The James Bomford Line

James Bomford

of Newtown, Warwickshire, England

Born 1828 · Newtown, Warwickshire, England
Died 1913 · Camberwell, Victoria
Arrived Before January 1855 · Melbourne, Victoria
Settled Tarraville · Stratford · Camberwell, Victoria
“Note that no Bomford matches match to descendants of Mary Ryan’s children except the descendants of Emily Macauley.”
From the research report · Emily Macauley — A Non-Paternal Event

The Story of James Bomford
and His Family

A Warwickshire man who arrived in Victoria before 1855 and made his way to the Gippsland settlement of Tarraville. He is documented in this research not as an ancestor by descent, but as the biological father of Emily Macauley — a fact hidden in the records for over 160 years and established by DNA analysis.

Vital Records
Born1828, Newtown, Warwickshire, England
Died1913, Camberwell, Victoria
FatherThomas Bomford (1802–1856), Feckenham, Worcestershire
MotherMartha Bomford (1796–), Gloucestershire (parents were first cousins)
BrothersHemming Bomford (d. 1856, St Kilda, TB) · Joseph Bomford (1829–1883)
ArrivedBefore January 1855, Melbourne (Hemming sought James and Joseph in The Argus, Jan 1855)
Tarraville1856–1866, draper · J. & J. Bomford partnership dissolved July 1864
MarriedSusan Napper, Sale, 6 May 1869
Later lifeGrocer, Stratford · retired Camberwell, Victoria
NoteBiological father of Emily Macauley (1863, Tarraville), established by DNA analysis
Research Status
DNA Validation · BanyanDNA
James Bomford
Biological Father of Emily Macauley
10 testers · James Bomford line · 58 matches
8 testers · Emily Macauley line
James Bomford: 99% vs five alternative Bomford hypotheses
Emily as half-sister to Bomford siblings: 100%
Exceeds 95% confidence threshold
Family treeBomford.net — Worcestershire annotated tree, documented from 1873
Open questionFrederick Bomford Price — possible second NPE under investigation

From the research report

Emily Macauley —
A Non-Paternal Event

Emily McCauley was born in Tarraville in 1863 and registered as the daughter of John McCauley and Mary Ryan. Her husband was Charles Richards — the man at the centre of this entire research project. For over 160 years, the identity of her biological father was unknown.

DNA matches told a different story. A cluster of matches traced not to John McCauley but to a Warwickshire family — the Bomfords, who had been running a draper’s shop in Tarraville at exactly the right time. BanyanDNA placed James Bomford at 99% probability against every alternative.

Read the research report →