Thankyou for all your information Margaret Gourley and Charles Stewart were my Gr Grandparents. One of Gerrard's daughters by his first wife Margaret Starrett. The spelling of these names change quite a bit.
I have had a trawl through various records and my hypothesis is that looking at the children’s records from his 2nd marriage, in March 1873 , Sarah Gourley, leaves Castlefin to live at Bishop Street in the city of Londonderry, she is 21 years of age and as far as I know the eldest of Jane’s (his second wife) children. Her father may have been alive in March as she adds Farmer to his profession on her marriage certificate. Robert Gourley is 17 years old and the following year, 1874 receives a fine for not having a dog licence. We know Gerrard purchased dog licences from the records. In June 1875 at the Irish Petty Sessions, he kicked an assailant on his mother’s land, which he was fined for. Robert didn’t appear to get into trouble before this. In referring to his mother's land as oppose to his father's land may be relevant. By 1877 he is 21 years of age, living in Kirkminster and married. In 1878 he was witness to his mother allowing farm animals to stray on to a neighbours land, which Jane was fined for. Ann Jane is 15 years of age in 1873 and a couple of years later at 17 years she married she added that Jarot, her father is deceased on her marriage certificate. Which is proof I feel that he died before she married in 1875. She had her first 2 daughters christened in Castlederg, so presumable she was living in that area before she immigrated to New Zealand in 1879. The youngest boy was 11 years old in 1873, by 1881 he is a carpenter on a ship and living with Sarah Morrison his eldest sister in Scotland. Although he returns to live with his mother in Ireland by 1901.
I think Gerrard died in 1873, although an order for non payment of £1.1 shilling was made against him on Oct 1878, or he may have already died although his name may have been still ‘head of the house’ similar to the old valuation records for N Ireland
I don’t think the family were good at recording things so Gerrard was probably still registered as the Head of the House after his death. I haven’t seen the Valuation Revision Books for Donegal, but I feel that the family may not have changed the name when Gerrard died.
Unfortunately they are on microfilm. They may give us an idea when he moved to the area.
FHL BRITISH FILM 836433 iTEMS 1 & 2 1858 - 1932
V 15 CLONLEIGH SOUTH --CHURCHTOWN AND GORTIN SOUTH
Thanks Again Angela