| Roderick
GOLLAN
other immigrants: Edward
BARRINGTON
|
Roderick GOLLAN was born in Ross-Shire Scotland ~1820, arrived in Victoria ~1839 and died in 1898 aged 78 years (Victorian death certificate #8537/1898, informant son-in-law John Storie, states he was 78 years at the time of his death, and had been 59 years in Victoria). His death certificate names his parents as George GOLLAN, bootmaker and Mary Gollan formerly CHISHOLM. Roderick married Jane LITTLE, daughter of James LITTLE and Jane BOYD, on 27 Jun 1848 (Victorian marriage certificate). They had six children (1849-1862, Victorian BDM index). Jane LITTLE is also the sister of James LITTLE who married Jamesina Paxton GOLLAN (I'm not yet sure how she is related to Roderick GOLLAN above, if at all). Roderick and Jane's son George GOLLAN married Sarah WILKINSON, the daughter of Henry WILKINSON and Sarah FLEMING. Their daughter Hannah married Samuel FLEMING, the son of Samuel FLEMING and Margaret BROWN (the parents of Sarah FLEMING above). As yet I have not found him on a passenger list. Also, there is no Roderick born to George and Mary Chisholm in the Scottish records (see www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk). The only evidence for a Gollan-Chisholm marriage is the birth entry for Donald Gollan b parents Roderick Gollan and Mary Chisholm. There are two Roderick Gollans in the Scottish records who were born in approximately the right year (~1820), the parents' names differ in both cases (see "Family Gollan – Families Little & Boyd" below) however one of their birth dates (?or c 16 Aug 1819) matches Roderick's age at death perfectly: 78 years old on 22 Apr 1898. Jackie Garvin discovered some Gollans from a place near Inverness called Conon Bridge and it would appear that Roderick is related to this group as the parents are named Roderick Gollan and Mary Chisholm and one of their children is George Gollan, shoemaker, who is also the right age to have been Roderick's father. Indeed, this George Gollan can be found in the 1861 Scottish census ages 72 living in Conon Bridge with wife Isabella age 51 (Isabella Innes, married in 1834). Given George's age (he was b ~1789) one possibility is that he had children from a previous marriage, including Roderick ~1820. So why was the name of Roderick's mother given as Mary Chisholm on Roderick's Australian death certificate? My guess is that if George's first wife died prior to his second marriage in 1834, then her name would not have been as well known as his second wife Isabella's name. Indeed the first wife may also have been called Mary. If that's the case, then Roderick's eldest daughter Mary or son-in-law (the informant on his death certificate) may have mixed up the names of George's first wife and his mother Mary Chisholm. A particularly good possibility for George's first wife is Janet Shearer (had children with a George Gollan 1817 to 1830) whose son Roderick's birth date is mentioned above, 16 Aug 1819. Possible connections are examined in "Family Gollan - Conon Bridge" below. Given the occurrence of the name Mary Chisholm in connection with a George (who is a shoemaker) and about the right age to be the father of Roderick b~1820, I've settled on that, for now. Primary Tree / Family Gollan – Families Little & Boyd / Family Gollan – Conon Bridge |