Major Hull (born 1733; died 1813)

Now a little information on an ancestor I had no knowledge of a half decade ago, a British redcoat, who seems to have begun a tradition of army service in his family.

From the death certificate of Maria Asia Hull Gosset (nee Woodriff) I knew that her mother was named Maria Hull. This was confirmed when I had contact with a Woodriff cousin who had obtained the naval record of John Robert Woodriff (Maria Hull's husband). The record also included a letter dated 1810 from a "Duke of York" to a "Major Hull" concerning the death overseas of the latter's son, a Lieutenant Colonel Hull.

Learning of this made me revisit the family tree of Le Vavasseur dit Durell that had appeared in J. B. Payne's Armorial of Jersey. That item had Thomas Durell (b. 1759) marrying in 1819 "Ann, dau. of Major Hull". IGI records their marriage as taking place 12 August 1819, at St Giles, Camberwell, in Surrey. Thomas had a sister Rachel Durell. She was the grandmother of James William Gosset. James's wife Maria Asia Hull Woodriff was the daughter of John Robert Woodriff and Maria Hull, and now a letter to a Major Hull had turned up in the papers of Maria Hull's husband.

My wonderful Woodriff relative had investigated this and through a researcher had obtained British Army listings which showed that a Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hull of the 43rd Regiment of Foot had fallen at the Battle of Coa in Portugal, 24 July 1810. A book about the 43rd Regiment contained further information, namely brief genealogies of families that had significant ties to the Regiment. Included here were the Hulls - including Edward Hull and his father Trevor Hull. According to the army listings Trevor Hull had been a Captain in the 43rd Regiment, and a Major in the 36th Regiment. There was some confusion in the Army listings as Trevor Hull's career seemed to have spanned over fifty years and he seemed to have repeated some promotions a decade or so apart in time.

I then looked at Burke's Family Index (the index to Burke's Peerage and Landed Gentry) as you never know what might turn up, and sure enough there was an entry in 1952 for Hulls of Carnbane, which detailed an Irish family, and included two Trevor Hulls, an uncle and nephew, who had served in British regiments. This explained the apparent repetition in the careers of Trevor Hull; the listings had conflated the two men, making it seem like one person had had a long career with repeated promotions (i.e. became a captain twice some years apart), where instead two men had had careers in different generations. The elder Trevor Hull had become a Major and the nephew had gone on to become a Major General.

Trevor Hull (the major) was born in Ireland in 1733, the son of Edward Hull (1694-1748) and Ann Parker (d. 1752). Edward Hull was in the service of the Lords Hillsborough (later Marquesses of Downshire), who were surnamed Hill and that had inherited their estates from the Trevor family. The head of the family at the time of Trevor Hull's birth was Trevor Hill. This is undoubtedly from whence the future Major Hull received his first name. This was not an isolated incident. In a later generation his lordship was Arthur Hill, and there was an Arthur Hill Hull present in the Hull family.

Regimental records and military announcements give something of an overview of his progression through the ranks. Regimental histories give some idea of where he served, as does the obituary which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine, Volume LXIII, covering January to June 1813, page 92. This is available via Google Book Search. I quote the obituary at length below as it gives some idea of his career and character:

"Jan. 7. At Southampton, aged 79, Trevor Hull, esq, one of his Majesty's Gentlemen Ushers of the Privy Chamber. He entered into the army in 1756 as Ensign of the 43rd regiment, and served under the Earl of Loudon, Lord Amherst, the immortal Wolfe, General Murray, &c. in the several campaigns, battles, and sieges, which annexed Acadia, Louisburgh, and Canada, to the British Empire. He afterwards served under Generals Walsh and Monckton at the taking of Martinique and the other French India islands, and with the Earl of Albemarle at the Havannah. He returned to Europe with his regiment in 1773, and retired from the Army, after the American War, with the rank of Major, being soon afterwards appointed Gentleman Usherof his Majesty's Privy Chamber, in which station he continued till his death. It may be truly said of this most worthy and amiable gentleman, that he was not only respected, but highly valued by his superiors, and esteemed and loved by his acquaintance and friends; and that he was a loyal subject, a faithful friend, an honest man, and a pious Christian".

