Analysis:
Did Mary Ann Bugg claim Maori ancestry?
Mary Ann Bugg’s Death Certificate in 1905 – which records her name as Mary Ann Burrows – states that she was born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and arrived in NSW when aged two. This has led some Thunderbolt researchers to ignore the overwhelming evidence showing that this death certificate was indeed that of Mary Ann Bugg (see When did Mary Ann Bugg die?) and claim instead that the certificate could not relate to Mary Ann simply because it noted that Mary Ann Burrows was born in New Zealand.
It is important to note that the reference to Mary Ann's birthplace is secondary-source information on a primary-source certificate. To clarify, the information relating to the date and place and cause of Mary Ann's death is attested to by the doctor who attended her that day and therefore is "primary-source" information; however, the information relating to her birth, parentage, marriage, etc is provided by the informant, usually from memory, and as such is from a "secondary" source. Sometimes secondary-source information is accurate (the closer the relationship to the deceased, the more likely the information is correct), sometimes it is not. The informant's knowledge might be faulty if the deceased person told "tall stories" about their background; alternatively, the informant may not have paid much attention leading them to make errors when asked for this information. The simple rule of thumb, therefore, is to accept primary-source information as being accurate, unless one has good reason for believing it might not be, and to confirm secondary-source information using primary-source records.
Since this death certificate is clearly that of Mary Ann Bugg (see When did Mary Ann Bugg die?), it raises the obvious question as to why the informant, her son Frederick, would say that Mary Ann was born in New Zealand. Did she make this claim herself, or did he make an error?
Interestingly, the evidence shows that Mary Ann herself claimed Maori ancestry. In 1865, after Thunderbolt’s accomplice John Thompson was shot, the authorities questioned him about Thunderbolt, advising that if he would “throw a little light upon the doings of his captain” they would remember his assistance when it came to sentencing. The newspaper then reported that “it appears the captain has a Maori woman as his gin”.[1] Thompson spent time with Mary Ann. If her family background had not been mentioned, it would be automatic to assume that her obvious "indigenous" heritage was Aboriginal. Therefore, the suggestion that her heritage was Maori almost certainly came from statements made by Mary Ann herself.
This is supported by the anecdote of a woman who encountered Mary Ann in 1866. Her story of the encounter and of the information Mary Ann provided about her own activities in the previous few months, tallies so closely with the historical evidence that the woman was undoubtedly telling the truth. The woman claimed that Mary Ann mentioned that her mother was “a half-caste Maori”.[2]
So why would Mary Ann claim Maori ancestry. There are many reasons but for a simple answer let us hear from Donna Anderson, a descendant of Mary Ann's brother William Bugg. After my talk Fact versus myth: researching Captain Thunderbolt and his lady at the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies Conference held at Inverell on the weekend of 17/18 September 2011, Donna advised me that she was a Bugg descendant and that her grandfather had to state that he was Maori in order to obtain work. Donna said the same on camera when filmed by Shayne Cantly of Evolution Studios for his Thunderbolt documentary.
Clearly it was not only expedient to claim Maori ancestry, Mary Ann and other members of the Bugg family did indeed claim Maori ancestry. That being the case, the fact that the death certificate records that Mary Ann Burrows was born in New Zealand serves to indirectly support rather than refute the other evidence showing that the death certificate was that of Mary Ann Bugg.
Sources:
[1] Empire 3 July 1865 p.5
[2] Northern Daily Leader 23 Dec 1924 p.1
It is important to note that the reference to Mary Ann's birthplace is secondary-source information on a primary-source certificate. To clarify, the information relating to the date and place and cause of Mary Ann's death is attested to by the doctor who attended her that day and therefore is "primary-source" information; however, the information relating to her birth, parentage, marriage, etc is provided by the informant, usually from memory, and as such is from a "secondary" source. Sometimes secondary-source information is accurate (the closer the relationship to the deceased, the more likely the information is correct), sometimes it is not. The informant's knowledge might be faulty if the deceased person told "tall stories" about their background; alternatively, the informant may not have paid much attention leading them to make errors when asked for this information. The simple rule of thumb, therefore, is to accept primary-source information as being accurate, unless one has good reason for believing it might not be, and to confirm secondary-source information using primary-source records.
Since this death certificate is clearly that of Mary Ann Bugg (see When did Mary Ann Bugg die?), it raises the obvious question as to why the informant, her son Frederick, would say that Mary Ann was born in New Zealand. Did she make this claim herself, or did he make an error?
Interestingly, the evidence shows that Mary Ann herself claimed Maori ancestry. In 1865, after Thunderbolt’s accomplice John Thompson was shot, the authorities questioned him about Thunderbolt, advising that if he would “throw a little light upon the doings of his captain” they would remember his assistance when it came to sentencing. The newspaper then reported that “it appears the captain has a Maori woman as his gin”.[1] Thompson spent time with Mary Ann. If her family background had not been mentioned, it would be automatic to assume that her obvious "indigenous" heritage was Aboriginal. Therefore, the suggestion that her heritage was Maori almost certainly came from statements made by Mary Ann herself.
This is supported by the anecdote of a woman who encountered Mary Ann in 1866. Her story of the encounter and of the information Mary Ann provided about her own activities in the previous few months, tallies so closely with the historical evidence that the woman was undoubtedly telling the truth. The woman claimed that Mary Ann mentioned that her mother was “a half-caste Maori”.[2]
So why would Mary Ann claim Maori ancestry. There are many reasons but for a simple answer let us hear from Donna Anderson, a descendant of Mary Ann's brother William Bugg. After my talk Fact versus myth: researching Captain Thunderbolt and his lady at the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies Conference held at Inverell on the weekend of 17/18 September 2011, Donna advised me that she was a Bugg descendant and that her grandfather had to state that he was Maori in order to obtain work. Donna said the same on camera when filmed by Shayne Cantly of Evolution Studios for his Thunderbolt documentary.
Clearly it was not only expedient to claim Maori ancestry, Mary Ann and other members of the Bugg family did indeed claim Maori ancestry. That being the case, the fact that the death certificate records that Mary Ann Burrows was born in New Zealand serves to indirectly support rather than refute the other evidence showing that the death certificate was that of Mary Ann Bugg.
Sources:
[1] Empire 3 July 1865 p.5
[2] Northern Daily Leader 23 Dec 1924 p.1