My great-great grandfather was John Clarkin. He was married to Jane Down(e)y. He was a soldier. They had 2 children, Thomas (c.1838) and Susannah (c.1840). The children came to New Zealand as the step-children of Patrick and Ann Walsh. They left Cork on 4th July, 1847 and arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, on 11th October, 1847 on the Sir Robert Sale. The Walshs' had 5 children of their own, none of whom came out to NZ. I surmise that the famine/typhoid killed John and Jane Clarkin and the Walsh children and that there was some connection between the Clarkin and Walsh families which led to the Walshs taking on Thomas and Susannah and bringing them to NZ.

I have been trying to find out about John Clarkin at the National Archives in the Soldiers Service Documents -this is not going particularly well.

Any suggestions as to other avenues that I might pursue, please?