20/06/2020 - Circumventing the Poulton Clarkson Roadblock

I was recently inspired to investigate the origins of John Poulton and his wife Elizabeth Clarkson, who arrived in Sydney NSW aboard the SS Fitzjames in 1860. This was no easy task because none of the Australian documents for this family provides the names of their parents. In particular, John Poulton's death certificate is silent about his parents and I have not even been able to find the death certificate of Elizabeth Clarkson.

Nevertheless, their emigration to NSW was sponsored by an Isabella Tattersall. Could she be a relative? She also sponsored another family that also emigrated on the SS Fitzjames. Could they be related? By focusing on these fellow-travelers, I was able to identify John Poulton's origins. And then, through serendipity, I stumbled across a clue that enabled my to identify the origins of Elizabeth Clarkson. 

Having succeeded in my original aim, I eventually extended this research project to earlier generations of their families. The Poulton Clarkson Roadblock outlines the research that led to these discoveries.

• The Poulton Clarkson Roadblock – My search for the origins of John Poulton and Elizabeth Clarkson per SS Fitzjames in 1860