Find Ancestors

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

Lost authoress / journalist

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Michael

Michael Report 31 Dec 2007 16:18

Looking for my 2nd cousin (x2 removed) Thistle Clavering Shearmur (born Mary Clavering Anderson 1878). Last noted in 1937 in London following divorce from her 3rd husband George Edward Shearmur (1894-1970). Her first husband was Lionel Van Praagh (m 1898 but he was already married - annulled in New York 1915). 2nd husband Herbert Stanley Fisher (1865-1912) by whom she had a son George Dorian Fisher (1908-1962). Thistle was a journalist and authoress and her father was George Anderson (1819-1896) MP for Glasgow 1868-85 and Master of the Melbourne Mint 1885-95. She had a brother George b. 1885 last noted in 1902 on HMS Worcester (Thames Training ship). Best known as 'Thistle Anderson' for a booklet she wrote in 1905 'Arcadian Adelaide' in which she told Adelaide (S Australia) everything that she thought was wrong about it. Stirred the place up son much that it sold 14 editions in 6 months! Any clues as to what happened to her gratefully received. Cant see dead or remarried in England or Wales.

Michael Stewart, Canterbury
[email protected]

Penny

Penny Report 31 Dec 2007 16:20

where have you actually looked for her death

given her fame i'd be surprised if her death wasn't noted in an obit in The Times newspaper.

how correct are your facts?
googled and found

Anderson, Thistle (a.k.a. Fisher, M. C.; Anderson, Thistle M. C. ) (13 works by all writing names, 1 work published or printed by )
Also writes as: Fisher, Mrs. Herbert
Born: [1880] Scotland
Died: [1912]
Gender: Female
Heritage: Scottish
Arrived in Australia: 1885

Full biographical information is only available to AustLit Subscribers. A truncated and unformatted biographical extract follows:

Thistle Anderson was the daughter of George Anderson, who came from Glasgow to Melbourne in 1885 to be Deputy Master of the Mint. She "entered the ballet" (Bulletin, 11 Aug 1900), joining Nance O'Neil's touring company which J. C. Williamson brought to Adelaide in 1900 and appearing as the baroness in "Fedora". She travelled with the company through Australia and to New Zealand and London. In December 1901 she married (in London) Herbert Fisher, an Adelaide stockbroker. She enjoyed a social life....

Isabel

Isabel Report 22 May 2016 09:26

Hello Michael

I do not know if you are still on this email address but I hope so. You have probably located this info by now. However in case not, Thistle died in 1942 in or near the Phene Arms Chelsea, of a heart attack. I have a copy of her death certificate via British Archives. I am not a relative, but a writer-researcher, currently working on a playscript about Thistle. I work as a librarian in Adelaide. I have spoken briefly with Pat S who was in touch with you some years ago but could not recall your contact details. If you receive this I would be very happy to correspond and swap information. Please see my message to you for my email address. Thistle was listed on her death certificate (10 Jan 1942) as Thistle Mary Clavering Anderson Shermur, not Shearmur. I also found it difficult to find her death information, possibly because of this altered spelling

cheers

Isabel

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 22 May 2016 09:43

Welcome to the boards Isabel.

It might be best to send a private message to Michael by clicking on his name. If he still has the same linked email address & can access it, he'll receive a notification that you're trying to make contact.

Normally we'd point out that it's against GR's T&C to reveal a personal email address on the open boards, and advise the poster to remove it. However, Both your's & Michaels appear to be a 'work related' ones. You might get additional spam or unwelcome emails. Your decision!

Isabel

Isabel Report 22 May 2016 10:04

Thank you. Appreciate the advice, Quite new to this. IS

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 22 May 2016 10:20

No problems.

In case you need to order copies of other Birth, Marriage or Death certificates, the official source is http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ . Each certificate will cost £9.25 including world wide P&P. All major credit and debit cards accepted.

You can normally find the registration details for England & Wales (to c1960) you need on the free site http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ Its an on-going project aiming to transcribe all the General Register Office entries 1837-1973

Events which occurred in Scotland will be on http://scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ which is a pay-to-view site. However, many BMD entries can be downloaded to your computer and cost less than the English versions.

If you need help to track them down, just come back to this thread.

Pam

Pam Report 22 May 2016 21:40

Deaths Mar 1942
Shermur Thistle M C A 60 Chelsea 1a 486

JoonieCloonie

JoonieCloonie Report 23 May 2016 05:36

in case it's of interest - mistranscribed at findmypast, in the 1939 register:

89 Holbein House , Chelsea, London, England
Thistte C Shermur 12 Oct 1885 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Divorced

no one else in household


an article about Holbein House

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/pressrelease/pressreleasepage.aspx?id=4396

Chris Ho :)

Chris Ho :) Report 23 May 2016 07:41

(Newspaper articles below)

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/search?adv=y


http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8027296

Reference: J 77/1735/4037
Description: Divorce Court File: 4037. Appellant: George Edward Shearmur. Respondent: Thistle Clavering Shearmur. Co-respondent: Frank Hargraves.
Type: Husband's petition for divorce

Chris :)


The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) Wednesday 16 May 1917 p 6

PERSONAL
Shearmur, jun. The bride's father was Deputy Master of the Royal Mint in Melbourne. She herself created a...


The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950) Wednesday 2 May 1917 p 3

Herbert Fisher, better known as Thistle Anderson, was married in London recently to Mr. George E. Shearmur...

JoonieCloonie

JoonieCloonie Report 23 May 2016 14:49

we all love a story ... this one is reminding me a bit of Miss Fisher's mysteries :-)

The booklet Michael referred to, 'Arcadian Adelaide', can now be read on line

http://tinyurl.com/zz6lx3y

or this seems to be a permanent link

http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/87459

'Adelaide, known to all intelligent people as the City of Juvenile Depravity, and to the less enlightened as the City of Churches ...'