He served in the 43rd Regiment of Foot for some 12 years then was exchanged to the 36th regiment in 1768. In 1764 the 36th regiment had been posted to Jamaica in the West Indies. Presumably Trevor Hull joined his new colleagues there until the regiment was recalled in 1773. The 36th was then sent to Ireland, the country of Hull's birthplace.

Interestingly, pieces of information from different sources would seem to corroborate this. To work backwards, the House of Commons included a report on Irish tontines, a form of government bonds issued in three different years. For 1773 subscription were listed Edward Hull and Ann Hull, being the "only son" and "only daughter" of Trevor Hull and Ann Gibbons, with their address being Middlesex. Edward Hull was 2 years old (giving a birthdate of 1771 or so) and Ann Hull was 3 years old (i.e. birthdate of about 1770).

I was intrigued by the mention of Ann Gibbons. I had not seen this name before. If she was the mother of Edward and Ann, was she also the mother of Maria Hull, wife of John Robert Woodriff? Maria was not listed in the tontines subscription so presumably was born after 1773. Was she much older than her husband who was born 1790? The Irish tontines were issued in 1775 and 1777 as well, but there is no Maria Hull among the subscribers. This might mean she was born after 1777, or perhaps that her father missed out on the later issues.

A later listing of subscribers in the 1800s (by which time Maria Hull would have been born) still described Ann (by now Ann Durell) as the "only daughter" of her parents. However, it also described her father as "Captain Trevor Hull" when he had retired as a major some years previously. Perhaps the details of her marriage were added to the listing, but the original details were kept (i.e. her father's rank at the time the bond was taken out in 1773 and the description of her as "only daughter")? So, the question is was Ann Gibbons the mother of Maria Hull or not.
Another question is why the mother's name was given as Ann Gibbons? Shouldn't she have been Ann Hull instead? Certainly the other subscribers in the 1773 listing seemed to be the children of a "Mr and Mrs" (i.e. the mother had the same surname as the father).

I then found a webpage listing Jamaican baptisms for the late 1700s and early 1800s. Remember, if Trevor Hull physically joined the 36th Regiment in 1768 he would have been stationed in Jamaica from 1768 to 1773. There is a baptism on the page giving the following information:

"Ann HALL b. 29 Oct 1770 bap. 18 Feb 1771 fa. Trevor HALL mo. Ann GIBBONS free mulatto".

Could Ann Hall born 1770 the daughter of Trevor Hall and Ann Gibbons be the same person as Ann Hull born about 1770 the daughter of Trevor Hull and Ann Gibbons, with the presumption that if Trevor Hull was with his regiment he would have been in Jamaica at this time? Or is it just a coincidence?

Admittedly the surname listed is Hall not Hull but I have seen that transcription error previously. There are other Halls in the register, so there was a family of that name in Jamaica. However, perhaps this helps explain the transcription error, if Hull appeared among several people surnamed Hall. I do not know how one would go about verifying this.

Another problem - IF these are Hulls and not Halls - is that there is no Edward Hull/Hall in the register, which one might expect if he was born in Jamaica in 1771, given that the 36th regiment was not in England until 1773. Whether the baptism is absent because of missing records or whether this just confirms that the baptism register entry for Ann Hall does not relate to Trevor Hull's family at all...??? Or is it just too coincidental not to have been his family. Arrrgh!

Anyway, back to firmer detail. Scots magazine, dated November 1780 (via Google Book Search) which carried announcements from the War-office reported on 25 November a list of Majors in the Army including

"Trevor Hull, of 36th foot".

This was his last promotion, before he left the army sometime in the next decade. He was appointed a Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber in September 1789 (recorded as "Hull, T." in The Public Rooms - Gentlemen Ushers of the Privy Chamber 1660-1837).

He died 7 January 1813. Some sources give 14 January 1813, but the 7 January is from the obituary that appeared in "Gentleman's Magazine".

I mentioned he seems to have begun a tradition of service in the army for the Hull family. The career of his nephew Major General Trevor Hull (1760-1816) has been mentioned already, with the confusion that arises between the two men with the same name. There were other members of the family who served.

Major Hull's brother Edward Hull (another child of Edward Hull and Ann Parker) also served in the 43rd Regiment of Foot but died 2 May 1775 from wounds sustained at the Battle of Lexington which took place on 19 April. This was at the outset of the Revolutionary War of Independence, and Lieutenant Edward Hull, 43rd Foot, is said to have been the first British officer to have died in that campaign.

