Not as Much a Brick Wall, more a Black Hole!

[graememedley]

I know I have relatives in New Zealand, but I don't know the surname!
I can recall my Grandmother receiving a calander every year from her 'cousins' who lived near Chistchurch, S. Island.
Her maiden name was Mason, and although she was born in Burnley, Lancashire, the Masons originally came from Hornby, near Kendal.
Her mother was a Gillbanks.
I have an old family bible which traces the Gillbanks back to 1803 living in Matterdale, near Keswick. In the mid 1800's the family moved to Ingleton where my Gr Gr GF joseph Gillbanks built a row of houses and a pub (The Mason's Arms) He was a stone mason, and he's buried in Thornton in Longdale. He had a son Joseph George who emigrated to NZ in the 1860's but that was before my grandmother was born. Also as far as I can determine he never married (not to say he never had children though)

Anyway, the bottom line is.... is anyone here researching family who moved to NZ from the Lancashire/Yorkshire border area? and if so what surnames? the one I'm looking for may not be either Gillbanks or Mason, as it could have been a female cousin who married prior to emigration.

HELP !!

[ChristineR]

Welcome to the forum, graememedley
You have made the first step by posting, as the internet search engines will pick up the name combinations and help cousins to find you. Good luck with the search.

If anyone can help, do remember not to post information about living persons here, please use the PM system.