Macalister Family Tree

The Macalister Family Tree

This is a personal research project tracing the ancestry of Charlie Kevin Macalister and August Matthew Macalister, two Wellington boys whose family lines stretch back through New Zealand colonial history to the British Isles, the Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland.

The tree covers five main lines — Macalister, Bonda, Herbison, Gruschow, and Hayden — plus all the families that joined by marriage. It currently holds 1,942 people and counting.

People
Browse all 1,942 individuals
Ships
15 confirmed arrival ships
Descent chart
Visual map of the family lines
Interactive tree
Walk the pedigree person by person
Migration maps
Old World origins → NZ ports

Recent discoveries

  1. IdentityThree families in early Nelson (1842-1860s) underpin Rainer's present-day closest social ties

    Social-history finding (not a pedigree-geometry claim). The poetic shape is that the small Nelson 1840s settler community generated three direct-ancestor families whose descendants now form Rainer's closest present-day relationships. Logged at Rainer's direction after he flagged the Chapman / best friend connection 2026-05-31.

  2. ArrivalHenry Fry + Ann (Gagg) Fry — Will Watch 1841 to Nelson; Riwaka pioneers — collateral/step-family ancestors of Rainer & ancestors of Lyall Carter

    15th confirmed NZ arrival ship in our findings. Collateral/step-family for Rainer; direct ancestor for Lyall Carter. Henry Fry + Ann Gagg are NOT yet in our GEDCOM — see unknowns row to push them back as Richard Fry's parents in our Ancestry tree.

  3. ArrivalHenry Anthony Nathan

    Cross-confirms GEDCOM (which had b.1816 St Luke London, d.1893 Wanganui).

  4. ArrivalJane Hearn

    GEDCOM has b.1813 Shoreditch, d.1898 Glasgow Street Wanganui — exact match.

  5. MarriageHenry Anthony Nathan + Jane Hearn