yesterday, and created a disturbance. He was subsequently arrested by officer Grant, on a warrant issued by Justice Foote, on complaint of the above named Rachel Spencer."

• From the Daily Alta California newspaper, Volume 22, Number 7506, 9 October 1870:

"WANTED
If Mrs. Alexander Whittle, who left Sydney, N.S. Wales, on or about August 1850, and who, it is believed, was afterwards married to Mr. Thomas Spencer, will call at the Post Office, San Francisco, she will find a letter from an old friend, addressed, 'Mrs. Alex. Whittle.'"

A mortuary and cemetery record for a Rachael M. Spencer was found, and is likely for Rachel (Morley) (Whittle) Spencer.[12] The information includes:

Vital records, - 1861
Spencer, Rachael M.
Born England, Died Sacramento, October 10, 1861
age 24 years. Dr. Shattuck. Intemperance.
Buried Sacramento, New Helvetia.

Because Rachel was in Sacramento before 1861, and was known for drunkenness, this is likely her, although the age (24) in the record does not match Rachel Morley’s approximate age of 42 in 1861.

Sources

1. Parish registers for St. Laurence's Church, Chorley [Lancashire], 1653-1947, Family History Library, (Salt Lake City, Utah) accessed on FHL BRITISH Microfilm 93,703, "Births, baptisms, marriages, burials, 1653-1821," Baptisms, 1813, Page 178, No. 1422, Alexander Whittle baptism record, 4 January 1818; citing original records at Lancashire Record Office, Preston,

2. "Parish Records for St. Peter's, Bolton-le-Moors (Lancashire)," Family History Library (Salt Lake City, Utah), accessed on FHL BRITISH Film 559,177."Baptisms, 1817-1827," Year 1821: page 229, Rachel Morley baptism record, 25 December 1821; citing originals filmed by Manchester Public Libraries, 1958,

3. "English Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org), Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, Rachel Morley entry, 25 December 1821

4. Parish Registers for Bolton-le-Moors [Lancashire], 1590-1974," Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, accessed on FHL BRITISH Microfilm 1,966,480, "Marriages 1837-1841," 1840: No. 309, Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley marriage record, 17 August 1840; citing originals filmed by Manchester Public Libraries, 1958,

5. "England Marriages, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org), Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley marriage entry, 17 August 1840.

6. "Index to Bounty Immigrants Arriving in N.S.W. Australia, 1828-1842," database, FamilySearch (https://www.FamilySearch.org), Volume 38, Alexander and Rachel Whittell entry, arrived 11 March 1841.

7. "Australian Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org), births and baptisms of children of Alexnder and Rachel Whittle, extracted from FHL microfilms 993955-6.

8. "California State Census, 1852," digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), San Francisco County, California, page 524 (penned), Rachel Wadle household; citing California State Library, Sacramento, California; 1852 California State Census, Roll # 4; Repository Collection #: C144:4.

9) "Daily Placer [Sacramento, Calif.] Times and Transcript," imaged, GenealogyBank (https://www.GenealogyBank.com), 10 May 1853 issue, Alexander Whittle death notice.

10) "Weekly Alta California [San Francisco, Calif.]," imaged, GenealogyBank,   (https://www.GenealogyBank.com), 1 March 1854 issue, Thomas Spencer and Rachel Whittle marriage entry, 19 February 1854.

11) “California, Mortuary and Cemetery Records, 1801-1932," imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Mortuary Records (Northern California), 1849-1900 > Smith, F - V, image 572 of 2995, Rachael M. Spencer entry.

12. "Weekly Alta California [San Francisco, Calif.]," imaged, GenealogyBank (https://www.GenealogyBank.com), 1 March 1854 issue, Thomas Spencer and Rachel Whittle marriage entry.

Relationship

Alexander Whittle (1818-1853) and Rachel Morley (1819-1861) are maternal 2nd- great-grandparents of my wife, Linda (Leland) Seaver (1942-still living), through:

•  her great-grandmother Jane Whittle (1847-1921) who married Elijah Pickrell McKnew (1836-1912) in 1865 in Tuolumne County, California.
• her grandmother Edna Catherine McKnew (1884-1974) who married Paul Frederick Schaffner (1879-1934) in 1906 in San Francisco. 
• her mother Edna May Schaffner (1913-1979)  who married Leo Severt Leland (1911-2002) in 1937 in San Francisco.

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