The major had a brother Anthony Hull (1722-1795) who married Alice Watson. Their son James Watson Hull (1758-1831) also served in 43rd Foot, becoming a Captain.

Another Edward Hull (the Major's son) served in the 43rd, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel and leading the regiment at the Battle of Coa (also known as Corunna), 24 July 1810. A small ivory set portrait of Lt. Col. Edward Hull, which had been brought out to New Zealand by his niece Maria's family, was sold at auction in 2008.

Gosset / Baker / McDonald or MacDonald

A brief post, just putting up two photos of my great great grandparents. To be elaborated on later.





Annie Venetia Baker (1861-1924):




She was daughter to Michael Baker (1840-1928) and his wife Maria Munhall (1841-1911). Annie was born in New Zealand, as were her parents.















And her husband, William Montgomery Gosset (1854-1930):

He was a bank clerk, and son to James William Gosset (1818-1888) and his wife Maria Asia Hull Woodriff (1819-1878). William was born in Ireland, his parents in Jersey and England respectively. William appears to have migrated to New Zealand in 1871. In the cemetery record for his 1930 interment it is stated he had been in New Zealand for 39 years.

The couple married in Gisborne, New Zealand, in a Catholic Church, 11 January 1880, going on to have five children - three sons and two daughters.








The five children were

Frederick Steyn Gosset (1881-1958);
Celeste Venetia Gosset (1883-1951) (my great grandmother);
William Montgomery Gosset (1884-1972);
Mona Rebecca Gosset (1887-1968);
Arthur Maunhall Gosset (1891-1968).

This couple divorced in 1894, the matter being finalised in 1896. The photo of Annie Baker above is from the file on the divorce at the Auckland branch of Archives New Zealand.

In 1898 Annie Venetia Baker married a Scottish decorator, Alexander James MacDonald (son of James Alexander MacDonald, confectioner, and his wife Sarah Jane Strahan - this information is from the 1898 marriage certificate). They had five children, two daughters and three sons.

In the historical births register, the surname had the spelling McDonald rather than MacDonald

Four of the children can be located in the online register search:

Adele Kahn McDonald (born 1899) (edit - actually Adele Kahupo McDonald)
Hector McDonald (b. 1900)
Homa Elaine McDonald (born 1904)

Cyril Ian McDonald (b. 1905)

Major General J W Gosset, R.E. : Part Two

Well, a l-o-n-g time between posts (see Part One - in August!!), which left Major General James William Gosset in some limbo, having last left him in 1871, apparently retired to his birthplace on the island of Jersey with his family. However, he did not remain there for too long after the census was taken. I do not know the reason but it seems that in 1871 and 1872 the James William Gosset family made the move to the other side of the world, to New Zealand. It seems the first to make the move was the eldest son, James Woodriff Gosset. The searchable Auckland Area Passenger Arrivals (available from the website of Auckland City Libraries) shows that the 18 year old James W. Gossett travelled on the ship Ballarat, which departed London 1 May 1869 and arrived in Auckland on 9 August 1869. The only other "James W. Gossett" in the family was James William, and he is shown as arriving with his family in 1872. Although it could be difficult to distinguish between father and son with the same first name and middle initial, James William Gosset is referred to in arrivals as Major General Gosset. He and Mrs Gosset (nee Maria Asia Hull Woodriff) arrived on the ship Caduceus on 2 February 1872, accompanied by three daughters and two sons. They are referred to in the arrivals by title (Mr or Miss) and initials. So for the daughters we have G., M. M. and M. A. (for Gertrude, Maria Margaret and Mary Asia). For sons we have A. C. and A. H. (Arthur Charleton and Alfred Hobson).



There is one child as yet unaccounted for: William Montgomery Gosset, my great great grandfather. There is an "H. M. Gossett" arriving on the ship Countess of Kintore on 26 September 1871. It is not shown if this was a Miss, Mrs, or Mr. I do wonder if H. M. is a transcription error for W. M., although that might just be wishful thinking on my part. Perhaps William arrived at another port entirely, or is just missing from the arrivals database. However, in his cemetery record in 1930 it is stated that he had been in New Zealand for 39 years, which fits with arriving in 1871. Either way he seems to have travelled to New Zealand separately to his eldest brother James Woodriff, or the rest of his family. Again, the reasons for their departure are not known to me. Upon arrival the Gossets seem to have become involved in the Auckland social scene. The searchable database Papers Past gives lists of party attendees for various functions (an early version of today's social pages?). These lists include Major General and Mrs Gosset at various parties, often accompanied by one or more of their children.


