vinsdotter on Family Tree Circles

Andrew Gillies was born 1797 & his wife Ann (nee MacEachen) 1800. In the 1841 & 1851 census in Scotland, they were living Back of Keppoch Ardnamurchan Inverness.

They left Scotland in 1852 with their family for South Australia. There were 6 young adults & 3 children in the family, however I think two of the young women were cousins - not siblings.

Arriving with Andrew & Ann on the Medina were -
1. Anne 27
2. Angus 25
3. Mary 18
4. Donald 15
5. Christina 13
6. Ewen (Hugh) 10
7. John 7
8. Ann 25*
9. Catherine 22*

Both John & Catherine* married into my family.

1. Anne married James Palmer in 1862 in Adelaide - but died five years later - no issue.

2. Angus Gillies married Mary Jane Kelly in 1879 at Jamestown S.A. They had a son William John in 1880.

3. Mary married John O'Donohue in 1864 at Morphett Vale S.A. Their children were Joseph 1865, John 1867, Maryanne 1869, Ann 1873, Andrew 1875 & Margaret 1878.

4. Donald married Elizabeth Dickson in 1862 also at Morphett Vale. They had one son Nicholas in 1863.

5. Christina Gillies was unmarried & died 1915 - no issue.

6. Hugh married Sarah Stock in 1882 at Maitland S.A. They had Frances Ann 1882, Christina 1885, Clara Edith 1888, William Andrew 1890, Mary 1893, Hugh 1895, Victor John 1897 & Florence Monica 1899.
(Hugh & his family used GILLIS as the surname.)

7. John married Catherine Kenihan - the daughter of an early South Australian colonist Hugh Kenihan. Their daughter Rose May was my grandmother.

8. I have found no information on Ann* (the sister of Catherine).

9. Catherine* married my paternal great grandfather Patrick O'Neil. Their children Mary Anne 1864, John (Jack) 1866, Catherine 1868, Andrew 1870 & Michael 1873 were born at Willunga, S.A. lived in Port Elliott then Broken Hill.


I would love to hear from anyone who could help me add to my tree.


*Cousins not siblings - most likely.

I discovered this newspaper clipping dated 1913 shortly after my grandmother died. It refers to my maternal great great grandmother Bridget Mariner.

'Mrs. A. Mariner died last week at the residence of her daughter - Mrs. J. Conlon of Clarendon (South Australia) aged 77 years.

She was born in County Ennis, Ireland in 1836 & was married to Mr. Austin Mariner in 1856. Two years later they sailed for South Australia in the barque Bee - arriving in Adelaide October 1858.

They settled at Happy Valley near the site of the present reservoir, but shortly afterwards moved to Clarendon where they lived for 45 years.

Her daughters are Mrs. Clark - Woodchester S.A., Mrs. Stubbins - London U.K., Mrs. Phillips - North Adelaide, Mrs. Excell - Henley Beach S.A., Mrs. Stone - Glenelg S.A. & Mrs. Conlon. The sons are Mr. John Mariner - Glen Osmond S.A. & Mr. James Mariner - Netley Station S.A.

There are 30 grandchildren & 6 great grandchildren.'

Bridget (nee O'Loughlin) died 8/9/1913 aged 77 years & Austin died 22/2/1914 aged 86 years. Both are buried in St. Marys Cemetery, Morphett Vale, South Australia.

P.S. I have tried to trace the children mentioned above & have found a variety of spellings of Mariner ie., Marrinan, Morrinan, Marnin & Merrinan. The daughters were Margaret 1859 - Mrs. Clark, Maria 1865, Anne 1868, Ellen 1870 - Mrs. Excell, Kitty 1872 & Rosina 1876 - Mrs. Conlon. I also found a daughter Bridget 1862 (who may have not survived) & son Austin 1866 who died as an infant. All children were born at Happy Valley or Clarendon.

Newspaper clipping dated 6th August 1893.

'Hugh Kenihan died at his son's residence, The Braes, Reynella on August 6 at the ripe age of 91 years. He was one of the rapidly diminishing hand of pioneer colonists.

