Mary Ann Gilling

[DeanneandTony]

My 2 x great grandmother was Mary Ann Whitstone (also known as Curleen/Kelly) who at marriage listed her father as Michael Gilling.

On her death in 1921, her son completed her death certificate saying she was born in Liverpool and had been in Australia approx. 70 yrs which would put her arrival in the early 1850's. 
If she was 82 at death it would put her birth around 1839.

A story written about her at one point says she had worked in factories in Manchester in her early years.

We know she was married to Joseph Whitstone in Adelaide, South Australia in 1871. 

I have been unable to find an arrival for either Joseph or Mary Ann or any further information on them.  We don't know anything about Joseph's origins.

Be grateful for any pointers anyone can give me. (DNA hasn't helped us at this point).

Deanne

[heywood]

Was she known as Curleen/Kelly before her marriage to Joseph Whitstone?
What was her status on that marriage - single or widowed? If she was widowed was there a former name?

[DeanneandTony]

We honestly don't know where the Curleen/Kelly came from.
On her marriage certificate it says Mary Ann Gilling with her father listed as Michael Gilling.  It does also say that she was single.

On the children's birth certificates it says both Curleen and Kelly (depending on the child) as the mother's maiden name. 

One of her granddaughters was convinced that she came to Australia under an assumed name.

[DeanneandTony]

We honestly don't know where the Curleen/Kelly came from.
On her marriage certificate it says Mary Ann Gilling with her father listed as Michael Gilling.  It does also say that she was single.

On the children's birth certificates it says both Curleen and Kelly (depending on the child) as the mother's maiden name. 

One of her granddaughters was convinced that she came to Australia under an assumed name.

[CaroleW]

A tree on Ancestry has her as Curleen marrying Whitstone but no other info.

If she was married as Gilling in 1871 & birthyear assumed around 1839 she was 32yrs when she married Joseph Whitstone which could be an indication of a previous marriage but uncertain??  Did she have any known children before she married Whitstone?

The use of the surnames Curleen & Kelly as maiden names suggests a possible Irish connection.

Has any family member taken a DNA test?

[heywood]

FindmyPast.com.au shows them as Mary Gilling and Joseph Witston with marriage at St Patrick’s, Adelaide - 11th January 1871.
Have you checked that record to see if there is any  further information?

[DeanneandTony]

Unfortunately there is no further information on the Marriage Certificate.

There are no other known children prior to the three she had with Joseph.

My grandfather swore that she had a very strong Irish brogue - he was 12 when she died and did see a lot of her but given that her son has on her birth certificate put that she was born in Liverpool we are not sure. 

A few of us great great grandchildren have done DNA tests but given we all have quite a bit of other Irish ancestry we have been unable to pin down anything that we can see as belonging specifically to Mary Ann from an Irish viewpoint (or any other link that we share back to her).

We also have no idea of when Joseph came to Adelaide.  I have tried to research him further without luck and his death certificate holds no clues. 

[heywood]

That’s a shame. Sometimes Catholic records give a bit more information for example mother‘s maiden name.
Do the witness names give any help?

[jonwarrn]

A story written about her at one point says she had worked in factories in Manchester in her early years.

Eyre's Peninsula Tribune, 14 October 1921
The Late Mrs M. Whitstone
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219238434