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Ellen Gooch (Helen) and Peter McGill were my great great Grandparents. I see that you have already been given a link to Ellen's obituary. Unfortunately, I have no information on her first marriage but if you have anything further I would be very interested. I haven't been able to find any information on whether her first marriage was in Australia or NZ. There was a James Brown (no e) that helped Peter McGill in Milton, but he was certainly alive after she married Peter. And there doesn't appear to be any mention of children from her first marriage, so I assumed they didn't survive.

The obituary for Peter McGill is:
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BH18941023.2.23?query=Thomas%20Gooch

I think that Edward and Henry came to NZ with Ellen. Edward stayed and made a life in Takaka but perhaps Henry returned to Australia.

If you have info about the Gooch family in England, I would also be interested.

Sorry, not much help from what you have got.

Hi Vanessa

Lovely to hear from a distant relation.  Who were your grandparents and parents?  The James Brown you speak of in Milton is Peter McGill's brother-in-law as his first wife was Jane Brown.  I think Ellen married in Australia as she and James Browne had a daughter called Anna Edith but sadly she passed away in infancy.

Here is the birth record

https://linctas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/names/search/results?qu=Ellen&qu=Gooch

I still don't have any definitive information about when Edward came to New Zealand and my Aunty (Christine Hayden, nee Gooch) is really desperate to find out this information. I do know Henry stayed in Australia, married and had a family there.

I have lots of information about the Gooch family in England and here in New Zealand and I can put you in touch with Aunty Christine if you like.

Would love to be in touch off line - my email address is nzscorpy@outlook.com

Maryanne

Thanks very much everyone for your great contribution to my search for information re Ellen Browne (nee Gooch).  There is some useful information for me to follow-up.  Unfortunately not much is know about this part of the family.  My Aunty didn't know about the family going to Australia in 1852 and contributors could be well right about stories being embellished.  For example it was always believed that edward came to NZ on his own at the age of 15 but I have evidence now that this is probably not true.  I will keep up my search.

 Thank you.

Ok here is the information I know so far about Ellen Browne (nee Gooch).  She was often known as Helen in the family.

She came with her family from London to Port Philip in 1852 on the Washington Irving.  The family were:-

Thomas Caesar Gooch - Father
Charlotte Gooch - Mother
Ellen Annie Gooch
Henry Luff Gooch - brother
Edward Albert Gooch - brother
Thomas Gooch - baby brother

Sadly Thomas Caesar and baby Thomas died at sea.  Charlotte (the mother) died 2 days after arriving in Port Albert.

She had to look after Edward and Henry after this time.

Later Ellen became a governess for Sir Valentine Fleming and lived in Hobart, Tasmania

At some stage she met and (?) married James Browne, a mechanic.  They had a daughter called Anna Edith Browne, and another daughter who was still born, in Hobart

About 1860 Ellen moved to New Zealand to become a governess for James Smith of Tokomairiro (now known as Milton).  Not sure if James came with her as I can't find any information about this.  She became the first teacher of the primary school there in 1863.  She married Peter McGill in 1865.  On the marriage certificate it says she is a widow.Ellen Annie Gooch McGill is Ellen's daughter.

Peter and Ellen had several children:-

Helen Annie Gooch McGill
Thomas Nance McGill
Emily Jane Wyatt McGill
James McGill
Charlotte Bloomfield McGill
Justina Falkland McGill



If anyone can fill in the following gaps for me that would be great:-

Marriage of Ellen Gooch to James Browne
Death of James Browne
Any information about Anna Edith Browne

I am trying to obtain Ellen's death certificate to see if there is any further information on this regarding James Browne.  I cannot find an online record so I have contacted BDM to find the record for me.  Sometimes there is a misprint when they were converting to online records.

Look forward to any information people may have

Thanks

Maryanne

What I  to know - does anybody on this site have any information about "James Browne" Tasmania or Melbourne, when he married Ellen Gooch and what happened to James and their daughter Anna Edith before 1860.

You may already have seen the birth register entry:
BROWNE, Anna Edith, born 29 December 1857
Father: Browne, James
Mother: Gooch, Ellen
Registered: Hobart, 1858,
Record ID:
NAME_INDEXES:962706
Resource: RGD33/1/7 no 1188
The entry shows that the mother Ellen BROWNE, formerly GOOCH, Church St, is the informant.  Father's occupation: listed as a mechanic.  The register has no name for the child but added later "Baptised St Davids Anna Edith"

https://linctas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/names/

Do you know where Ellen was with Sir Valentine FLEMING?  There is an Ellen GOOCH having a child registered Launceston, 1854.  The father of the child is listed as John FIELDfarmer and there is a notation saying that the parents are not married.  However, on looking at information about Valentine FLEMING he seems to have been in Hobart, at least for his marriage 1852 and the births of his children in the early 1850s so I think this is probably not your person.

Judith

Sorry this is not the Ellen I am looking for.