The following tale of events came about because I was looking for links between a Leeman family and an Ellis family, in an attempt to find out why some Leeman males in the family had the second given name of Ellis.

I found a reference to a John Swails Leeman who had married a Jane Ellis.
It was on an Australian site - but that aside, by profession John was a publican and he was born in Buttercrambe, Yorkshire.

Was this too much of a coincidence with my 'great grandfather' Henry Leeman being a publican and born in Buttercrambe?

I just had to find out and promptly sent an e-mail to a Jeff Elms hoping that his address was still 'live'.
Several exchanges of e-mail later brought forth the result that John Swails Leeman and Henry Leeman were brothers!!

Ann 1817 -

Jane 1823 - 1825

Elizabeth 1830

Thomas 1834 -

William 1820-1890

John 1827 - 1908

Elizabeth 1833 -

Map courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps used with permission.

Jane's sister Hannah (Vaux) Bentley nee Ellis arrived in Australia in 1878 as a widow, accompanied by her 16 year old son Walter Horace Bentley, born 8 May 1864 in Middlesex. She had made the journey to be with her sister and to care for her during her illness. Unfortunately Jane died in 1879.

John then married Hannah in 1880 in Gympie, and the family moved to Sydney, New South Wales returning in 1886 where Walter Bentley was married, but leaving the rest of the now grown up children scattered as follows.

Walter & Alice stayed in Sydney with friends.

Frank went to live with friends in Western Australia

Jessie stopped off to stay with friends in Brisbane.While there, she became friends with Thomas Henry Neelen Cox, a friend of the people she was staying with and they married in Brisbane in 1888. By this time Brisbane was no longer a penal colony and they settled at Shorncliffe in the town of Sandgate just north of Brisbane, where Thomas operated a boat between Shorncliffe & Redcliffe.

 Thomas Henry Neelen Cox (Jeff's great grandfather) always called himself Captain Thomas Henry Neelen Cox, and claimed to be a retired sea Captain. He used to call his children such names as "first mate" etc.

Thomas' Australian Death Certificate says that he was a Merchant Seaman, born in Montreal Canada in 1841 the son of Henry Neelen Cox (a farmer) and Amke Koster. Searches by Internet friends of Canadian records failed to find any record of his family ever being anywhere in Canada. There is no record of him ever being a Captain either.

 However, family members recall a visit to Australia by a German nephew Bernard Schmidt before WW1 and Jeff's mother used to write to Thomas' niece Erna Schutte in Bremen, Germany before WW2 and still has a letter from 1933. But lost all contact after the war. Not giving up, but switching the search to Bremen, the birth of an Elske Neelen was found on the Internet. She was born 2 Feb 1843 in Rhaudermoor, Germany which is near Bremen, the daughter of Hinrich Neelen and Amke Koster. Elske married a Johann Berends Smit in 1874, which would make her Bernard Schmidt's mother. Thomas had said he had two sisters (the other would have been Erna's mother)

It would appear that Thomas has added Cox to his name for some reason, perhaps he was a coxswain on the boat. It also looks like he also faked his place of birth. Jeff often wonders if Thomas had ever been to Canada and also why he felt the need to disguise his German origin as far back as 1880's.

Finally Eppo... the story goes that Thomas had been celebrating the birth of his first born and was quite under the weather (so to speak) when he went to register the birth. Not remembering the name his wife Jessie had chosen, he decided to name his son Eppo after his long lost friend in Canada. As one can imagine Jessie was furious.!

I guess we will never know who or where the other Eppo came from.

This leaves me with a George Ellis in London to investigate being the father of Jane and Hannah. to discover if this is the Leeman/Ellis link that I am trying to find.

Entries in red refer to information given or found which was on this page prior to this update with appropriate comment as to their validity.

There is a George Ellis who was born in Finsbury in 24 Oct 1787.
Unlikely to be a direct relation given that Hannah was staying with her Aunt Hannah Ellis b1799 in 1851.

From the following records it would seem that George Ellis was born 1810/11 in Islington London
George Ellis married Jane Humphreys 14th September 1834 in Finsbury North London..
According to the 1841 Census return George and Jane were resident in St Mary Islington West Middlesex
with children Hannah (1835), George (1837), Frederick (1839) and Jane.(1841).

Therefore the following would appear incorrect Jane was born in Old Street Finsbury 1832 - while Hannah being born 27 May 1835 in Islington would appear to be correct.

According to the 1851 Census return George and Jane were resident in Mile End Old Town Middlesex (having moved there between 1846 and 1848)
with children George (1837), Frederick (1839), Jane (1841), Thomas (1844), Henry (1846), John (1848), and Charles (1850).
This record also indicates that wife Jane Ellis (nee Humphreys) was born in Wales.
Eldest daughter Hannah (1835) was with her unmarried Aunt Hannah Ellis born 1799 who I assume to be George's elder sister..

According to the 1861 Census return George and Jane were resident in Limehouse St Anne Middlesex
with children Frederick (1839), Henry (1846), John (1848), Charles (1850), Amelia (1855), Ann (?), and Bemen (1857)
This record also indicates that wife Jane Ellis (nee Humphreys) was born in New Town Montgomeryshire Wales (parents possibly Evan and Mary).
Eldest daughter Hannah had married Abraham Bentley 30 March 1859.
I have not located George or Thomas - perhaps they accompanied Jane to Australia who is also missing.

It would seem that Jane Ellis nee Humphreys dies between 1861 and 1864.

According to the 1871 Census return George was with wife Fanny (1835 Devon), in Stepney London
with children Amelia (1853), Alfred H (1865), Edith (1866), Arthur J (1869) and Albert G (1870).
George (1837) is with wife Sarah and children George, John, Anna, Minnie and Charles in Mile End Old Town Middlesex
I have not located Frederick (1839).
Thomas (1844) is with wife Jane A (1847) and daughter Jane E (1870) in Paddington London.
I have not located Henry (1846) , John (1848), Charles (1850), Ann (?) or Bemen (1857).

According to the 1881 Census return George was with wife Fanny (1835 Devon) in Wanstead Essex
with children Edith (1866), Arthur (1869), Albert (1870) and Ernest (1873)

There is a George Ellis on the 1881 census aged 70 born in Hatfield, living with his sister Martha Bentley aged 69 - but I do not think this is our man.

This is where this account ends at the moment - and it would appear that the trail runs cold as far as reasons for Leemans adding Ellis as a given name in my family.

But ........ on my genealogical travels I came across another link - still with the odd mystery in tow but much closer to home and involving the same family!
This time it includes John's elder sister Sarah, younger sister Elizabeth and my own great grandfather younger brother Henry.