Robert Dollin in England

Robert was recorded in his parents' household in Dunster in the 1841 UK census. However, what happened to Robert after this is somewhat unclear.

Evidence Supporting this View

==> Family descendant, Betty, remembers being told as a child that this family originated in Dunster.

==> On the Bishop's Transcript of the marriage of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess, Robert's father was listed as John Dollin, mason.

John Dollin, the father of Robert Dollin in Dunster, was recorded as a mason on two Dunster baptism records and in the 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 UK census records.

A stone mason was not a common profession and we could not find any other 'John Dollin' who was a mason:

-- of a similar age to John Dollin (plus or minus ten years)
-- including spelling variants such as Dollen, Dolling, Dallin etc
-- anywhere in England in the 1851 UK census records.

==> Ann Burgess was born in Porlock, a town just eight miles west of Dunster, the town where Robert (son of John Dollin) was born.

Evidence Against this View

==> In every UK census record after Robert and Ann's marriage (1851 -- 1891), Robert said he was born in Bristol; whereas Robert (son of John Dollin) was born in Dunster.

However, evidently men sometimes claimed they were born in a local area to avoid discrimination against people from other areas in getting employment.

==> In the UK census records after Robert and Ann's marriage (1851 -- 1891), Robert said he was born in 1823/1824; whereas Robert (son of John Dollin) was baptised in 1828.

However, the 1841 UK census suggests that Robert (son of John Dollin) was actually born between 1821 and 1826 (read more).

Furthermore, a family historian has told us that in the UK census, a spouse would sometimes alter his or her age to match an older or younger spouse, to fit in with the contemporary standards of respectability. In the case of Robert and Ann, they gave matching ages in every census record.

Conclusion

On weighing all the evidence we currently have available, we believe that Robert, the son of John Dollin and Mary Ann Gould in Dunster, moved to Bristol and married Ann Burgess.

Another Clue?

A Robert Dollan aged 36 was recorded as an Able Seaman on the 'Jane Catherine' that arrived in Sydney, Australia from California, USA on 10 Sep 1857. He as recorded as being of British nationality.

Based on the 1841 UK census record, our Robert Dollin would have been between 31 and 36 years old in 1857.

Robert Dollin, husband of Ann Burgess, was a seaman. Could this be the record of one of the sea voyages made by Robert as a seaman after his marriage?

According to the UK Death Records, an Ann Dollin died in Bedminster in 1895 aged 72. A Robert Dollin died in Bristol in 1900 aged 75.

Children of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess

Susan Ann Dollin - b 1851, Bristol
Robert Henry Dollin - b 1854, Bristol
Emily Dollin - b 1857, Bristol
Rosina Dollin - b 1859, Bristol
Alfred Dollin - b 1863, Bristol
Frederick Dollin - b 1865, Bristol
Mary Jane Dollin - b 1868, Bristol

Susan Ann Dollin
b 1851

Born in Bristol, England. Daughter of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess.

Married Thomas Gorman, labourer, in 1870. Lived in Bedminster, Bristol

Children of Susan Ann Dollin and Thomas Gorman

Thomas William Gorman - b 1870
Ann Rosina Gorman - b 1873
Rosina Gorman - b 1875

Robert Henry Dollin
b 1854,

Born in Bristol, England. Son of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess.

Seaman. Married Mary Ann Caddick in 1878; Lived in Bristol.

Descendants, Betty and Jonathan Morgan, have kindly supplied a substantial amount of additonal information about this family.
See: Life and Children of Robert Henry Dollin and Mary Ann Caddick.

Children of  Robert Henry Dollin and Mary Ann Caddick        

Robert Henry Dollin - b 1879, d 1918
Albert Dollin - b 1881, d 1887
Edgar Dollin - b 1884
Frederick Dollin - b 1888, d 1890 aged 3 of food poisoning
Lillian M Dollin - b 1889, d 1967; married William Stephens
Francis Dollin - b 1892; married Minnie Llewellin in 1915
Alfred Dollin - b 1896
Frederick Dollin - b 1898

Emily Dollin
b 1857,

Born in Bristol, England. Daughter of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess.

Married George Wallace/Wallis, builder's labourer, in 1889. Lived in Bristol.

Children of Emily Dollin and George Wallace/Wallis      

Thomas Wallace - b 1885
Louisa Wallace - b 1887
John Wallace - b 1890
Annie Wallace - b 1892
Alfred Wallace - b 1896
Edith Wallace - b 1899

Rosina Dollin
b 1859,

Born in Bristol, England. Daughter of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess.

Married William Henry Clemence/Clements, labourer, in 1886. Lived in Bristol.

Children of Rosina Dollin and William Henry Clemence/Clements        

John W Clements - b 1887
Rosina Clements - b 1891
Alfred Clements - b 1899

Alfred Dollin
b 1863,

Born in Bristol, England. Son of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess.

Fishdealer. Married Elizabeth Bryant in 1886. Lived in Bristol.

Children of Alfred Dollin and Elizabeth Bryant

Mabel Isabel Dollin - b 1889
Alfred Dollin - b 1891
Lilian Maud Dollin - b 1894
Ethel May Dollin - b 1900

Frederick Dollin
b 1865,

Born in Bristol, England. Son of Robert Dollin and Ann Burgess.

Dock labourer. Married Jane Dent in 1889. Lived in Bristol.

Children of Frederick Dollin and Jane Dent           

Frederick Robert Dollin - b 1891
Louise Smith Dollin - b 1900