Thank you very much for that info.
James was baptised in Arkesden, Essex on 19 June 1836 so for September to be his month of birth he would have most likely been been born in 1835. Don't know the date of the 1900 Census but he could have been 65 when it was conducted.
One more question if I may. I'm presuming from the immigration date of 1864 and the birth of a child in New York in 1868 that the Michigan James' port of entry into the US would likely have been New York or some such other port on the eastern seaboard.
If my James did run off to the US its most probable that he would have entered via San Francisco as there was considerable sea traffic between Sydney and San Francisco in those times. Plus he was only a domestic servant and unlikely to have the fare for a trip back to the UK thence onward to the US.
Is it possible that the Census data gives some clue as to his port of entry?
Thank you again very much for your help with my search
Cheers, Darryl