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Hello everyone. This is my first query on this forum. For some years I have been trying to find an immigration record for my great grandfather, James Nairn. He was born in Wigtownshire to Alexander and Margaret Nairn.
One version of the family story says that he "came out on the "John Duncan" arriving Auckland New Zealand Jan 23 1864."
I cannot find any record of this journey. I have found a record of the John Duncan arriving in Otago on Feb 16th 1863.
Another family story says that he was good friends with Stuaprt Newall and worked with him in a drapery store before emmigrating to New Zealand. I have found James Nairn and a Stuart Newall residing together in the 1861 census, both listed as drapery assistants. The story says that they both went to the New South Wales gold diggings before moving to New Zealand. Stuart Newall is recorded as emmigrating to Australia on the "Kent" in 1863? I cannot find a passenger list for this ship. Stuart (also known as Stewart) Newall became well known in New Zealand and is recorded in the New Zealand dictiinary of biography. I see that ancestory have shipping records avaliable for free this weekend. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

1861 for ref.

Name: Stewart Newall
Age: 18
Estimated Birth Year: 1843
Relation: Assistant
Gender: Male
Where born: Scotland
Civil Parish: Madron
Ecclesiastical parish: Penzance
County/Island: Cornwall
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

View image
Registration district: Penzance
Sub-registration district: Penzance
ED, institution, or vessel: 15
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 149
Piece: 1593
Folio: 99
Page Number: 27
Household Members:
Name Age
James D Newall 26
James Naion 23
William Thorburn 21
Stewart Newall 18
Mary Warren 35

There are two entries on this for Stewart Newall. One aged 25 and a labourer and one crossed through aged 21 and a Gold Seeker.

Name: Stewart Newall
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838
Age: 25
Arrival Date: 4 Apr 1863
Arrival Port: Melbourne, Australia
Departure Port: Plymouth
Ship: Kent
Nationality: English

Thank you. These are the records which I have found in the past. If "Naion" is Nairn we have a match. Now I just need James Nairn's journey to Australia or New Zealand. He married in New Zealand in1869.

Since typing my message above I have found a hand written note which says "John Duncan 970 tons Captain Robert Logie sailed Oct 10th 1863 arrived Jan 2rd 1864" :-)

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2n9/newall-stuart

Interesting that the Stuart that you have found is listed as being "English"...

1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
54, Market Jew Street, Madron, Penzance, Cornwall, England
Print household transcription
Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
James D Newall Head Unmarried Male 26 1835 Draper Scotland
Image Transcription
James Nain Assistant Unmarried Male 23 1838 Draper Scotland
Image Transcription
William Thorburn Assistant Unmarried Male 21 1840 Draper Scotland
Image Transcription
Stewart Newall Assistant Unmarried Male 18 1843 Draper Scotland
Image Transcription
Mary Waren Servant Unmarried Female 35 1826 House Servant St Just, Cornwall, England

Thank you safc. Can you see the original transcription? Could "Nain" be Nairn?
Appeciate your help. (And that of rootgatherer)

the 1861 Census as posted by rootgatherer ////////////////


Name Age
James D Newall 26
James Naion 23
William Thorburn 21
Stewart Newall 18
Mary Warren 35



James name is quite badly written.

It could be either Naiin or ....................... most probably Nairn



and I think the difficulty is demonstrated by safc's version, which was transcribed as Nain :-)

Name: James Nairn
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1851
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Birthplace: Wigtownshire
County: Wigtownshire
Birth Year (Estimated): 1836
GS Film number: 1042557

Thank you Ann, I have already found that record. That's where I got his birthdate from. :-)

Thankyou Sylvia in Canada . If it is him his age is out by three years by comparison with the 1851 census.
Also Cornwall is a fair distance from Scotland. ( just thinking aloud here...) :-)

Sarah .................


ages between censuses can be a couple of years out, or even more


1. The census reports the age on the night of the census ................. but censuses were held on different dates. So the age on one census could be out compared with the next one because "his" birthday fell between the 2 dates.


