Hi to whoever picks this up (hopefully Sandy Hall!).
New to this game, you will see this is my first post. Have been interested in investigating my family tree on and off over the years without taking it too seriously or spending any money!! Have been doing a bit more research recently and came upon this brief thread from 7 years ago!!
I am 99.9% sure the Thomas Gill and Mary Moore referred to in this thread are my Great-Great Grandparents.
My grandfather was Thomas Gill (DOB 3/6/1910-buried 10/4/1975), and his father (my great-grandfather) was also called Thomas Gill (yr of birth 1885, buried 14/2/1961)....and his father was the Thomas Gill who is the subject of the thread (my great-great-grandfather) - three Thomas's in a row to make things nice and easy! All born, lived and died in St Helens, Lancashire - or so I thought!
Via the Lancashire BMD Index, St Helens Cemetery records and basic census info, have verified various records (records show Thomas was buried in St Helens Cemetery 6/11/1918 aged 68) . I had myself spotted in the past this apparent Australian connection to the Thomas Gill in the thread.
The 1901 census shows:
Thomas Gill (Head) born in 1848 (age 53) in Sydney, Australia?
Mary (Moore), wife - born St Helens 1852 (49) (as were all the children below)
Rose (daughter) - born 1881 (20)
Agnes (daughter) - born 1883 (18)
Thomas (son) - born 1885 (16)
John (son) - born 1887 (14)
Kate (daughter) - born 1889 (12)
Charles (son) - born 1891 (10)
Michael (son) - born 1884 (7)
The 1891 census shows the family living at Back Canal Bank, Eccleston, St Helens:
Thomas Gill (Head) - shows born in 1851 (40) in St Helens (?)
Mary Gill (wife) - born St Helens 1856 (35) (as again were all the children)
Mary Gill (wife) - born St Helens 1857 (34) (
- duplicate entry?)
John Gill (daughter ??) - born Ireland 1857 (34)
Rosie (daughter) - born 1881 (10)
Agnes (daughter) - born 1883 (
Elizabeth (daughter) - born 1884 (7) - *not with the family on the 1901 census
Thomas (son) - born 1885 (6)
Joseph (son) - born 1886 (5) - *not with the family on the 1901 census
John (son) - born 1886 (5)
Kate (daughter) - born 1888 (3)
The 1881 census again shows the family living in St Helens
Thomas Gill (Head) - born in 1851 (30) in Melbourne, Australia (?)
Mary Gill (wife) - born in 1853 (28) in Ireland (?)
Mary Ann Gill (daughter) - born 1876 (5) in Wigan, Lancs - *not with the family on the 1891 or 1901 census
Bridget Gill (daughter) - born in 1878 (3) in St Helens - *not with the family on the 1891 or 1901 census
Thomas Gill married Mary Moore in 1872 in St Helens Parish according to the Lancashire BMD Index (ref C6/4/223)
Can't find any Thomas Gill in St Helens on the 1871 census. Have also noted the Berrington/Gill connection as posted by Trish1120 at the time, much of which I'd already picked up on myself.
With all the info available, my questions would be:
Was Thomas Gill actually born in Australia, and if so Melbourne or Sydney? He either knows he was, thinks he was, or was playing a game with the census takers (unlikely);
How did his parents get to be in Australia in the first place (presume would be the child of emigrants?);
When did he come back and why? Has to have been before 1872 when he married.
Why come to St Helens if there wasn't already a connection?
Was Mary Moore born in Ireland, as censuses are contradictory? (There is a Mary Moore born in Westmeath, Ireland in 1851.
If there's anyone out there who followed up on this original thread or has some pointers as to what the next steps should be, I would be very grateful.
Many thanks for taking the time to read!
