How do I verify 2 William Watsons are the same person?

Question

Bourne Russell captained the "Lady Rowena" to Australia in 1829. On board was an apprentice sailor named William Watson. How do I verify this William was the same William born to Bourne Russell and Elizabeth Watson on 30 June 1815?

Answer 1

In order to build the case that these are one and the same person, you need to build a chain of links. Something like the following might suffice.

1. Show that young William remained in Australia after the voyage.
2. Demonstrate that he did something that brought him to public notice (perhaps he ran for parliament).
3. Obtain a document that shows that William Watson MLA was known by some people as William Bourne-Watson and that his descendants used this name (in for example, wedding announcements).

Of course, this is not proof but sources such as the Trove Newspaper database should allow you to gather evidence that is strongly suggestive of the claim.