Family History Mysteries

The name Pablo Fanque popped up when doing the Burton’sCircus episode – Episode 263.
William Darby Banham was born in 1828. It is likely that Pablo Fanque, a renowned circus owner in Britain, born William Darby, was the father of William.
William Jr. , and his brothers, worked andperformed in their father's circus.
Astley’s Amphitheatre opened in Melbourne late in 1854 by the entrepreneur GBW Lewis. Lewis’s elephantine company, imported from London, included three ropewalkers, all ‘men of colour’. One of those men was Billy Banham who adopted his father's stage name in Australia.

The name Pablo Fanque popped up when doing the Burton’sCircus episode – Episode 263
William Darby Banham was born in 1828. It is likely that Pablo Fanque, a renowned circus owner in Britain, born William Darby, was the father of William. William Jr. , and his brothers, worked andperformed in their father's circus.
Astley’s Amphitheatre opened in Melbourne late in 1854 by the entrepreneur GBW Lewis. Lewis’s elephantine company, imported from London, included three ropewalkers, all ‘men of colour’. One of those men was Billy Banham who adopted his father's stage name in Australia.

In October 1911 the Echuca Riverine Herald reported that Albert George McGowen, born Albert Walkerden, was charged with bigamy and sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Major Bidwell was jailed in Victoria Australia for 2 years for bigamy in 1911. This was not the last that Australia nor other countries around the world heard of him!
His aliases included: Mervyn/Mervin/Marvin Wolford Bidwell, Wolford Bidwell, Reginald Bidwell, MervynWollf Bidwell and Major W M Bidwell.

Colin Gardner’s children from his first marriage contested his will where he left a bulk of his estate to his second wife and the children from his second marriage in 1922.