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A Kiwi in search of her ancestral tribes

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The Brosnahans (no, not those ones, these ones)

This entry is part 1 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

My great great grandmother Margaret Brosnahan (1844 – 1927) arrived in New Zealand at Timaru on December 16, 1862 aboard the Echunga, which had left London on September 10.  Travelling with her was her brother, John.1 There are a heap of Brosnahans in early South Canterbury, many (most?) descending from a Hugh Brosnahan and Deborah…

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John and Hanorah Brosnahan ~ Tombstone Tuesday

This entry is part 2 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

If you have relatives that lived in the Timaru, South Canterbury area, it is well worth taking a look at the Timaru District Council Cemetery Database, which includes the following cemeteries: Arundel, Geraldine, Pleasant Point, Temuka, Paeroa West, and Timaru. They have most, if not all, their burial records online, and many have accompanying gravestone…

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Competing Cousins ~ Wordless Wednesday

This entry is part 3 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

Wordless Wednesday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

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St Bede’s College Sports, 1928

This entry is part 4 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

My grandfather Dominic Gaffaney was a boarder at St Bede’s College, Christchurch, NZ for two years – from 1927 to 1928.  The college is the oldest Roman Catholic Boys’ College in the South Island, founded by Marist priests in 1911, and the only Catholic day and boarding college for boys in the South Island.1 Also…

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John Brosnahan in the Cyclopedia

This entry is part 5 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

Interestingly, a John Brosnahan appears in The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, which I posted about yesterday. Could this be my John? Brosnahan, John, Farmer, Levels. Mr. Brosnahan was born in County Kerry, Ireland, and came to New Zealand in 1862 by the ship “Exchange.” He engaged in various pursuits until 1865, when he became a…

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Annie (Collins) Brosnahan ~ Sunday’s Obituary

This entry is part 6 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

Obituary MRS. BROSNAHAN, Temuka Yet another of the fast diminishing numbers of early settlers has passed away in the person of Mrs Brosnahan, relict of the late Mr James Brosnahan, whose death (says the Temuka Leader) at the age of 86 is announced. The deceased lady was a resident of the district for the past…

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Where there’s a Will, there’s a way ~ Amanuensis Monday

This entry is part 7 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

When I finally received a copy of John Brosnahan’s Will1 in the post, I was very excited, hoping that it would reveal information about his family. It did. It gave the names of three sons, five daughters (and their married names), his wife, father, a sister, and a grandson. Eureka! James Brosnahan Ann Brosnahan John…

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A Temuka wedding ~ 1896

This entry is part 8 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

As it’s St Valentine’s Day, we’re off to 1896 Temuka, South Canterbury, for a wedding – the nuptials of Mr Patrick Dennis Hoare and Miss Mary Brosnahan. A WEDDIGN AT TEMUKA. (From an occasional Correspondent.) Temuka, May 2, 1896. One of the nicest weddings that has been celebrated in Temuka for many years took place…

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Golden, or Diamond Anniversary? ~ Wedding Wednesday

This entry is part 9 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

The caption on the frame containing this photo says the occasion for the gathering was John Brosnahan and Hanorah O’Driscoll’s Golden Wedding anniversary.  John and Hanorah were married on March 31st, 1865 in Christchurch, NZ.1  This would date the photograph to 1915.  But the clothes don’t seem to match the period – just looking at…

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Caught on camera (and in caption) ~ the Brosnahan boys

This entry is part 10 of 18 in the series The Brosnahans of Temuka

If you’ve read my post from yesterday, you might have noticed some marks and lines across the photograph – some captions had been written on the photo itself as well as on the cardboard frame surrounding it.  So, here for the delight and edification of all, are John Brosnahan’s boys, circa 1925: Patrick Brosnahan (1866…

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