Isabella Jane Perston b 1838 Scotland *COMPLETED*

[kiwicatz]

This lady arrived in NZ 14 Dec 1881 per the 'City of New York' don't know where from. I have her visiting in Oxfordshire UK in 1851, but haven't found her on any other census yet.

My question is - how do I find what she was doing between her arrival in NZ (she came by herself, but did have relatives living in NZ) in 1881 and her marriage in 1904?

Regards
Jan

[johnbarr]

1881 Electoral Roll shows four Perstons, 1893 (which included women) shows 14, but no Isabella Jane.
Do you know the names of the relatives already in NZ

There are several mentions of Perston at PapersPast site http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

John B

[suzard]

this doesn't answer your query but seems to be her in 1861 (name written as "Preston"

1861
Elm Grove School
Ealing Middlesex
William R Vines head M 43 Director of Elm Grove School b. Bristol
Jessie wife 50 Scotland
Janet A Preston stepdaughter U 24 Scotland
Isabella J Preston stepdaughter U 22 Scotland
Sydney H Vines son 11 Homerton Middlesex

plus lots of servants, tutors, and scholars

RG9 778 37 33

Suz

[suzard]

..and this looks like her mum in 1851 -Isabella was visiting in Cambs


1851
Eagle house High St Homerton Hackney Middlesex
William Reynolds Vines Head M 34 Minister of the Gospel and proprietor of private boarding school b Bristool
J wife 44 Lanark Scotland
S.H. son 1 hackney Mdsx
plus servants tutuors and pupils

HO107 1505 381 1

Suz

[kiwicatz]

Hello John B, Suz
Thanks for those

Jessie and Janet are pretty interchangeable I think?

Certainly look like them, Isabella mentions in her will a nephew names James Vines Perston of Balmain, NSW and two more nephews, Lindsay and William Perston also of Balmain.

In NZ her nieces were Miss Mary Perston (who lived in Mt Eden in 1925) and Miss Charlotte Perston of Masterton (same year) 

And the Vines being a Minister certainly meets in with her marrying my great grandfather (they were both pretty old - mid 60's - when they married) and also bequeaths to bible traning, mission and bible societys.
Regards
Jan

[Eyesee]

Jan

She appears to be in Cumbraes, Bute, Scotland in 1841

Jessie PERSTON, 35
Matthew PERSTON, 15
Janet PERSTON, 4
Isabella PERSTON, 3
Janet McMILLAN, 30
Janet McALPIN, 35
Isabella RANSAY, 17
Cumbraes/ED2/P5

1861
6 Torrington Place, St Giles, Finsbury, London
Mathew J PERSTON, head mar 35, Bankers clerk, born Scotland
Mary A PERSTON, wife mar 35, born Hertfordshire, Harpenden
James V PERSTON, son 11mo, born Hertfordshire, St Albans
Esther RODWELL, serv unm 44, House serv, born Oxfordshire, Thame
RG9/173/127/15

Ian C

[Eyesee]

Matthew was still around in NSW in 1931. James V was around as well, and travelling back and forth between NZ and Sydney.

See Isabella's sister Janet was with her in Oxford in 1851, They were both at school there.

Ian C

EDIT Think above Matthew might be James V's son born 1887

[Eyesee]

Looks like she had a brother William Augustus PERSTON, born 1827, and who in 1851 Scottish census would appear to have been an Apothecary, and could well be the William Augustus PERSTON MD, who died at Thames, New Zealand in 1878 aged 50. Married Emma BINNING in Auckland on 2 Sep 1862. He was from Whangarei, north of Auckland at the time.

Isabella may have come out to help look after nieces and nephews after her brother died. William and Emma would appear to have had children from 1863 to about 1873, going on the reg numbers.

Ian C

[kiwicatz]

Thank you Ian
I have now found Janet Anne Perston on all the census till her death in Devon. I think Janet/Jessie Perston must have been in Bute because her husband James died, she is next in Middlesex married to William Reynolds Vines, who is a Minister of the Gospel and a Boarding School Owner. I have only found one child to William and Jessie/Janet, a Sydney Howard born in 1850 in Homerton Middlesex.
According to Family Search - William and Matthew are definately Isabella's sibling.

So I think the next step is  finding William arriving in NZ and Matthew arriving in Australia.
Thanks again
Regards
Jan