Although James William Gosset had left Jersey for the colonies he was still able to receive his Imperial war pension, with the proviso that he could be called upon for defence if that was warranted (a clause for all those receiving military pensions). He became active in the Freemasons in Auckland, in the Prince of Wales Lodge. His involvement was such that he received a medal engraved with his name and rank. From the trademe site that carried his portrait:























The Gosset family in Auckland lost one of its members when 25 year Gertrude Gosset died 28 January 1874 (five days after her birthday) and was buried in St Stephen's Cemetery. James William Gosset lost his wife and his mother in 1878. On 26 January of that year, Maria Asia Hull Gosset, nee Woodriff, died at Parnell, Auckland. The cause of death was cancer. On 8 February Margaret Gosset, nee Hammond, died on Jersey. This was communicated to her son a little while afterwards. We know this as a death notice for her appeared in the New Zealand Herald, her son marking her passing a world away.

In 1880 two of the Gosset sons were married. Perhaps the first was William Montgomery Gosset who married Annie Venetia Baker in Gisborne, in a Catholic Church, on 11 January 1880. The choice of a Catholic Church is interesting as the Gossets had strong Anglican Church ties hitherto. James William Gosset's brother Rev. Clement Hammond Gosset was an Anglican cleric, and four of their sisters/half-sisters had married Anglican clergymen: Laura Gosset to Rev. Isaac Henry Gosset (a fourth cousin); Anna Magdalen Gosset to Rev. William Brock; Mary Gosset to Rev. James Tanner; and Elizabeth Gosset to Rev. William Craddock Hall.

William's brother Alfred Hobson Gosset also married that year, to Catherine Bertha Gudgeon. The next year, 1881, saw two more Gosset children marry: James Woodriff Gosset to Ada Beattie; Mary Asia Gosset to Arthur Bushe Christian (my grandmother Olive knew that her grandfather William had a sister married to "Mr. Christian", but no other details).

1883 saw another death visited on the family when 27 year old Arthur Charleton Gosset died. This was followed in 1885 by the marriage of the last Gosset of that generation, Maria Margaret. She married William Goldie, who among other things was gardener at the Auckland Domain.

On 5 March 1888 James William Gosset himself passed away. An obituary under G at a site called Auckland Deaths gives the following snapshot of him:

"GOSSETT Major General Gossett, late of the Indian service, died at his residence, St Stephen's Avenue, Parnell, on Monday night. General Gossett arrived in Auckland after the first Katikati special settlement was established, and since then his figure has been one of the best-known in Auckland. His fine physique and military bearing always attracted attention, and his general manner and happy disposition gained for him hosts of friends everywhere. The immediate cause of death was cancer. He leaves several sons and daughters, all grown up, to mourn his death, one of his daughters being Mrs Goldie, wife of the curator of the Domain. General Gossett, since his arrival in Auckland, has been an active member of the Masonic fraternity, and held office for several years in the Prince of Wales Lodge. It is understood that, by General Gossett's own desire, there will be no demonstration, Masonic, or military, at his funeral."

Here then, has been something of what has been learned by me of the life of one of my great great great grandfathers. It is certainly more than I know of several others of that generation in my family tree. There might be others who come across this page who are also descended from this gentleman. If so, I'd encourage them to make contact in the comments section of this blog.

Major General J W Gosset, R.E. : Part One

Well, here is a beginning of some of the information found on a great-great-great grandfather, James William Gosset, who served in the Royal Engineers. He was the earliest member of the family that my grandmother knew of (her maternal grandfather William Montgomery Gosset's father).

