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From: "Stephen Donald" <>
Subject: Posting interests RANKIN FERRIS NORRIS JENKINS
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 14:43:30 +1300


Dear Listers
I am new to this list, although have already made links with some people who I guess are part of it. I am researching my grandfather's antecedents, who mostly ended up in the Northern Rivers area by the 1880s.

My grandfather, Allan John NORRIS (b.Alstonville 1893) was one of five children of Samuel NORRIS (b. 1863 Clarence Town) and Ellen Maria Mary (known as Maud)FERRIS, (b.Ramornie 1872) Allan's siblings were Dora Maud (b.1892) Olive Mary NORRIS (B.1896) Marjorie Lillian NORRIS (b.1898) and Keith Samuel NORRIS (b.1901) Sam and Maud emigrated to Gisborne NZ in 1901 and never returned to the area, although Dora and Olive both married Australian men and lived most of their lives in Tasmania and Victoria.

Maud FERRIS's parents were George Wallace FERRIS (b. 1850 Sackville Reach, Hawkesbury) and Ellen Mary RANKIN (b.1853 Miller Forest, Hunter Valley) George was the son of James FERRIS (convict on 'England' 1826) and Mary Ann REILLY (formerly married to Ralph TURNBULL of Wilberforce) who had come with her father John REILLY / RILEY of the NSW Veterans on 'Orpheus' 1826 and mother Ann TRAINOR.

George FERRIS was a tin plate worker at Ramornie from about 1870 - 78, then leased land at Tomki (which we are trying to trace, so faar without success) before receiving 50 acres under Conditional Purchase in 1883 at Emigrant Creek, opposite Tevan Junction. He later added to this holding but was bankrupted in 1897 and moved to Uralba. He had a large family (Maud was his eldest) who married into a number of local families at Ballina and Alstonville, including BARLOW, BLANCH, PERKINS, WATT, ROBINSON, PARRISH, BARNES to name a few! Most of his sons later moved to Queensland. We have located most of the graves of this generation at Rous and Ballina, and on the Sunshine coast.

Ellen Mary RANKIN was the daughter of George RANKIN ('Parland' 1838) and Jane WATERS ('Harbinger' 1849) George RANKIN, who leased land next to the 'boiling down' at Carr's Creek, Grafton, was killed by a falling tree soon after arriving in the Clarence in 1863. Jane remarried to Thomas KANE the following year. We have just heard that there are some descendants of this marriage, despite having believed that all of Jane and Thomas's children died before adulthood.

Samuel NORRIS was the son of John NORRIS (convict on 'Eden' 1840) and Mary Mulcahy (famine orphan on 'William and Mary' 1849) Mary drowned in the Williams river near Clarence Town in 1867. Joh NORRIS moved to the Northern rivers in mid 1880s, along with his sons Frederick NORRIS b. 1860, Samuel b. 1863, daughter Sophia b.1858 and granddaughter Mary Ellen (b.1870 - ill. daughter of Elizabeth b. 1853)

Fred NORRIS married Ann CALLAWAY at Lismore 1886; Sophia married John JENKINS at Walgett 1883, Sam as above. I suspect that there are NORRIS and JENKINS descendants from these older two in the area still.

I have done considerable research on all these line (convict, military orphan and 'free') and I'm keen to connect up with others doing similar. I have put together most of this in a booklet (E & O E) and am happy to supply copies to others.

Cheers

Stephen Donald

Gisborne NZ

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