FOWLER & MCGONIGAL

[Heather Moore]

My great great grandparents William Fowler (a carpenter) and Jane (Jeanie) McGonigal married at the Parish Church in parish of Dungivan in 1850. They lived at Ballyness, Parish of Dungivan. In the 1901 census they were living at house 32 in Ballyness, Gelvin. Jeanie died in 1902. I have not been able to find William's death date.

William's father was Joseph Fowler (a labourer) and Jeanie's father was Michael McGonigal (also a labourer).

Their son William Fowler (my great grand father) emigrated to New Zealand from Clyde, Scotland on the "Nelson" in 1875.

He married Anne Dempster in 1879 at Invercargill, NZ. They had four children William aka Ted (my grandfather), Joseph, John and Elizabeth.

Another of William and Jeanie's sons (Joseph) emigrated to NZ ion the "Trevelyan: which sailed from Clyde in 1883. He was accompanied by James Fowler who may have been a brother or some other relative. Both men were in their early twenties and were carpenters.  Joseph married Eliza Stark at Mataura, NZ in 1889. They had several children which included Margaret, Jeanie, Elizabeth, William and Leslie.

I have been unable to trace James Fowler after he arrived in NZ. He may have emigrated to Australia or USA.

William and Jeanie also had a daugher, Catherine, who died as a baby in 1867. I have not been able to find records of any other children.

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who has information about the Fowlers or McGonigals in Ireland or elsewhere. I will be visiting Ballyness area in early Sept 2013.