The Silk Family
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Silk Reeling in Cambridgeshire in the 17th Century
(from an original lithograph)
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The Silk family have a long history in the village of Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire, England. Many were tailors, showing that the name 'Silk' was likely taken from their occupation. My records date back to the late 16th or early 17th Century, to John Silk. My history of this long historical family line in a single name was broken by my great grandmother Lucy Jane Silk's marriage into MY family in 1880, although her brothers carried on the line. Going back through the 13 generations I can count were many siblings, and numerous descendants, leading to a huge family. My thanks to Peter Lowe and his excellent Family History Research page, where many more details of the Silks and associated families may be found.

"DRY DRAYTON is a parish, 3½ miles south-west from Oakington station on the St. Ives and Cambridge section of the London and North Eastern railway and 7 north-west from Cambridge station, in the hundred and union of Chesterton, petty sessional division and county court district of Cambridge, rural deanery North Stowe, archdeaconry and diocese of Ely."

"The soil is heavy clay; subsoil, gault and chalk. The chief crops are wheat, oats and barley. The area is 2,421 acres; the population in 1921 was 350."
(Kelly's Directory - 1929)

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This branch of the family's long sojourn in England was to come to an end when the family joined the many others looking for a new life in the Colonies. Lucy and family came to Australia in June 1856 - the shipping record is as follows:
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Name (SILK) Age   Date  Ship   Book   Volume
JAMES
ELIZABETH
ELIZAH
THOMAS
MARY
LUCY
LIZZY		 49
34
22
13 
12
4
1		 JUN 1856
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..		 ARTHUR THE GREAT
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..		 12
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..		 184
184
191
187
191
185
185
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*Elizah, Thomas and Mary are children of James first marriage to Sarah Neal. 

The ships record shows that the family's religion was "other persuasion". It's likely that they were part of either the 'Particular Baptist' chapel, or the 'Primitive Methodist' (Wesleyan) congregation in Dry Drayton. Both of these had been practicing openly since the 1820's, but 'dissenters' had been known in Dry Drayton since 1669, when some villagers were excommunicated for not going to church. It was known that they were "practicing conventicles elsewhere". (Source: A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume IX 1989). The Silk family religion was no doubt part of why it was acceptable for my great grandmother Lucy to marry a Presbyterian Scotsman - where otherwise a Church of England marriage to a Presbyterian was likely to have been highly unacceptable, even though the norms in Australia were somewhat more relaxed than those in Britain.

On their arrival in Australia, the family settled in the Geelong, Victoria area, and many of their descendants remain there to this day..

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  My Silk Ancestors

The simplest way to tell the story of the Silks is to let them tell it themselves...
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John SILK
Born late 16th to early 17th Century
all other details unknown
Family 1 :
+John SILK
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John SILK
CHRISTENING: 10 Jul 1636, Dry Drayton
BURIAL: Dry Drayton
Father: John SILK

Family 1 : Margaret BLUNT (?)
MARRIAGE: 27 Apr 1668, Swavesey
William SILK
Robert SILK
Elizabeth SILK
Ann SILK
John SILK
+William SILK
Mary SILK
Jude SILK
Martha SILK
Family 2 : Susanna COOK
MARRIAGE: 1 Apr 1689, Dry Drayton
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William SILK
CHRISTENING: 28 Jul 1678, Dry Drayton
BURIAL: 7 Jan 1749, Dry Drayton
Father: John SILK
Mother: Margaret BLUNT (?)

Family 1 : Rose HINKIN
MARRIAGE: 15 Nov 1703, Dry Drayton
+Thomas SILK
Elizabeth SILK
Martha SILK
Rose SILK
Family 2 : Ann GOODEY
MARRIAGE: 12 May 1726, St Clement Cambridge
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Thomas SILK
CHRISTENING: 26 Aug 1705, Dry Drayton
BURIAL: 18 Apr 1780, Dry Drayton
Father: William SILK
Mother: Rose HINKIN

Family 1 : Rose SMITH
MARRIAGE: 20 Sep 1731, Dry Drayton
Ann SILK
+William SILK
Rose SILK
Thomas SILK
James SILK
Benjamin SILK
Elizabeth SILK
Robert SILK
John SILK
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William SILK
OCCUPATION: Tailor 1801
CHRISTENING: 27 Jan 1733, Dry Drayton
BURIAL: 13 Jan 1801, Dry Drayton
WILL: 1801, Ely Consistory
Father: Thomas SILK
Mother: Rose SMITH

Family 1 : Elizabeth PANT
MARRIAGE: 7 Jul 1760, Dry Drayton
Elizabeth SILK
William SILK
Sarah SILK
Thomas SILK
James SILK
Mary SILK
Mary SILK
+James SILK
Family 2 : Mary ATKINSON
MARRIAGE: 20 Nov 1792, Dry Drayton Curate. Wits: Thomas SILK,Hannah SILK
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James SILK
____ - 7 Jan 1859
OCCUPATION: Tailor
Bet. 1813 - 1841, Dry Drayton
OCCUPATION: farmer 1851, Dry Drayton
OCCUPATION: farmer & publican 1859
RESIDENCE: Bet. 1841 - 1851, Dry Drayton
CHRISTENING: 14 Jun 1778, Dry Drayton
DEATH: 7 Jan 1859, Dry Drayton
BURIAL: 12 Jan 1859, Dry Drayton
WILL: 13 Feb 1857
Father: William SILK
Mother: Elizabeth PANT

