The family names I am personally researching are:

Further information about various families mentioned can be found by clicking on each country heading. Updated July 2026.

England:

Ashton Under Lyne/Gee Cross/Audenshaw/Hyde/Staleybridge and close surrounds:
Linney, Saxon, Speakman (from Cadishead), Gee (Gee Cross), Potter

Lancashire in and around Manchester's suburbs: Eckersley, Aspenall, Darlington, Orrett, Ashton, Clough, Topping, Hardman and others. Also trying to find the connection between the Andertons of Lancashire and my London Andertons. Bamber of Bamber Hall in Lancashire.

London Docklands: Carson, Smith, Newman [all mariners]

London & Kensington: Spencer, Anderton; and from Islington, Henry Lambert & family who were originally from Ireland

Gloucestershire/Warwickshire: Keyte, Gibbs (and associated family Rice), Dipple, Payne

Buckinghamshire, Hillesden, Drayton Parslow, Edgcott and surrounds: Cadd, Mason, Tattam/Tatham, Bagley, Gapper

Oxfordshire, Deddington & Steeple Aston: Perry, Walker, Brotherton

Channel Islands:

St Helier, Jersey: Rose, Le Gresley, Lucas, Philippe, Waters, Dolbel, Cristin, Cabot, Ahier, Falle, Bisson, Poingdestre, Le Couteur, Le Massurier, Queree, Hamon, Bucalle and others

Scotland:

Perthshire: Anderson, McCullum/Malcolm

Banffshire: Weir (who went to London in the 1790s or thereabouts)

Ireland:

Downpatrick, Down: Alcock (also of Dublin & Wexford)

Dublin: Ball (the early mayors of Dublin), Finglas, Fitzsimon of Glencullen

Fermanagh, Inisclin: Belford/Balfourd/Balfour, Marshall, Rankin

Kildare: Lattin (Morristown Lattin), Dillon, O'Ferrall (Naas, also co. Longford)

Roscommon, Castlerea & Galway: McManaway, Dalton, Kenny, Bell

Wexford: Alcock (of Dublin and Wilton Castle, Wexford), Lambert (of Carnagh)

Germany:

Eissen/Peckelsheim/Grosseneder/Buhne/Hohenwepel and surrounding towns:
Sievers, Hummernbrum/Hummerenbrum, Meyer, Mundus, Antenbrink, Krawinkel, Wieneken, Wassmoht and others. Spellings vary from town to town, eg. Wassmoht, Wasmodt, Wasmuht etc.

Australia:

From Jersey: Thomas Griffith and Ann Rose. Descendants settled in Newcastle and NSW country towns

From Ireland: Belford (originally Balfour), arrived Sydney, settled around Taree and Newcastle, particularly descendants of Belford/Anderson (Scotland)

New Zealand:

From Ireland: McManaway, who went to New Zealand; some later emigrated to Australia from NZ. Others emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1840s/50s

From Germany: Sievers and Hummernbrum migrated to Wellington in 1841

Please note that many of these surnames are common in other areas and regions. I have only done research in the localities mentioned, so if you have a Dillon from Belfast, or a Sievers from Dusseldorf, I can't help you unless they are originally from the towns mentioned.

Another trap to look out for is the mangling of surnames on immigration records. For example, on her immigration record to NZ, Anna Margaretha Hummernbrum is listed as Hevergret Hummelbrum. Foreign accents, probably loud and crowded spaces, and questionable education of those employed at immigration facilities in the mid 19th century led to some interesting and improbable spellings of names in these places.

Email: patrice @ saraband.com.au (remove spaces when emailing)