Parents of John Connelly (abt 1827 - 1897)

[Wendy2305]

AlsoPresbyterian  is the official Church of Scotland which would have been Janet's church so John not necessarily a non conformist
Do you have Janet's parents as the scots had a naming tradition which may help to find John's parents

[1JC]

Hi Wivenhoe,

Sorry I forgot to respond to your question

What marriages do you have for the children John, Charles, Janet and Mary CONNELLY and James NEILSON?

John Forsyth Connelly married Eliza Surdifield in 1872 (fairly sure this was in Opotiki, NZ)
Charles Connelly married Mary Scott Abbot on 9 Jan 1879 in Opotiki, NZ
Janet Forsyth Connelly married Frank Maxwell on 21 May 1878 in Opotiki.
James Neilson married either Margaret Prentice in 1875 or Margaret Warrington in 1880. Marriages in NZ.

All these stayed in New Zealand and died there.

I also looked up the birth records for John and Janets Children (John, Charles, Janet) and they all have John and Robert Forsyth as witnesses (no Connelly's unfortunately)

[1JC]

Hi Wendy 2305,

Yes I have traced Janet's ancestry back a bit...

Janet Forsyth is the 2nd child of John Forsyth and Margaret Howie.

Her Grandparents were: Robert Forsyth and Jean Buchanan,  Alexander Howie and Marion Muckle.

Her siblings were: Margaret, Marion, John, Robert, Alexander Howie, Thomas, Mathew and Jean.

Her uncles/Aunties were: Thomas Forsyth, William Forsyth, Marion Howie, Elizabeth Howie.

[Wendy2305]

Have you looked for a John Connelly with a father Charles as this appears to be the only name not in her family

[1JC]

Thanks Wendy 2305

Yes I have been looking for the Father Charles and have a theory but need to spend more time on it before I report my thoughts

[wivenhoe]

Can you remind me please....where does Lancashire feature in this DONNELLY family?

Auckland Star 25 Jul 1927 p9
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19270725.2.122?
.......death of George Robert WARRINGTON......sisters Mrs J NEILSON........Mrs T CLARK.........

Do you have the death certificate for Janet DONNELLY, d. 28 May 1881.

Using BDM NZ website I am not seeing this marriages?


Charles CONNELLY married Mary Scott ABBOT on 9 Jan 1879 in Opotiki, NZ

[1JC]

Hi Wivenhoe

Lancashire and specifically Manchester comes from John's death cert and death notice - see previous posts on this thread.

Your papers past link would suggest that James Neilson married Margaret Warrington, not Margaret Prentice (thanks). Like you I could not find the Warrington/Neilson marriage this on the NZ BDM site - I assumed that there were spelling variations.

1881 Janet Connelly death cert attached.

See my previous post for marriages of John and Janet Connelly's children, including my great grandparents Charles Connelly and Mary Scott Abbot.

[1JC]

Thanks again Wendy 2305.
The theory is….
Based on the fact that Charles is the only name that does not exist in the Forsyth side of the family and therefore assuming that it comes from the Connelly side and that John’s father donated that name…
The only John Connelly birth record I can find; in Britain, with father Charles, which is reasonably close to a birth year of 1827 - is that of John Connelly born to Charles and Elizabeth and baptised on 22 January 1832 in Manchester.
That would mean that John was 17 when he married Janet Forsyth on 6 February 1849 (Janet was 36) and their first child, John Forsyth Connelly, arrived on 11 April 1849. It would seem that there would have been some pressure to marry given their son’s imminent arrival.
It may have just been “easier” for John to declare that he was “of full age” in English terms and therefore declared that he was born in 1817 (making him 22 when he married). He then kept this charade up for the rest of his life. In the 1851 and 1861 UK census he has a birth year of 1827 and in his attestation to the First Waikato Militia in 1863 he is of age 38 (implies birth around 1825), at his death in 1897 he is recorded as age 70.
So given that John lied about his age, and continued doing so, the above is consistent with the 1851 and 1861 Scotland census records that stated that he was born in England in 1827 and with his death notice that stated that he was born in Manchester and with the Death notice.

The John Connelly born to Charles and Elizabeth and baptised on 22 January 1832 in Manchester has siblings Mary baptised 24 February 1833 and Sarah baptised 12 December 1835 and others born later. Father Charles has occupation Fustian Cutter (type of weaver?). I have not been able to trace Mary and cannot find a John Connelly death or census records that are consistent with the birth of around 1832 (except for a 1872 death of John Connelly aged 40 in Salford, but it is stated that he was born in Ireland).
The only thing I have found that is inconsistent with this John Connelly marrying Janet Forsyth is that the father Charles has an occupation of Fustian Cutter, whereas on John’s 1897 death certificate it states that his father is “not known” but the father’s occupation is Farmer.

Is there anything I should look at to prove or disprove that this Charles Connelly is or is not the father of our John Connelly?

[wivenhoe]

Using BDM NZ I am not seeing this marriage. Can you identify it please -

Charles Connelly married Mary Scott Abbot on 9 Jan 1879 in Opotiki, NZ