The signature below is of Henry William Seabrook (1806 - 1883) my great great great grandfather. Henry was a builder in Hobart Town. The story of how I received this signature is one of those serendipitous moments.
In the early 1990s I lived in Tamworth. I was pleased that the Tamworth library had the microfilms of the early Tasmanian records. I spent many days looking through these records. One day another gentleman was there using these records. We got talking about our research. When I said that I was researching the Seabrooks, he said, "He was a builder wasn't he?" From there we ascertained that his wife's ancestor John Lewis was apprenticed to Henry William Seabrook in 1855 and they had a copy of the apprenticeship papers at home. He generously gave me a copy. At the bottom of the document was this signature.
In the early 1990s I lived in Tamworth. I was pleased that the Tamworth library had the microfilms of the early Tasmanian records. I spent many days looking through these records. One day another gentleman was there using these records. We got talking about our research. When I said that I was researching the Seabrooks, he said, "He was a builder wasn't he?" From there we ascertained that his wife's ancestor John Lewis was apprenticed to Henry William Seabrook in 1855 and they had a copy of the apprenticeship papers at home. He generously gave me a copy. At the bottom of the document was this signature.
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Signature of Henry William Seabrook |
Serendipity indeed! I agree that it's nice to have samples of ancestors' signatures or handwriting. I try especially hard to find that if I do not have a photograph of him/her.
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