Hi Shaun. I have checked the Newspaper in which the obituary appeared and Ithink that the date of 1824 comes from a mistake in the writer's addition when subtracting 68 from 1903. We would like the birth to be 1824 because it would make his early life seem more realistic. If he was in Australia in 1851 he would have been barely 17 and that is young to have done all of the listed things - which I think are probably in the wrong order, both in New Zealand and earlier.
William Brunton had a second factory in North Wales. In New Zealand he seemed to find a place to stay put, and to focus on his engineering skills. He and JPJ must have been close, because WB was involved in backing JPJ in his successful entry into politics. I think that I would have liked JPJ. He got into some fearful verbal battles with other newsmen and readers at times. He was very definite about what he thought.
Yes, Dorset has figured largely in my search for JPJ. He could slot very nicely amongst the descendants of James or John Joyce from WhiteMill, Shapwick, Blandford, and the Isle of Wight.
There is one James Joyce there, but he died in 1868 and another gap where he could fit into a family of thirteen, but I just cannot find him there. Their pattern of life and occupations would match the many things that he did.
We have also found a James Joyce born in Portsea on JPJ's birthday 17 March 1834. His father, also James Joyce was a Seaman aboard HMS vessels, tracked back to Limerick b 1809, and who died in 1851. The child was never found in residence with his mother, and I could not find a death for him, so it is still a live search. That is where the boy in Jersey and a couple of other lads working away from home figure in my search, but no luck there either. I think that this is a blind search, even though I found out that this James Joyce and another of my great great grandfathers had been on the same ship, HMS Britannia in 1851 on their way to Crimea. Unbelievable really.
This family of John Joyce of Beckington is by far the best fit, so far. The fact that he looks like my father did in old age, and that my father is named for his home at Clifford Villas is like the icing on the cake! I will keep searching for any other sons of John above. Maybe the cake is there under the icing!!