Thomas Jervis Ryan, born in LImerick about 1837, emigrated as a young man possibly to work inthe Victorian goldfields in Australia. From there he emigrated to New Zealand where he joined the Otago police force, working in the gold fields of the Otago area. He resigned from the police force in 1870 and became a commerical traveller living in Christchurch, New Zealand until his death in 1901.
Thomas married Ellen Johnson in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1869. They had eight children. The fifth child Francis Edward Ryan was my grandfather.
The New Zealand Dictionary of Biography, Vol 1, page 380, mentions that Thomas Jervis Ryan's father was named Thomas Ryan, but I have not been able to verify this and have not found any references to his mother's name.
I am hoping to find information about this family to help me break down the brick wall and allow me to extend my family tree.
Diane