2. The person giving the information to the enumerator may not know the date of birth exactly


3. The personcould alsways lie about their age! This is quite common :-)




I did notice that the men on that 1861 Census were from Scotland, including the Head, James Newall



Could James D Newall have been Stewart Newall's brother, or cousin?


Could James D Newall have been the one who moved down to Cornwall and opened the shop, and then recruited his friends and ? brother to join him?



It might be worth looking at the English and Scottish 1851 Censuses to see if you can find James Newall, and see if there is any kind of relationship between him and the others.

where was Stewart Newall born?????



from ancestry ........

1851 Scottish Census

Name: James Newall
Age: 16
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1835
Relationship: Son
Father: Thomas Newall
Mother: Ann Newall
Gender: Male
Where born: Dumfries, Dumfries
Parish Number: 823
Civil Parish: Durisdeer
County: Dumfriesshire
Address: Cartle Hill Cottage
ED: 1
Page: 12
Household schedule number: 49
LINE: 17
Roll: CSSCT1851_207
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Newall 40 Tb. ca 1811, Dumfries, ailor
Ann Newall 40
>>>>James Newall 16
John Newall 12
Sarah Newall 10
>>>>Stewart Newall 7
Thomas Newall 5
Margaret Newall 85





I'll leave you and others to see if you sort out any kind of geographical connection between the Newalls and James Nairn in 1851 that could answer your question as to "why Cornwall?"

Thank you Sylvia. I had not found that 1851 census record.
The encyclopedia of New Zealand (linked above), has this to say about Stuart Newall:
"Stuart (baptised Stewart), was born in the Parish of Durrisdeer Scotland 9th May 1843, the son of Thomas Newall a tailor, and his wife Anne Dalziel. In January 1863 he emigrated to Australia and after a brief sojourn in Victoria arrived in Port Chalmers NZ. He spent a few months unsuccessfully seeking gold in the West Taieri diggings, then enlisted as a private in the 3rd Regiment, Waikato Militia in Dunedin on 2nd December 1863"
The rest of the article talks about his military career.

In comparison the Nairn family story (as published in the Onslow Historian 1976), written by Jessie Clark (nee Nairn ) says:
"James Nairn my father came out to New Zealand with his friend Stewart Newall to the diggings at Gabriel's Gully and Dunstan. James Nairn was born in 1834 at Wigtown, Scotland. His father was the school master there. James worked for a while in Newall's drapery store in Liverpool before he and his friend Stewart Newall came to NZ.
They had no success in the diggings so took on the carrying of supplies to the gold diggers; they carried 40lb bags of flour for miles on their backs. Later, around 1865-66 they came to Wellington where Newall joined the Armed Constabulary, took part in the Maori Wars and became a Colonel. At the time of the outbreak of the Boer War he was in charge of the Constabulary in Welington. James Nairn took up farming in what is now Nairnville on Maori Reserve ground...."

The census records say that James' father was a crofter and a weaver. James is listed in the 1851 census as a scholar. He is also listed as being 15 years old. Perhaps he was a pupil /teacher.

A number of Nairn relatives were in the drapery business in Glasgow in the 1850s in Scotland. Maybe there was some business connection with the Newalls. It would be interesting to do a Newall family tree and see if any if them were in Glasgow.

I have just discovered that the Encyclopedia of NZ item about Newall has a note on sources which cite "diaries 1863-1901"
I shall see if I can source these. :-)

I have just tried to do a birth search for Stewart Newall and only got results for England and Wales. I 'm sure I have seen a link to Scottish records on Genes Reunited but can't find it now. Any help appreciated. Thanks

Stewart Newall's birthplace, (according to the encyclopedia of NZ) was Durisdeer which is in Dumfries which isn't too far from Whithorn where James Nairn came from. It is also not far from Glasgow where some of the Whithorn Nairns migrated to looking for work. Stewart Newall's father is listed as still being in that area in the 1881 census.

All of this doesn't explain why the lads were in Corwall or give us the name of the ship(s) they travelled on, but it is slowly building up a picture...