Family 1 : Mary NIGHTINGALE
MARRIAGE: 29 Apr 1802, Trumpington Trumpington
William SILK
+James SILK
Eliza SILK
John SILK
Elizabeth SILK
Thomas SILK
Selina SILK
Mary Ann SILK
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James SILK
BIRTH c 1807
OCCUPATION: Tailor Bet. 1851 - 1891
RESIDENCE: 1841, St Andrew Less Cambridge
RESIDENCE: 1851, Dry Drayton
RESIDENCE: Bet. 1856 - 1891, Geelong, Australia
CHRISTENING: 20 Jul 1806, Dry Drayton
DEATH: 7 Oct 1891, Aberdeen St, Borough of Geelong, County of Grant, Australia
BURIAL: 9 Oct 1891, Eastern Cemetery, Geelong
Father: James SILK
Mother: Mary NIGHTINGALE

Family 1 : Sarah NEAL
MARRIAGE: 11 Jun 1827, Dry Drayton
Elizah SILK
James SILK
Harriet SILK
William SILK
John SILK
Mary Ann SILK
Thomas SILK
Family 2 : Elizabeth CHAPMAN
MARRIAGE: 26 Jun 1850, Chesterton RD
Mary CHAPMAN
+Lucy Jane SILK
Lizzie SILK
Samuel Archibald SILK
Sarah Grace SILK
Alfred Harry SILK
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Lucy Jane SILK  (Fanny)
BIRTH: ABT May 1851, Chesterton RD
CHRISTENING: 4 Aug 1851, Dry Drayton
DEATH: 25 Nov 1940, Geelong West, Australia
BURIAL: Eastern Cemetery, Geelong
Father: James SILK
Mother: Elizabeth CHAPMAN

Family 1 : Edward JONES

Family 2 : Norman (Hector) MCLEAN
MARRIAGE: 1880
Sarah MCLEAN
Norman James MCLEAN
+Archibald Neil John MCLEAN
Edward Finley MCLEAN
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Archibald Neil John MCLEAN
OCCUPATION: dairy farm hand 1913
OCCUPATION: Municipal Employee
BIRTH: 26 Jan 1888, Geelong
DEATH: 9 Sep 1964, Beechworth
Father: Norman (Hector) MCLEAN
Mother: Lucy Jane SILK

Family 1 : Mabel GEAR
MARRIAGE: 7 Jun 1913, St Andrew's Church, Geelong
Archibald Neil MCLEAN
Catherine May Jane MCLEAN
Hazel Ruby MCLEAN
+Evelyn Mabel MCLEAN
Rita Myrtle MCLEAN
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Evelyn Mabel MCLEAN
BIRTH: 17 Sep 1921, Geelong
DEATH: 17 Aug 1958, Prince Henry's Hospital, Sth Melbourne
BURIAL: Redbank Cemetery, Victoria
Father: Archibald Neil John MCLEAN
Mother: Mabel GEAR

John Alfred Lindsay BURGE
OCCUPATION: Arc/Electrical Welder 1938-39
OCCUPATION: Specialist welder, aircraft construction 1939-44
OCCUPATION: Farmer 1944-58
OCCUPATION: Boilermaker/Welder 1961-63
OCCUPATION: Welder Special Class 1963-1981
MARRIAGE:  11 December 1943, St Andrews Church, Geelong
BIRTH: 19 Dec 1920, Redbank
DEATH: 30 May 1996, Boolarra, Victoria
BURIAL: Boolarra Cemetery, Victoria

Family 1 : Evelyn Mabel MCLEAN
Daughter withheld, still living
Son withheld, still living
Wilma Margaret BURGE
Son withheld, still living.
+Valda Joan BURGE (ME :-)

Family 2: Name witheld, separated 1993.

Family 3: Name withheld, still living
MARRIAGE 24 April 1995 Boolarra, Victoria.
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Valda Joan BURGE
BIRTH: 15 February 1957
OCCUPATION: Clerical/Retail Assistant 1973-77
OCCUPATION: Laboratory Technician 1991-92
OCCUPATION: Cook 1992-96
OCCUPATION: Drug and Alcohol Counsellor 1994-Present
RESIDENCE: Sydney, Australia
Father: John Alfred Lindsay Burge
Mother: Evelyn Mabel McLean

MARRIAGE: 7 September 1978
Husband: name withheld. Separated 1973.
OCCUPATION: Telecommunications Technician
Family 1: 
Lindsay Daniel EVANS born 24 January 1978
OCCUPATION: Webpage Information Architect 1999-present
+Alia Evelyn EVANS born 15 June 1980

Family 2
PARTNER: Michael Peter KENT. Separated 1993.
OCCUPATION: Chef
BIRTH: 29 December 1956
DEATH: 23 August 2003, Merimbula, NSW
FUNERAL: Merimbula, NSW
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Alia Evelyn EVANS
BIRTH 15 June 1980
RESIDENCE: Sydney, Australia
Mother Valda Joan Burge-Evans

Family 1 
PARTNER: Name witheld
Separated 1998
Son born 11 November 1997
Daughter born 5 May 1999

Family 2
PARTNER: Mathew UZELL
OCCUPATION: Master Builder
Daughter born 13 July 2004
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Back to Norman and Fanny's McLean's Page

 If you would like information - or have some to offer me, please feel free to email me.

 *Background print is that of a precious silk of the 17th century. It seemed to fit!