The Macalister Family Tree
A personal research project tracing the ancestry of two Wellington boys 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.
Recent discoveries
- IdentityThree families in early Nelson (1842-1860s) underpin [redacted] 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 [redacted] closest present-day relationships. Logged at [redacted] direction after he flagged the Chapman / best friend connection 2026-05-31.
- ArrivalHenry Fry + Ann (Gagg) Fry — Will Watch 1841 to Nelson; Riwaka pioneers — collateral/step-family ancestors of [redacted] & ancestors of Lyall Carter
15th confirmed NZ arrival ship in our findings. Collateral/step-family for [redacted]; 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.
- biographyWilliam McAllister (jr) — DNZB biography (Scholefield 1940 vol.2 p.4)
DNZB Scholefield 1940 entry. Cross-validated against our GEDCOM by: b.1860 Scotland match, Invercargill residence match, elder brother John (b.1858) confirmed in our tree, partnership formed 1896. The 'first job at 14' in Invercargill is a minor data point — implies he was working in Invercargill at age 14 (~1874), one year before our recorded Peter Denny 1875 arrival; either he was in NZ earlier than recorded or DNZB age is approximate (common). Adds substantial career + civic-roles context to William's biography. He emerges as a leading Invercargill citizen — Crown Prosecutor, Southland Times director, foundation Rotary, Education Board chairman. Significantly upgrades the Macalister-line story.
- biographyHenry Anthony Nathan — DNZB biography (Scholefield 1940 vol.2 p.61)
DNZB Scholefield 1940 entry. Cross-validated: b.1816 London match (GEDCOM has St Luke London), Slains Castle 22 Jan 1841 Wellington match, d.1893 match (GEDCOM has 1893 Wanganui). The 'Irish parents' note independently confirms the O'Carroll Irish heritage that justified WikiTree slug O'Carroll-236. NEW factual additions: (1) occupational origin as goldsmith, (2) NZ Police service under Sergeant Garner, (3) direct involvement in apprehending the Gilfillan murderers (a significant 1847 colonial-NZ event), (4) Goat Valley farm, (5) Mayor of Wanganui — civic prominence not previously documented, (6) prominent freemason. Pushes Henry Nathan from 'name in a passenger list' to 'colonial NZ public figure'.
- BirthGeorge Nathan b.1851 — NZ BDM birth registration 1851/2260
Surfaced via BDM search for 'Nathan, George' during the Mrs George Nathan Te Papa portrait identification work. Locks the George Nathan birth at 1851 (consistent with GEDCOM) and confirms parental link to Henry+Jane (the Slains Castle 1841 settlers). Per BDM disclosure rules: year + reg number + party names only, no exact date or place — sufficient evidence to settle parentage.