Alfred Greatbatch GOVER Barrister of Chatham

[AndrewBarkla]

Hello Kate,

I am afraid all I knew before I heard from you was William's name, that his wife was Elizabeth, and when some of his children were born. I am very pleased to have so much more and would be very interested in the records you have found.
What I did know came from transcripts on genealogy sites, some of which are clearly inaccurate - I thought that Harriet who was baptised on the same day as Isaac was the daughter of John and Elizabeth but I am sure you are right and Isaac and Harriet were brother and sister. I have only just found the images of the Chatham registers on line and will have a good look for the Greatbatches on them - but it looks like you've already done that.
I notice that there is a Levi Greatbatch born about 1815 who turns up in Kent and Oxford. There is a mention of Oxford in one of the letters so I'm thinking I'll look a bit more closely at Levi and his family. Maybe you already know something about him?
I am new to this forum and did not know how private messaging worked so thanks for mentioning it. This will be my third post so I'll send a message with some links to pictures of the letters. They are a bit scrawly in places and I have transcribed one as best I can. I might try to get the other one done first as I also want to post a copy off to a cousin of my father's who I recently visited - Getting the letters ready for her is what set me off looking further into this part of the family.

[whiteKat]

Hello Andrew,
It is good to hear again, thank you. I have just checked my records and it does appear that Harriet was born to William and Elizabeth. What I have found is that sometimes family members were baptised at the same time so this could be what happened here - unless they were twins! It is a shame that birth dates were rarely recorded.

I have not come across a Levi at any time during my searches but he could well belong to one or other of our Greatbatch families. I look forward to viewing the letters when you are ready- I am very grateful.

I am away till the weekend and it is after midnight here in Australia so when I return I will seek out records and information to give to you.

Hope it goes well with the personal messaging. If it would be easier I could send you my email address through which to send the letters.

Thank you again
Regards
Kate

[whiteKat]

Hi Andrew,
I believe I have found an error with Findmypast! With you saying you thought Harriet was born to John and Elizabeth - you are actually right!

In my previous post to you, in checking my records, I looked up and found the Index from Findmypast for Harriet's Baptism - and yes it did say William and Elizabeth! However you put a query in my mind so I quickly looked up the St Mary's Baptism Register on Cityark Medway Ancestors and sure enough her parents are John and Elizabeth. Harriet's name is directly beneath Izaac's in the Register so there has been an error in transcription. I do apologise, and thank you for putting the query into my mind. She is the daughter of John and Elizabeth. I will correct my records now.

Thank you
Kate

[AndrewBarkla]

Thanks for that. William and John both having children baptised in the same church on the same day does make it look likely that they were related, I think.

[AndrewBarkla]

I had a look at Levi Greatbatch and I don't think there's any strong reason to connect him with us any more than any other Greatbatches. He was born in Staffordshire to a William and Mary, married a Kentish woman at Ramsgate, quite a long way from Chatham, then went back to Staffordshire and later was a glass and china dealer in Oxford.

[hanes teulu]

New Zealand newspapers on line   paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

Using "more search options" and the search key "gover", check out -
The Auckland Star 6 Dec 1884 (advert appears 6th, 12th and 17th)
The Auckland Star 1 Apr 1884
Press 1 Apr 1884
Star 1 Apr 1884

Re the arrival of the Rotomahana and the "Misses/Masters Gover", the children I have found born to Alfred and Anna in India were
Alfred Adrian (18.3.1875), Annie Edith Mary (7.12.76), William Arthur (10.4.80) and Charles Rhodes (5 Mar 1881) - so doesn't fit the profile of the 1884 arrivals. 

Did Alfred Adrian die in India 31 Oct 1914?

 

[hanes teulu]

Check the Auckland Star, 30 Dec 1885, for the setting up of a firm of Barristers/Solicitors.

[hanes teulu]

Re Anna Edith Mary, there's a mention in the Auckland Star 19 Dec 1889 of an "A E M Gover", prizewinner in Auckland Grammar School

[hanes teulu]

The Auckland Star, 19 Mar 1890 and The New Zealand Herald, 20 (2 items) and 24 March 1890 have items about a Gover family sailing for Sydney and eventually India.