The information gleaned so far comes from a variety of sources:


J. B. Payne's Armorial of Jersey;
Auckland City Library holding of Hart's Army Lists;

descriptions of maps in the National Archives;

death notices;

Google Book Search findings;

The Times military intelligence news;

an auction house catalogue,

and, related to that, the New Zealand online auction site trademe.co.nz (!).
The last (no longer online?) let me know what he actually looked like, so here he is below:

CORRECTION: I have since discovered that this photo is NOT of James Willim Gosset, despite being sold at auction as being his portrait. The man in the photo is an uncle of James, John Hammond, Bailiff of Jersey (born 1801; died 1880).

Payne's Armorial of Jersey has a pedigree of the Gosset Family. The first of the two sheets is reproduced in this online Pedigree of Gosset. At the bottom of that sheet in the middle is Isaac Gosset, Clerk of Cheque, Ordnance Department. Isaac was born about 1774 and died 18 February 1854. He married twice, to Magdalen Robin (daughter of Philip Robin and Anne Pipon of Noirmont, Magdalen Robin d. in or before 1815), and in 1815 to Margaret Hammond (1787-1878), daughter of James Lempriere Hammond and Rachel Durell, or Le Vavasseur-dit-Durell, all of the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands.


James William Gosset was the second but eldest surviving son (after an older brother also named James) of the second marriage of Isaac to Margaret (James William Gosset is shown on the second sheet of the pedigree in the Armorial but not shown in the online Pedigree). James was born at Saint Saviour's Jersey on 30 December, 1818 (from the book The Gossett Family, by Frank Gossett). He was evidently named for his grandfather James Lempriere Hammond.


A catalogue entry from an auction house that recently sold items possessed by James William Gosset shows that he was marked for a military career from an early age. In the auction house catalogue mentioned above a writing box in one lot included a letter dated 21 December 1830 (when James was not quite twelve) advising that he had been placed on the list of candidates for admission to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich (where Royal Engineers were trained). A Gentleman Cadet parchment in another lot was dated 8 February 1833, when he was fourteen.

The choice of a career in the Royal Engineers was a popular one for the Gossets. James' father Isaac Gosset had a half-brother Sir William Gosset (1782-1848) who had become a Major General in the Royal Engineers. Isaac and Sir William's nephew William Drsicoll Gosset (son of John Noah Gosset) also became a Major General, R.E., and assorted descendants of Sir William were R.E. officers. This can become problematic distinguishing one Gosset R.E. from another, as some of them had careers that were contemporary.

Hart's Annual Army List for 1860 (sourced at Auckland City Library, Family Research Section) gives information on James William Gosset's promotions to 1860.

16 Jun 1838 Ensign.

07 Sep 1840 Lieutenant.

01 Mar 1847 Captain - this appears to be promotion to second captain as a note on 1 April 1854, page 12 of the The Times, reads:

01 April 1854, "2nd Capt James William Gosset to be Captain".

26 Oct 1858 Major.

The Gentleman's Magazine of 1844 (via Google Book Search) gave an annoucement of his marriage, 16 September 1844, to Maria Asia Hull Woodriff.

The annoucement of the marriage in Gentleman's Magazine, 1844, page 541, read, for marriages in September of that year:

"16. At Jersey, Lieut. James W. Gossett, R.E., son of Isaac Gosset, esq. of Jersey, to Maria-Asia-Hull, dau. of Lieut. J.K Woodriff, R.N., of Preston, near Weymouth, and grand-dau. of Commissioner Woodriff, R.N., C.B., late Greenwich Hospital."

Maria Asia Hull Woodriff was christened 16 July 1819, Northam, Devon (found via the International Genealogical Index at familysearch.org), and died 26 January 1878, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand (her death certificate). She was the only (or only surviving) child of John Robert Woodriff (1790-14 February 1868), who was later Captain in the Royal Navy, and his first wife Maria Hull (d. 1834). Note it should have read J.R. Woodriff in the annoucement and not J.K. (presumably a transcription error). Note the spelling of "Gossett" in the marriage announcement. This variation between Gosset and Gossett happened throughout the life of James and his family.

John Robert Woodriff was one of several members of his family to serve in the Royal Navy. His father (and Maria's grandfather) the Commissioner was Captain Daniel Woodriff, R.N. (1756-1842). More on the Woodriffs in a future posting. Among the online sources for the life and career of Daniel Woodriff is an entry in the Australian Dictionary of National Biography.

