Hi Gwenn
Returning to Isabella SUTHERLAND (domestic servant, spinster , aged 22) who married John KEATING (farmer, bachelor, aged 26) at Mr Sutherland's house at Addington on 8 January 1867 . . .
Have you found any more on this couple, the parents of Ellen Maria? I would very much like to find out about when and how Isabella and John Keating came to New Zealand
I have obtained a death cert for Louisa Isabella KEATING who died 11 July 1884 and was buried at Napier Cemetery (see previous post by Tiffaney on 8 March 2009). I am not sure this is the right one . . . but it might be . . . what do you think?
The rest of the information on the certificate is as follows: died at Napier of puerperal fever for 16 days, aged 39, born Cawthronshire, resident in NZ for 17 years, daughters aged 15 and 2, sons aged 16 and 14 and 8 and 6, mother was Janet McKENZIE nee McLEOD, father was Francis McKENZIE, married at age 22 at Canterbury to John KEATING.
Some details match information we know - all the marriage information is consistent with the marriage certificate, and both death and marriage certificates point to her having been born in 1845
But there are some difficulties - for a start, this one is Louisa Isabella, not just Isabella. Her parents are McKenzie rather than Sutherland while her marriage cert to John Keating says she is a spinster. And even google doesn't know what Cawthronshire is!
The death cert indicates she arrived in NZ in 1866/67 aged 22 so she would have arrived just before she married John Keating
As for the children information, NZ BDM website has Frederick born to John and Louise Isabella Keating in 1876 (the 8 yo on the death cert?) and Isabella Jessie born to John and Isabella Keating in 1881 (the 2 yo on the death cert?) and also has Ellen in 1869. But no other likely ones I think.
Ruth