by Elaine SCOTT
My family of interest at the moment is the GRAY family from Ayrshire, Scotland. I knew that James GRAY and his wife Helen (nee MARR), came to NZ in 1863, per ‘Arima’ with 9 daughters ad 4 sons. One of the daughters, Annie, married Thomas Gray SMITH, bootmaker, Mataura and became the common ancestor. The 1861 census shows them all together in Inch, Wigtown, Ayr, and gave me their Christian names. But trying to find their marriages in NZ with such a common surname was not easy, and it wasn’t until I got Helen’s will that I had proof of who they all married. Margaret m James Adair Lawrie RICHMOND 1864, Dunedin, Agnes m David BLAIKIE 1854, Dunedin, Helen m Alexander COCKBURN 1867, Invercargill, Jane m William WILKINSON 1863, Invercargill, Mary m William m William McLEOD 1867, Invercargill, Janet m Matthew HENDERSON 1874, John Marr m Jane CAMPBELL about 1871, Robert m Annie SCRIMGEOUR 1883, Dunedin, Sarah m Henry RAINES 1879, Invercargill, Elizabeth m George Stewart McKAY 1877, Invercargill, James drowned 1865, Invercargill, William drowned 1865 Invercargill. I set about putting together each family, and had gathered many wills, certificates etc which I decided to check cemetery records for James and Helen. Imagine my delight when I found a headstone erected by a granddaughter confirming the ship they came on. After searching for this granddaughter and contacting her I was sent a book detailing the family back to 1600’s. A work done as a thesis, it contains a huge amount of detail. A muscle workout just to lift it. And the moral of the story? Start with local records first!
4 Comments
Sophia Gunther
23/12/2017 05:59:19 pm
Hello Elaine,
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14/5/2019 09:45:59 pm
Hi Sophia, so sorry it has taken so long to reply, but have finally found the names of the sisters in the photo, which I presume is of the six of them.
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Darryl Jones
6/5/2019 10:46:02 pm
Hi Elaine, came across your post when searching for my ancestors James and Helen Gray. Thanks for the information provided. I am keen to have copies of any photos you have and to get a copy of the book/thesis mentioned in your comment, or at least the title. Kind regards Darryl, Whangarei
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14/5/2019 10:08:37 pm
Hi Darryl, the book I mentioned is called "Dennis Marr's Legacy" written by Alison McLeod Wilson. There don't seem to be any copies available but I photocopied some of the photos in it before I returned it, and am happy to send you copies. My email is [email protected]. Regards Elaine
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