You and my first cousin are related but who is the nearest common ancestor? Is it Roger or one of his children?
He is chuffed to find out that he has an ancestor who served at Waterloo, especially in the horse artillery. Back in the day he had a stint with the Territorials and was involved with sighting for artillery, guiding them to their targets (rabbit holes in reality, he says).
A while back he asked me if I knew anything about our maternal grandfather's WWI war service, but in fact he didn't serve. His name came up in a ballot but the war finished before he could go. My cousin had already become interested in his paternal grandfather's war service (he did serve). I was able to find out quite a lot about the latter's war service from his digitised record online at Archives NZ.
It made me realise I knew little about my cousin's father's origins, who married my aunt, so I had a go at elaborating on his antecedents of which my cousin knew little. It helped that loads of people had already done the hard yards and placed good information on the internet.
I followed his various lines back, including back to to Caroline Elizabeth GILLESPIE born 1854 at Sheerness daughter of William GILLESPIE, a shipwright at Sheerness, son of Roger GILLESPIE. William appears in the 1841 census in Roger and Fanny's household.
06 Jun 1841 Census of England & Wales
@ New Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Rodger GILLISPIE 50 Army P. S [Scotland]
Fanny GILLISPIE 50 Y
William GILLISPIE 17 Boat Builder Y
James GILLISPIE 13 Y
Samuel GILLISPIE 11 Y
Unfortunately, Caroline's name in the 1861 census, in William's household, has been overwritten to look like Catherine, but it is her all right. Her mother was Eleanor WILLIS who died 1866 (married William 1846) after which William married again to Elizabeth ELLIOT in 1867.
A spot of googling lead me to this very exchange at Rootschat and the realisation that my cousin's ancestor was at Waterloo. I am so jealous.
Caroline GILLESPIE married Thomas William BROOKER at Deptford in 1872 and they came to New Zealand that same year on the ship JESSIE READMAN. They settled first at Nelson but ended up in Wellington. The rest of the BROOKER clan came out separately. I haven't noticed anyone else from the GILLESPIE family coming out but I haven't looked either. It's not my line after all.
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc01Cycl-t1-body-d4-d30-d3.htmlThe Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]
Author: Cyclopedia Company Limited
Publication details: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1897, Wellington
Mr. Thomas Brooker, President of the Wellington Painters' Union, took a prominent part in its establishment, and was for some time president of two previous associations. Mr. Brooker was born in Deptford, England, Kent, in 1850, and served an apprenticeship to the painting trade in London. Completing his term in 1869, he served three years in the metropolis at his trade and come to Wellington in 1872, per ship “Jessie Readman.” Since arriving in New Zealand, Mr. Brooker has worked at his trade and has taken a deep interest in trades' unionism. He is a delegate in the interests of the Painters' Society to the Eight Hours Demonstration Committee. At the first establishment of the co-operative works system Mr. Brooker was honoured by being appointed to the charge of the painting works in Wellington and at Porirua. Before leaving England in 1872, Mr. Brooker was married to the second daughter of Mr. William Gillespie, of Sheerness dockyard, and has had twelve children—seven sons and five daughters—of whom ten survive.
Caroline must have a truckload of descendants in New Zealand by now, including my cousin.
Peter