benhelenv on Family Tree Circles

Maria's profile


When Maria Gray was born on July 2, 1850, in Stirlingshire, Scotland, her father, Duncan, was 50 and her mother, Jean, was 40. She had six brothers and two sisters.

She died on January 21, 1945, in Queenscliff, Australia, at the age of 94, and was buried in Williamstown, Australia.


Records on Maria

1851, 1861, 1871 Scottish Census
1903 List of all Gray's in Williamstown on electoral roll

Newspaper Clippings on Maria

When David MAIRS was born in 1822 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, his father, Thomas, was 27 and his mother, Mary, was 23. He married Sarah TAYLOR on January 10, 1857, in Melbourne, Australia. They had 12 children in 22 years. He died on July 14, 1902, in Bittern, Australia, having lived a long life of 80 years, and was buried in Tyabb, Australia.

Immigration
David migrated from Ireland to Australia arriving September 8 1849 on the Nerbudda, barque, 428 tons. James Main was commander. The ship left from Glasgow 8th May Passengers included John Harbertson who was either a friend already or was to become one in future years.


Children of David Mairs and Sarah Taylor:

i Thomas Mairs B: 19 March 1858 Ballan‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 15 August 1884 Snapper Point‎, Victoria
ii Sarah Jane Mairs B: 17 July 1859 Ballan‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 17 July 1865 Pentland Hills‎, Victoria‎,
Australia
iii Mary Ann Mairs B: 29 March 1861 Ballan‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 27 May 1947 Malvern‎, ‎, Victoria‎,
Australia
iv David Mairs B: 8 January 1863 Pentland Hills‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 14 July 1865 Pentland Hills‎,
Victoria‎, Australia
v Jervis Taylor Mairs B: 12 August 1864 Pentland Hills‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 1865 Pentland Hills‎,
Victoria‎, Australia
vi David Taylor Mairs B: 1867 Ballan‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 2 November 1947 Victoria‎, Australia
vii John Jervis Mairs B: 1869 Tyabb‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia M: Alice Mary Boog‎, 1909‎, Victoria‎, Australia
D: 22 August 1913 Bendigo‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia
viii Sarah Mairs B: 1871 Tyabb‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 25 March 1913 Hastings‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia
ix Isabel Jane Mairs B: 1873 Balnarring‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 20 October 1939 Newton‎, Victoria
x William Andrew Mairs B: 24 February 1876 Tyabb‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 1956 Frankston‎, ‎, Victoria‎,
Australia
xi Ethel May Mairs B: 18 May 1878 Flinders‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 21 September 1937 Oakleigh‎, Victoriaxii Mabel Violet Mairs B: 1880 Flinders‎, ‎, Victoria‎, Australia D: 3 October 1916 Mitchan‎, Victoria

Thomas Mairs & Mary Ireland married abt 1821 in Ireland and had 4 sons and 4 daughters between 1822 and 1835.

This story is mainly about Thomas and Mary's first son David and his descendants. However his story includes his parents and siblings and so we begin here.

Thomas Mairs
Thomas' Parents are not known and may be David (?) Mears 1771 - & Mary (?) 1775 (one day we may find someone who knows this but no records have been found to date).

Thomas was born in 1795 in Lisburn, Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (assumed as he lived here and his son David was born here) and died bef 1851 in Lisburn, Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. We don't know that much about him or what he looked like. We have a record in 1819 at age 24 that he was working in Lisburn as a currier in Tan Yard (an area of Lisburn). In case you are wondering "A currier is a specialist in the leather processing industry. After the tanning process, the currier applies techniques of dressing, finishing and colouring to the tanned hide to make it strong, flexible and waterproof."

Thomas married Mary Ireland in 1821 at age 26 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. The area they then lived in is assumed to be Lisburn as first son born in 1822. (Son David's marriage certificate confirms Belfast as location).

We must assume that Thomas died after 1857 in Lisburn, Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (this is based on him being listed on David's marriage certificate in this year).

Mary Ireland
Mary's parents are also unknown and may be James (?) Ireland 1775 - & Agnes (?)1775 (we are only guessing some names using the convention of naming children after grandparents in the hope we'll find records in future).

Mary was most likely born in 1801 as we have just one record in Antrim of a Mary Ireland who then died in 1877. So from what little we know she married at 20 and then had children from 21 until 34 and then lived another 42 years in Lisburn. Only in 1857 do we have a confirmation of her name on her son David's marriage certificate in Melbourne).

Offspring
The children born to David and Mary were all assumed to be born in Lisburn:
1822 David - known as the main descendant who settled in Australia
1824 Mary - no details confirmed but may have married and remained in Ireland
1827 James - who followed David in moving to Australia
1829 Sarah Jane - no details confirmed but appears to have moved to USA
1829 Agnes (Nancy) - given as deceased sister to Andrew Mairs in his will in 1909 and still living in Lisburn
1830 John - who moved to Scotland, married twice and finally moved to USA
1831 Andrew - who also followed David in moving to Australia
1835 Isabella - who married and remained in Ireland

And so we have the beginnings of the Mairs family history that has branches in Scotland, Canada, USA as well as the well known Australian branch and those who remained in Ireland.

Ancestry
The Mairs name is rather unique globally as well as in Ireland and records are not easy to find to piece together this family as well as those whose name may have previously been Mears (or other spellings).
I am in the process of developing a full listing of all persons globally by the "Mairs" name and this study is available on Ancestry (see Mairs "One Name Study" Family Tree ) and currently contains just over 1000 people who were either born or married into the Mairs family name.

Next let's look at our main person of interest in this family: David Mairs