The deceased gentleman arrived in South Australia, on the Navarina in the year 1837, the vessel which brought Sir John Morphett and other well known colonists to our shores.

Mr Kenihan first resided at Hindmarsh. He helped to put up some of the first wattle-and-dab structures which formed the primitive but comfortable habitations of the early settlers. He then settled at Happy Valley, where he lived for 54 years engaged in farming. The land being required for the reservoir, the deceased who was living with his son, Mr Michael Kenihan, removed to Reynella a few days before his death.

Mr Kenihan who hailed from Clochantanagh, Kings County Ireland was a fine type of the old colonists, and could tell many interesting anecdotes of the early days in South Australia.

He leaves one son and four daughters, about 50 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. The remains were buried in the Morphett Vale Catholic Cemetery, father O'Donnell conducting the burial service. On Wednesday Mass for the repose of the soul of the deceased was celebrated at the residence of his son, at The Braes Reynella.'

Hugh Kenihan was my paternal great great grandfather.

Dominick (1776-1886) & Lucinda (Lucy) Kelly (1782-1846) were my paternal gr.gr.grandparents - they came out to South Australia around 1837-1845.

Their daughter Isabella (1812-1878) married Hugh Kenihan (born 1802 in Clochantanagh Kings County, Ireland - died 1893 at O'Halloran Hill).

They married around 1835 & arrived in South Australia aboard the Navarina in 1837 with one child.

Isabella & Hugh went on to have another eight children - one of whom was my gr.grandmother Catherine Magdalene Kenihan 1848-1906, born at Morphett Vale, South Australia.

Her siblings were - Margaret Ellen 1837-1913, John Thomas 1838-1862, Martin 1839-1864, Michael Joseph 1842-1913, Maryanne 1845 -?, Lucy Isabella 1847-?, James John 1849-1891 & Hubert John Kenihan 1854-1884.

Margaret married James Fitzpatrick - 3 children.
John married Catherine Daley (nee Connelly) - 2 children.
Martin married Catherine Ragen - 5 children.
Michael married Elizabeth Pearson - 10 children.
Mary Anne married Elisha Manuel - 12 children.
Lucy married Philip Tear - 4 children.
Hubert John married Elizabeth Clarke - 1 child.
Catherine married John Gillies - 9 children, 4 survived - Isabella 1868-1931, James Andrew 1870-?, Annie 1876-1915 & Rose May 1878-1929 (my grandmother).


in 1908 Rose May Gillies married William O'Neil (1861-1922. They had five children - Catherine Rose 1910-2006, William John Daniel 1913-1974, Lucy Agnes 1915-2006, Vincent James Patrick 1917-2004 (my father) & Victor Michael 1921-1959.

My father & his siblings had a sad & difficult childhood. William their father - died in 1922 - they were placed in orphanages for the next 4 years until they were returned to their mother's care. Shortly after - she died in a railway accident. Catherine Rose now aged 19 years, was able to care for her younger siblings & kept them together from that time on.

Unfortunately they grew up with little knowledge of the large extended family of Kenihans.

Please contact me if you can make any connections with this family.

James was born at Stockport South Australia on 7/3/1870. He was the only surviving son of Catherine (nee Kenihan) & John Gillies. His sisters were Isabella Ann 1868-1931, Anne Elizabeth 1876-1915 & Rose May 1878-1929.

In 1893 James married Elizabeth Ann Whitbread in Port Pirie. Their first child was Grace Catherine born 1894, Lena Maud in 1896 then Norman John in 1898. The following year Elizabeth died & was buried in Port Pirie.

Sadly nothing further is known about this family. James was my father's uncle & Grace, Lena & Norman - his first cousins.

My research on James Andrew Gillies has 'hit a brick wall'.


FOLLOW UP: I have since discovered that James Gillies went to join his sister in Western Australia after the death of his wife. He remarried around 1905 to May Taylor. They had 4 children with 2 daughters surviving - Margery (1911) & Doris (1916). James died in 1929 at Wooroloo W.A. I have no further information on his children from his first marriage or his daughters from his second.