James William and Maria Asia Hull Gosset had seven children. The census returns for Jersey in 1861 and 1871 between them give us birthplaces for the children which act as a partial guide to where James W. Gosset's R.E. career took him and Maria:

(1) Maria Margaret Gosset (b. 1846, Mauritius)

(2) Gertrude Gosset (b. 23 January 1849, Mauritius)

(3) James Woodriff Gosset (b. 22 March 1851, Mauritius)

(4) Mary Asia Gosset (b. 23 Aug 1852, St. Helier, Jersey)

(5) William Montgomery Gosset (b.c. 1854, Clonmel, Ireland)

(6) Arthur Charleton Gosset (b. 1856, Kilkenny, Ireland)

(7) Alfred Hobson Gosset (b. 1857, Kilkenny, Ireland)



The National Archives Catalogue also gives us an idea of what James did at Mauritius where the three eldest children were born. A "Sectional elevation showing the proposed position of a lighting conductor at the Fantaron powder magazine", with "Scale: 1 inch to 10 feet" was signed 31 October 1851 by J W Gosset and A B Fyers.


A further item was a " 'Plan of a piece of ground and sea shore that he wishes to have conceded to him'. 'He' is Mr Murray; the map also showing land granted to Mr Murray; patent slip, breakwater and Mr bird's Basin; low water mark and depths. Copied by J W Gosset, Capt RE, 11 March 1852".


By the time Mary Asia was born in August 1852 (christened 15 September 1852) the family were on Jersey. They (or James at least) moved to Ireland by April 1853 where the youngest three children were born. This is evidenced by more plans from the National Archives Catalogue:


"Ireland: County Tipperary. (1) No 1: 'Clonmel. Plan of Barracks shewing the course of the Boelick Stream above and below the Barrack and the proposed new Auxiliary Drain ...'. Scale: 1 inch to 50 feet. Compass indicator. Signed by R Hammond, Foreman of Works, 16 April 1853. Signed by J Gossett, Captain, Royal Engineers, 18 April 1853. Initialled by B R B [Baker]. "


"(2) No 2: 'Clonmel. Artillery Barracks. Detail Plan of Sewer Mouth & Sluice ...': sections and elevation. Scale: 1 inch to 2 feet. Signed by J Bennett, Clerk of Works, 10 May 1853. Signed by Hammond, 6 May 1853; and by Gossett, 11 May 1853. (3) No 3: section along line shown on (1). Scale: horizontal 1 inch to 50 feet; vertical 1 inch to 10 feet. Signed by Hammond, 16 April 1853; and by Gossett, 18 April 1853. Initialled by B R B [Baker]."

EDIT: 9 Feb 2010: The information below has been shown to be incorrect! While the Times does name "Brevet-Col. James W. Gosset" Hart's Army Lists for 1866 and 1867 show quite clearly that the Gosset appointed commander of Engineers at Woolwich was William Driscoll Gosset, NOT James. Instead in the 1866 Army List James William Gosset was commanding Royal Engineers in the Windward and Leeward Islands! This is supported by an entry in Chambers's Edinburgh Journal for 1869, which on page 522 quotes "Colonel Driscoll Gosset" concerning matters at Woolwich. I will leave the original part of the posting here. This shows the need to check sources - or to check more than one source, even a reliable one!!!


A notice in The Times shows he was promoted Brevet Colonel in 1860 and moved to England in 1867. Under Military and Naval Intelligence in the 8 May 1867 edition, page 14, is a note that Brevet-Col. John S. Hawkins, commanding Royal Engineers at Woolwich, had a new posting to Barbados from 17 May. He had been "superseded by Brevet-Col. James W. Gosset (January 6, 1860), from Dublin, who takes up his appointment at Woolwich this morning".





Joseph Haydn's "Book of Dignities", page 902 (Auckland City Library holding, 4 GBR PRG) stated that "Jas. Wm. Gosset" was promoted to the rank of Major General, 6 July 1867, although the auction house catalogue showed that his Major General's Commission was dated 12 June 1867. He had retired shortly afterwards, being Maj. Gen. RE retired on Full pay in the 1871 census for Jersey, where he was with his family, except for his eldest son, James Woodriff Gosset.

A Small Start...

