John Gillies b Abt 1810

[maxines.one]

Hi, I am trying to find information about my gg grandfather who came to New Zealand on board the 'Strathallan' in 1858 along with his wife Catherine (nee McLeod) and four children. Death certificate for John says that he was born on the Isle of Skye and Catherine's says she was born Braham, Caithness, Scotland. I have found them in the 1851 census but that is all that I have been able to find. Have gathered quite a bit of information on them since they arrived in New Zealand but at the moment they sort of fell out of the sky to complete the 1851 census.
Would really appreciate any help & information I can get.
Many thanks
Maxine
New Zealand

[Coromandel]

Hi Maxine and welcome to the forum!

Can you give us some more clues? For example, where were the family in 1851? What do you know about the names, ages and birthplaces of the children? (If any of them were born in/after 1855 in Scotland, you should be able to get a birth certificate.)

Any extra details you can give may help us get on the detective trail.

[Sue Mackay]

I presume that this is the family in 1851?

Parish: Glasgow St George; ED: 32; Page: 2; Line: 1; Roll: 314; Year: 1851.

13 Ann Street, Glasgow

John Gillies 40 egg merchant b Skye
Catherine 40 b Brahan, Caithness
Murdoch 7 b Northwick, Inverness
Mary Ann 4 b Tobermory Argyll
Margaret 1 b Tobermory, Argyll

[Sue Mackay]

If you go to scotlandspeople.gov.uk (put www in front) and search the Old Parish Registers you should be able to find records. I only had one credit left so couldn't do much in the way of searching for you, but was able to establish that Margaret's baptism is there for 1849 in Tobermory, surname spelled GILLES

[terrysfamily]

This the one you found Sue?

Familysearch

Margaret Gilles
baptism/christening date: 16 Dec 1849, TOBERMORY,ARGYLL,SCOTLAND
birth date: 11 Jul 1849
father: John Gilles
mother: Catherine Mcleod
indexing project (batch) number: C11549-2
source film number: unknown

There is also this one for the Gillies - McLeod combination!

Mary Ann Gillies
birth date: 24 Oct 1854
birthplace: , GLASGOW, LANARK, SCOTLAND
father: John Gillies
mother: Catherine Mcleod
indexing project (batch) number: C11975-3
source film number: 9941

[Sue Mackay]

There is also this one for the Gillies - McLeod combination!

Mary Ann Gillies
birth date: 24 Oct 1854

If only they could have waited three months to hit 1855! But presumably if four children sailed on the Strathallan the youngest one was born in Glasgow post 1855?

What was the name of the youngest child?

[Sue Mackay]

What was the name of the youngest child?

OK, have found the passenger list for the Strathallan at
https://
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzbound/strathallan.htm

and it seems the children were Mary, Murdoch, John and Mary Ann, so Margaret must have died. Doing a Scotlandspeople search for a Margaret Gillies death between 1855 and 1858. mother's maiden name McLeod, reveals one match in Glasgow, so it may be worth a few credits to get the death certificate.

[maxines.one]

Wow, you guys are amazing. I'm pretty new to this idea of people half way round the world being able to help out and I thank you all so much.
Yes, this is the right family, however there appear to be a couple of twists (so what else should I expect!!!)
In the 1851 census there is a Mary Ann aged 4years b Tobermory, Argyll. As there is another Mary Ann born in 1854 and her dates relate to what I have here in NZ records, I guess the original Mary Ann must have died as well as Margaret.
John, I think, is John Donald, b Abt 1852. I am fairly certain it will be him as he is buried along with a number of other family members in the same plot at Tapanui Cemetery in Southland, and the ages are right.
From what I have managed to gather there was: Mary b Abt 1843, Murdoch b Abt 1844 (my g grandfather), 1st Mary Ann b Abt 1847, Margaret b 1850, John Donald, b 1852 and then 2nd Mary Ann b 1855
Thanks again everyone.

[grisel]

I presume that this is the family in 1851?

Parish: Glasgow St George; ED: 32; Page: 2; Line: 1; Roll: 314; Year: 1851.

13 Ann Street, Glasgow

John Gillies 40 egg merchant b Skye
Catherine 40 b Brahan, Caithness
Murdoch 7 b Northwick, Inverness
Mary Ann 4 b Tobermory Argyll
Margaret 1 b Tobermory, Argyll

In case it helps - Free cen 1851 also includes
Mary 8 b Invernessshire N Uist and has Murdoch born N Uist.
Catherine is down as ' b Caithness - Bruan, originally Caithness - Brahan'.
They also had a house maid.

Bruan is on the NE coast of Scotland below Wick, a long way from Skye and N Uist which are in the west.

Have had a look in 1841 but haven't found them yet!

[grisel]

In 1841 there is a John Gillies 30 Merchant (sole occupier) Cladach Ileray, North Uist who seems possible given that their first child was born in N Uist in 1843
census ref Piece SCT1841/113 Folio 6 p1 crown copyright