Richard Stuart was born about 1802 in co. Wexford, Ireland, to unknown parents. He had emigrated by 1815 to Burslem, Staffordshire, England. There he married Mary Gardiner in 1820 and had 9 children. They worked as potters until 1841 when they emigrated, arriving in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1842. They ran a dairy, producing milk for the Wellington market. Mary died there in 1871, then Richard in 1878.
None of the surviving co. Wexford parish registers have Richard’s baptism. The surname Stuart (and variants) is uncommon in co. Wexford in the early 19th century, making it relatively easy to identify 2 possible candidates for Richard’s father in the tithe applotment books for 1833. They are Charles Stuart, living in Killincooly Beg in Killincooly parish, and John Stuart, living nearby in Ballyvoodock in Ballyvaldon parish. Some of the Stuarts living in this area later in the 19th century had the same given names as Richard and Mary’s children, e.g., Charles, Richard, Alexander and Ellen. If any living descendants of these 19th-century Wexford Stuarts can be found, then DNA testing may help to identify a relationship.
An old family story has it that Richard Stuart’s family was earlier from the Isle of Man. A possible Stuart family appears in the parish registers of Douglas, Isle of Man, at about the right time. Amongst the siblings baptised there were John Stuart in 1761 and Charles Stuart in 1767, and other siblings include Richard and Eleanor (Ellen). While John may have been buried on the Isle of Man, no possible marriage or burial for Charles has been found in the Isle of Man parish registers.
Was Charles who was baptised in 1767 in Douglas the same person as Charles in Killincooly Beg, Killincooly, in 1833, and was he the father of Richard who was born about 1802 and emigrated to New Zealand?
The only one of the Isle of Man siblings definitely known to have had descendants was Esther Stuart, baptised in 1774. She married Daniel Craine and their descendants were still living on the Isle of Man in the early 20th century (with surnames Forrest and Mundell). If any descendants of this couple can be found then DNA testing may help there too.
The Isle of Man siblings were the children of another Charles Stuart, a gardener and seedsman in Douglas, who died in 1797. His baptism can be traced to Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, in 1713, as the son of another John Stuart.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1802 (circa) | |
| Date of Death | 25th Nov 1878 | |
Thank you for sharing your research/thoughts on the family of Richard Stuart.
I am a descendant of Richard Stuart, who settled in NZ. My Grandfather, one Bruce Richard Stewart is the son of Donald Lewis Stewart, who is the son of George Lewis Stewart - great grandson of Richard Stuart.
Any further information would be much appreciated.
Kia ora from Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Gabriel.
Dear Gabriel,
We are 4th cousins once removed. If you email me at donhansen@xtra.co.nz, I can send you more information.
Regards,
Don.
Hi Don,
Hamish Stuart here. A few years ago you sent me some wonderful information regarding our ancestor Richard Stuart. I was just wondering if anything further had come about? Working in Oulart National school, only a few miles from Ballyvaldon parish really is such a strange coincidence and many people have suggested I write to RTE to see if there is anything that they could help with in regard to the story. I am meeting with a local family from Ballyvaldon this Friday who apparently have some information for me. I know your research was very thorough, and perhaps you have already met these people. I have been thinking about getting a DNA ancestry test done to see if after all these years (1802-2019) there might be people near by that we could be related too. My Nana, Jean Stuart (Masterton, NZ) is 94 and would love to hear if anything new has come up.
Kind Regards
Hamish Stuart
Rosslare Strand
Co. Wexford
Ireland
Hello Hamish,
I'm glad you called. A few months ago I was contacted by a Stuart in London whose ancestors were from co. Wexford but he can't get back far enough to establish any link with ours. He, like me, is keen to do a DNA test to see if there is a connection. Being a male-line Stuart, he would be ideal for a Y-DNA test. That means we would need a male-line descendant from our side to do the same test. Ideally we should try to get 2 or 3 males with different male-line descents from Richard Stuart, to ensure any unknown "non-paternity event" (as they are called) doesn't lead to a wrong conclusion.
You spring to mind as an ideal candidate! If you're keen, I can make enquiries to see who else might like to participate from amongst Richard Stuart's male-line descendants. Ideally we would share the cost of the tests, and I would be willing to contribute even though my DNA wouldn't be tested. Let me know your thoughts.
Please also tell me all about your meeting with the Ballyvaldon family. It sounds exciting. I haven't made contact with any locals there yet, although I visited the graveyards in the area on a flying visit some years ago. No Stuart headstones found though.
Regards,
Don.
Thanks for responding Don.
I must have mentioned to a parent of one of my students at some point about the possible Ballyvaldon connection. She actually approached me recently regarding this and told me how her great aunt from Ballyvaldon was interested in the story. I wrote her a letter with a brief history of Richard's journey from Wexford to NZ and how I had turned up appropriately 200 years later from New Zealand! Yes as you mentioned Richard and Mary's childrens names are key. They are the link so I made sure to list them all. An elderly priest in the area Fr. Séamus de Vál told me that it is no coincidence that many of the names you found around that area matched Richard and Mary's children's names. He said Richard would have left and named his children after family members he knew he would never see again.
There is a Ballyvaldon parish history book with a few references to 'Stewarts'. A local historian who unfortunately passed away last week, John Bolger took me into Ballyvaldon a few years back. He showed me a field that is still to this day called 'Stewart's Field'. Again it's hard to know if there is a connection here or not. He showed me a house that was connected with the name also. If their line of work was as you mentioned in England then I doubt that there is a connection with the 'Alexander Stewart' (school teacher) listed in the Ballyvaldon parish history book, although again how many Alexander Stewarts could there be in one area? Both first and last names were not very common in Ireland making tracking considerably easier...???
I most certainly would partake in the DNA test. Let me know what I have to do. The results could be fascinating!!!
Are there any other formats out there that you might recommend for making these potential links? Perhaps a query on Facebook??
Let me know your thoughts if you've time. Even in my locality there are a lot of Stewart's. Perhaps I should just start asking...
Keep well and let's see if anything pops up.
Best wishes,
Hamish Stuart
Hello Hamish,
As well as you, we now have James Stewart in London and David Stuart, descendant of our Lewis Stuart's brother Charles, who are willing to do a Y-DNA test. We're ready to go. I want to use Family Tree DNA and take advantage of their discount offer that lasts till 31 August 2019. Can you please tell me your email address or email me at donhansen@xtra.co.nz?
I will then send you details and relevant weblinks about the test.
Don.
