Author Topic: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE  (Read 38768 times)

Offline longwm

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #54 on: Saturday 31 March 12 20:29 BST (UK) »
I believe I am related to RRG (1766-1814) he being my gggggf via his daughter Isabelle who then married a John Hayes.

Does anyone else have info on that lineage?

Offline KVG

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #55 on: Monday 29 June 15 23:02 BST (UK) »
Hello all,

I seem to have stumbled upon this thread whilst trying to find about sir rollo. I have always been told whilst growing up that I am related to him. As I will be graduating in a couple of weeks from St. Paul's cathedral, I was wondering how. On our drumaneeny gillespies and butler family tree, the only Robert rollo that I can find was born 1916 in roscrae. I'm a direct descendent from Henry John born 1851 in rathfarnham and Mary Eleanor sheppard born 1861 in roscrae.
If anyone can help me, I would be most grateful. Many thanks

Offline hughrg

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #56 on: Wednesday 29 July 15 10:30 BST (UK) »
I think it unlikely that you are descended from RRG.  In my experience, all Irish Gillespie families (including my own until my father researched his ancestry) believe they are.  RRG had no legitimate children but two illegitimate - Selina (by Mlle D'Oboreuf) and Robert Rollo (by Melle Pécher).  Selina married Andrew Carew O'Dwyer and their daughter Mary married Timothy O'Brien, younger son of Sir Timothy O'Brien Bt, the first Catholic Lord Mayor of Dublin.  From this marriage the O'Brien baronets descend and the head of the family is Sir Timothy O'Brien 7th baronet, born in 1959.  They are not related to the Inchiquin O'Briens.  Robert Rollo married three times and only had children by his third wife, Sally Maria Blaxland - another Robert Rollo, William Augustus and Caroline.  This RRG had two sons and four daughters; the sons were yet another Robert Rollo (who had no children) and Jack (a captain in the DLI) who had only one daughter, so the Gillespie line died out here. But William Augustus had two sons, one of whom died in infancy and the other, Robert William, had a son, unsurprisingly Robert Rollo 1990-c 1986, a captain in the RE, from whom two more Robert Rollos descend, the last being Rowlie who contributes to this thread.  There are no Henry John Gillespies in the tree, so like me you seem to be from a parallel line of the same name.

Offline gillespieodwyermacdougall

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #57 on: Wednesday 03 February 16 17:18 GMT (UK) »
Hello all.
Just came upon this site after trying to find a copy of "The Greatest Soldier".
Noticed the last post by "hughrg" was the only one to point out that Sir RRG's offspring were illegitimate.  Indeed, my family's legend was always that RRG was a bit of an all-round cad (not that that's necessarily a bad thing).
I note that hughrg's post states that RRG's illegitimate daughter Selina married Andrew Carew O'Dwyer and that they had just one child, Mary.
I might be much mistaken and would be happy for guidance here but my family tree states that they also had a son, Joseph O'Dwyer from whom I am descended as I suspect an earlier O'Dwyer poster may be too.
This line of the family are chiefly in Argentina, London and elsewhere in Britain. 
I would be very happy to hear from anyone-I'm only just discovering everyone now...
Thanks for any further info re this.


Offline hughrg

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #58 on: Wednesday 03 February 16 17:47 GMT (UK) »
The book you want is "The Bravest Soldier", by Eric Wakeham.  Copies are available on abebooks - I've just checked.
It is certainly possible that Andrew O'Dwyer and Selina had more than one child.  In my records Mary is described as "only daughter of...", so it's more than likely there was a son, otherwise it might have been "only child of..."

Offline gillespieodwyermacdougall

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #59 on: Thursday 04 February 16 17:22 GMT (UK) »
Thanks hughrg!
No wonder I couldn't find the book!
Hopefully, I'll hear from some other descendants from this line.
Any more Argentinians out there from the Gillespie-O'Dwyer line?
Would love to hear from you.

Offline hallmark

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #60 on: Thursday 04 February 16 17:44 GMT (UK) »
Papers including genealogical notes on the families of Stone of Newtownards and Comber, Gillespie of Comber and Stewart of Newtownards and of Ballylawn, Co. Donegal, with notes on Sir. R. Cowan, Major Gen. Sir. R. R. Gillespie, 1769 - 1963.

Belfast Public Record Office, D. 1613



Notes for pedigrees of the Deacon, Dobbin, Gillespie, King, Mc Meakin, Martin, Mulholland, Ogle and Oliver families of Counties Down and Armagh, c. 1664-1910.

Belfast Public Record Office, T. 960
Give a man a record and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to research, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Offline Relative Stranger

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #61 on: Tuesday 08 November 16 18:45 GMT (UK) »
Re KVG's Gillespie and Butler family tree, I have Mary Eleanor Sheppard and Henry John Gillespie in my family tree too. I am not connected to the Gillespies but to Mary Eleanor Sheppard. She was a first cousin of my great grandfather Henry Goddington Sheppard. I too discovered a Robert Rollo Gillespie born in Roscrea 1916. I think there must be a connection there to the other Robert Rollo. Why call your child after a well known figure from the past?

Offline hughrg

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Re: Family of Sir Rollo GILLESPIE
« Reply #62 on: Tuesday 08 November 16 19:18 GMT (UK) »
I've just noticed that, in my post dated 29 July 2015, there is an error.  The RRG who served in the RE was born in 1890 and not 1990.