George Sinclair

[edesearch]

Hi,

I’m trying to track down the identity of my 4x great grandfather and was told that he might be:

George Sinclair
born: 23 July 1817, Wick, Caithness, Scotland
Mother: Helen Gunn
Father: Alexander Sinclair

My 4x great grandfather lived in New Zealand during the 1830s so I was wondering whether someone would be able to see if George Sinclair visited NZ during this time?

Kind Regards
Edesearch

Added -
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=811634.0

[ColC]

ALEXANDER SINCLAIR   Married    HELLEN GUN   26/03/1802   Latheron

I assume this is their eldest child but only father noted: JAMES 5/09/1813 Latheron

ALEXANDER SINCLAIR/HELEN GUNN children Wick

JANET MCKAY 23/03/1815, GEORGE 30/07/1817, WILLIAM 21/09/1820, DANIEL 00/04/1823

Daniel is with his brother James on the 1841/1851 censuses on https://www.freecen.org.uk
William looks as though he may be in the area but the census returns in the area 1841 may not be George, unless you know more about him?
No clear trace of Janet

I assume the 1841 Brickigoe, Wick is Alex & Helen parents of above. Not on later census returns.

SINCLAIR   Alexr      60   Farmer   CAI
SINCLAIR   Hellen   50      CAI
MILLER   John      15   Agricultural Labourer   CAI
GUNN   John      13   Agricultural Labourer   


Colin

[Forfarian]

I’m trying to track down the identity of my 4x great grandfather and was told that he might be:
George Sinclair
born: 23 July 1817, Wick, Caithness, Scotland
Mother: Helen Gunn
Father: Alexander Sinclair
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=811634.0

On your other thread there is a daughter Elizabeth born 1836 died 1930.

From the NZ deaths index she died on 24 November 1930, aged 89. If that is accurate it suggests she was born between 25 November 1840 and 24 November 1842. So it looks as if her age at death must be wrong. Either that or the date of birth.

If she was born in 1836, her parents must have been married no later than 1835 or very early in 1836. This would have been when George Sinclair, born 23 July 1817, was only 17 or 18 years old. Is it likely that a boy would have established himself in New Zealand and be able to support a wife and family by the age of 17 or 18? Especially if he had left his parents and brothers behind in Scotland?

[Forfarian]

Could there have been two couples named Alexander Sinclair and Helen Gunn? That's a long gap between the marriage and the first recorded child.

Helen Sinclair at Brickigoe in 1841 is listed as aged 50. Adults' ages in 1841 were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years, and the census was taken on 7 June 1841. So if her age is accurate she would have been born between 8 June 1786 and 7 June 1791, and on 26 March 1802 she would not have reached her 16th birthday. The law allowed marriage at 15, but it was almost unheard of in practice.

There are 37 baptisms of children in the parish of Latheron between 1800 and 1830 where the father is Alexander Sinclair and the mother is not named. One of these is a George, baptised 9 April 1807. Could he be the son of the couple married in Latheron in 1802?

[edesearch]

You make a good point Forfarian, it would be a lot to ask of a 17 or 18 year old.

The only other information I was given regarding this George was that he might have been married to a Scottish woman called Isabella Green. This would suggest that he had an affair with my 4x great grandmother who was Maori (Native New Zealander).

Edesearch

[edesearch]

Hi,

I may have found who George’s parents were I just need help confirming it. They are potentially William Sinclair and Mary Coghil/Coggill of Wick, Caithness.

William was born abt 1779 in Wick, Caithness, and Mary’s date of birth is unknown. According to Ancestry, they married on 31 Dec 1803 and according to Family Search, they had a son called George who was apparently christened on the 11th of Oct 1806.



Kind Regards
Edesearch

[Forfarian]

Are you looking in the right place?

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=714261.0

[edesearch]

Cheers Forfarian, I'll check it out.

[edesearch]

According to ScotlandsPeople William and Mary did indeed have a son called George.

Thanks again Forfarian