Well, here goes a little of nothing, perhaps. With so many blogs abounding in the world, and with many persons far more conversant in genealogical research that I, why add my twopence worth? I thought a blog might be an interesting way of communicating my interest and advertising it to a wider world. I have discovered distant (and not so distant) relatives in different parts of the world that I would not have found if I had not gone looking. So, maybe this will serve as a contact point to those who have, like me in the past and currently, recognise a name on a webpage as belonging to an ancestor. This might also be a way to help ensure that anything I might have discovered in my off-and-on research will not be lost.

Family tree research can grow exponentially. As each person has two parents, each generation back gives two more people to trace, and as those two have parents, four more people to trace, then eight more and so onwards and upwards, or backwards. Well, generally. Unless one discovers cousinal intermarriage on occasion, which can narrow a line down a bit. Then there are inevitable pending areas of research, where you get "stuck", and it is seemingly impossible to get past a certain generation.

I have long been interested in my family tree - the basic idea of where did I come from? How did I get here? Where did my parents parents parents come from and what did they do? I would plague relatives asking about our mutual ancestors, what were their names, where did they come from, what did they do, and who did they marry? These seemed like simple questions to me but did not always have simple answers. Beyond a certain generation knowledge seemed to be lacking. In a place like my country, New Zealand, for immigrants to the country, knowledge went as far as the first to arrive, but no further back. New Zealand's border seemed to be a barrier to much knowledge of those who had been back in the "Old Country", wherever that country happened to be.

In some ways I thought a blog, as fleeting as it may prove to be, might help ensure that information that has been rediscovered is retained by succeeding generations of relatives. I say rediscovered and not discovered as the relatives I research knew who they were, and presumably knew who their parents and children were. However, very often it seems that that knowledge has been lost by succeeding generations.

To some extent my family and ancestors have been luckier than some, for some of the generations at least.

On my father's paternal line we had a reprinted pamphlet "The Shortridges: The Records of a Cumberland Family", by M. Aird Jolly, Reprinted from the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society's Transactions, Volume XXXIX-New series, 1939. This reprinted pamphlet (pages 35-44 in the Transactions) has generations from my paternal great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents William Shortriggs or Shortridge, of Bewcastle, Cumberland (1698-21 September 1753) and his wife Betty or Elizabeth, nee Routledge (died 21 March 1745). It follows them down to my great grandparents, John Wood Shortridge (1852-1921) and his wife Carmela Esposita (1855-20 November 1941). It was John Wood Shortridge, and later his wife, who came out to New Zealand.

For other lines in the family, knowledge was much more variable. My father's mother told me about three of her four grandparents, but only knew of one great grandparent by name.

On my mother's side, we knew back to her mother's paternal grandparents with certainty, but beyond then could get a bit murky. For her paternal grandparents we have been fortunate that her grandfather, at one stage Chemist's assistant (the Chemist being his father-in-law), knew photography and there is quite a pictorial record of family in England and early years in New Zealand. We have been rather less fortunate on other sides where some areas have little or no photographs that have survived, or at least, not that we know of.

Anyway, I intend to cover some of this at least in successive posts. But, a blog should have links, so below are some starter links for beginners in genealogical research that I've found very useful.

Quite a few of my ancestors came to New Zealand from England. For that country, there are some basic sites to get started with.

Especially of importance is the freebmd site. This is invaluable, as transcriptions are made of birth, marriage and death registers in England. Centralised registration began with the September quarter of 1837. Note the name/s, district, volume number and page number the entry appears on, as this will be very helpful - and saves money! - when going on to request a certificate.

Having discovered a likely certificate to order, go and visit the General Register Office, log in and place an order for the certificate(s) that you are interested in. Presently the certificates cost 7 pounds each if you supply the district name, quarter, and page number as well as the name and year (having found these via a freebmd search. The certificate is sent to you by surface post.

If your ancestor left a will you might be able to access it via the National Archives page, which has English wills up to 1858 that were proved in the Court of Canterbury. Wills cost 3 pounds 50 to request, and can be downloaded as soon as you have autenticated the transaction (credit cards accepted!). I have used this page primarily for accessing wills, but then discovered, almost by accident (that is, I'd overlooked them entirely!), a host of other certification available on the site, such as the Royal Naval Officers' Service records, and other records that are available via their Catalogue.

Anyway, this is long enough for now.