HEALY/HELY

[ronmac46]

My brick wall has been my gg grandmother, Isabella HEALY/HELY  I cannot find an Isabella HEALY/HELYcoming into Australia at all, from Ireland, all I can find is a Margaret HEALY, arriving on the Sarah, in 1852, as a bounty immigrant.  She comes from Co Clare.  She gave her father's name as Patrick, her mother's as Margaret.  When she married my gggrandfather, David GRAY, (also on the Sarah, which leads me to think that they met coming out, he too being a bounty imigrant.  Both knew no one here in Australia) in June 1852, in Sydney, the Minister, John McGarvie, had her name as Isabella Hely, so am not sure if Margaret is her right name, or because the name is the same as her mother's, perhaps, her middle name could have been Isabella, she was known by that.  Of the several children that she and David had, all were registered with her name being Isabella but for my ggrandfather, Francis GRAY, the name was Elizabeth. I know that at times Isabell/a/Elizabeth have been known to be interchangable.  Has anybody else been researching Isabella/Margaret HEALY/HELY, from Co Clare?  Or the HEALY/HELY family from ireland?  If they can help me, I would be very much appreciated.  Many thanks in advance.

[annieoburns]

You could also think of name Haley from that spelling.  I have Daly in my tree and can be spelt Dealy so 'a' and 'ea' were interchangeable at one stage.

[ronmac46]

Thank you so much for your reply.  That is one way that I did not think to look at. I shall keep that in mind.

Many thanks. 

[trisholdham]

Hi,
I am researching for a member in our genealogy club here in NSW Australia, Isabella Hely who married David Gray from Thaxted Essex, David came out on the "Sarah" in 1851 and as you mention there was a Margaret Healy on board age 20 from Co Clare.
My friends ancestor is Davids son William Gray b. 1874 Five Dock NSW.
On Williams birth certificate his mother is Isabella born in Spain, also on her death certificate in 1912 Campbelltown NSW it states she was born in St Bastian Spain, you say in your message that she was from Ireland and father is Patrick and mother Margaret, can you tell me please where do you get that information?
I can help you with the Australian connection if you need it.
Hope to hear from you.
Trish Oldham.

[ronmac46]

G'day Trish,  Thanks for getting in touch with me.  You are researching the same David Gray from Thaxted, Essex as me.  He married Isabella Hely (on her marriage certificate)/Healy on 7/6/1852 at St Andrews Scots Church Sydney, by Rev. John McGarvie.  Married by Banns.

 On her death certificate, Spain (no town) is listed as her place of birth, her son David was the informant.  You have listed that her death certificate of 1912 mentions that she died in Campbelltown, NSW.   She died at RPA Hospital Camperdown.

I am descended from David and Isabella/Elizabeth's son Francis (Frank) Henry Gray, who married Sarah Davis. I am the granddaughter of Frank and Sarah's youngest son/child Harold Charles Gray.  My pop always told me that his grandmother, Isabella was Irish.  On Francis' birth certificate, , where she is noted as Elizabeth Healy, and she was 22 at his birth, David was the informant and he has said that her birthplace was Ireland.  On her husband David's death certificate, she is noted as Isabella Healey.

As I said in my first query, I cannot find an Isabella Hely/Healy arriving in Australia at all.  I can find a Margaret Healy, arriving on the same ship as David Gray. Her shipping information says that she was from Co Clare and that her father was Patrick and her mother was a Margaret. I am not 100% sure that this Margaret is the same person as Isabella. That is why I thought that perhaps she could have been known as Isabella if she had the same name as her mother, and Isabella was her middle name.  (I have a friend Margaret Isabella, though known as Margaret as her mother has a different name).   Seeing that David married Isabella not too long after coming here, and knowing no one in the colony, it seems likely that they could have met on the ship coming over. 

 I have heard before, from another descendant,  that Isabella came from Spain and was an impoverished Spanish Princess. I have since lost touch with this person, which was only the once, about 13 years ago.  Hely/Healy/Healey, is more an Irish/English name than Spanish, so for her to be born in Spain, her parents would have had to be in Spain for a reason, whatever that could be.  I hope that this explains my thoughts as to her being Irish.  If you have any other query/ies, please do not hesitate to get in touch. If I can help you in any way, I can.

I too live in NSW.

Kindest regards, Rhonda Macrae nee Gray.

[trisholdham]

Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for answering me. Sorry I did make a mistake with the death, yes it was Camperdown not Cambelltown, don't know what made me type that?
My Genealogy member wants me to give you my email so she can then correspond with you as she knows people can read any thing on Roots Chat.
My email is - *
we live at Tweed Heads NSW, where do you live?
We are sending for Isabella and David Grays last childs birth certificate - Richard Gray b. 1876 Concord, when we get it you can have a copy as well.
Francis Grays birth certificate, do you have it? would love a copy if possible please.
I looked on the other shipping film of the "Sarah" and found what you said, father Patrick mother Margaret Healy, if they are the same person, it makes we wonder why she did not name one of her children after her father or her mother, Strange!!!!
we do have a copy of Isabella's death certificate and also Davids, do you want a copy?
Hope to hear from you soon
Trish Oldham

(*) Moderator Comment: e-mail removed in accordance with RootsChat policy, to protect against spamming and other abuses. Please use the Personal Message (PM) system for exchanging personal data.

[ronmac46]

G'day Trish,  Thanks for your reply.  The moderator has removed your email address, which is in accordance to their rules, which is fair enough.  Apparently you have to go through the PM system, so will look forward to hearing from you via that method. (Not too sure if I know where that would be on this site but I suppose that I will be notified that it has arrived and how to access it).
I do have a copy of Francis' birth and death certificate, as well as his marriage certificate.  I have David's and Isabella's death certificates, thank you for the offer.  I will get a copy of the other certificates to you as soon as possible.  I have ordered a copy of Thomas Gray's birth certificate and will get a copy to you when I can. Thomas was born in 1853, then came Robert, 1856 and Francis 1858. 
I live in Cooranbong, near Morisset, Lake Macquarie.  I was a founding member of LMFHG but have not belonged for a number of years. 
I meant to say last message about when my pop, Harold Gray, born 1893, always said that his grandmother was Irish, was that he remembered her smoking a pipe. He said that he could still picture her on the front verandah smoking it. He would have been 19 when she died. 
Isabella is a mystery, and one of my brick walls.  Maybe we won't get to the bottom of it all but I am hoping to.
I will await your reply.  Kindest regards,  Rhonda