Ninnes family

[debbie]

Hi,  This is an update of a thread I just created, and I wanted to edit it, but couldn't.  So now I have registered!

My husband is Jack Ninnes.  He was born in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1950, which is where we live.  I am trying to compile the family tree.  Jack's father is Leonard, born around the 1920's.  Leonard's grandparents came from Cornwall to New Zealand around 1840, we think.  (In my previous post I said Leonard's parents but meant grandparents, or great grandparents even).

We are visiting the UK in August 2015, and staying in Penzance on 18th and 19th August.  We would love to find out more about the Ninnes family!

[Deleted]

Hello again Debbie

Just as a matter of interest I have a William Ninnis in my records who was born in 1848 in Lelant, Cornwall and died around 1909 in NZ. I think he came to NZ via Australia.

Do you know the name of Leonard's father?

Lannanta

[gandolf]

Hi Debbie

Have had a quick look at this over the last hour or so, and given that NINNES is a relatively rare name in New Zealand (and Victoria, Australia - relevance to follow ), I am moderately confident I have correctly placed your husband Jack's father.

I believe Leonard to be Leonard John Ninnes, born circa 1915 and died in 1955 at Hamilton N.Z. He married Joyce Marianne Ricketts in the early 1940's during WWII.

The only minor challenge was that like so many New Zealand families, there was a pit stop in Australia on the way from the UK to N.Z.

While you will still need to do more research and obtain certificates etc to confirm the details, I believe the following information (sources in bold at top of each section) will start you well on the way with your search. 

Victoria (Australia) BDM Indexes
NINNES William (born Cornwall) & BRAY Gertrude (born Cornwall), Married 1878, Reg Number: 1667

NINNES, William, son of William NINNES & Gertrude BRAY, Born at: PL EA (not sure where this is?), Year: 1878, Reg Number: 24724
NINNES, Wilmot, dau of William NINNES & Gertrude BRAY, Born at: WARRAGUL, Year: 1880, Reg Number: 5609
NINNES, Ethel May, dau of William NINNES & Gertrude BRAY, Born at: WARR (probably Warragul), Year: 1881, Reg Number: 20258
NINNES, Gertrude, dau of William NINNES & Gertrude BRAY, Born at: MORW (probably Morwell), Year: 1883, Reg Number: 11086
NINNES, Kenneth Thomas, son of William NINNES & Gertrude BRAY, Born at: THORPDALE, Year: 1892, Reg Number: 18033

NINNES Gerte (daughter – children born 1914 & 1915) & NICHOL James Alexander Lamond, Married 1913, Reg Number: 10312

NINNES Ethel May (born WGUL – ie Warragul) & MOORE Joseph Walker (born Cumberland) Married 1903, Reg Number: 2473R
(R means registration more than a year after the event and was back dated)

NINNES Wilmot & PREISIG William, Married 1914, Reg Number: 10111

NINNES, Gertrude, dau of John BRAY & Selina HORE Died at: WMSTOWN (Williamstown), Year: 1925, Reg Number: 12014


New Zealand death indexes
Ninnes, Leonard John died 1955 aged 40.

Find A Grave
Ninnes, Leonard John, died 10 Sep 1955. Buried Hamilton East Cemetery.

1935 New Zealand Electoral roll
Ninnes, Joseph, Herbert St, Masterton, Merchant.
Ninnes, Nellie Lott, 12 Herbert St, Masterton, married.
Ninnes, Norman William, 12 Herbert St, Masterton, clerk (son of Joseph & Nellie ?)
Ninnes, Leonard John, 1 Moeller St, Wellington, Clerk

the following are from PapersPast, an online searchable archive of New Zealand newspapers
Newspaper - New Zealand Herald, 17 February 1909, Page 1
Deaths:
NINES – On Monday, February 15, at the Auckland Hospital, William Ninnes, beloved husband of Gertrude Ninnes, late of Victorian Railways, in his 60th year. Australian papers please copy.

Newspaper - New Zealand Herald, 26 May 1928, Page 1
SILVER WEDDINGS
MOORE-NINNES – on May 26th, 1903, at the Methodist Church, Narre Warren, Melbourne, Australia, by the Rev. Moore, Joseph Walker, son of Robert Moore, Seaton, England, to Ethel May, second daughter of the late William and Gertrude Ninnes, Melbourne. Present address: Pukehkohe West, Auckland.

Newspaper - Evening Post, Issue 71, 20 September 1941, Page 12
ENGAGEMENTS
NINNES-RICKETTS – The engagement is announced of Joyce Marianne, only daughter of Mr and Mrs. J.E. Ricketts, Hataitai, Wellington to R.Q.M.S. Leonard John, second son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Ninnes, Herbert St, Masterton.
R.Q.M.S possibly stands for Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant, indicating Leonard was serving in the army at the time.

[debbie]

Hi Gandolf

Thanks for this! It has given me a good heads up on where to start. Being a novice to the ancestry searching, it is good to get some leads. I notice though that it doesn't help when newspapers print the wrong name! Of course we knew that Jack's parents were Leonard and Joyce, but Jack was pretty hazy on any other names - his grandparents being Nan and Pop!

Thanks again.
Debbie

[gandolf]

Whoops - in this case the error was mine not the newspaper (typo late at night).

However, it is a timely reminder that you need to be aware of spelling variations, particularly once you get back into the 1800's and earlier. Before the era of universal education, spelling was often phonetic rather than using a standard spelling. So you will undoubtedly end up at some point needing to be creative with how NINNES might be spelt - try imagining it said aloud with a thick accent and being heard by a clerk who may or may not be familiar with the name and then consider not only what he thinks he hears but how he might then spell what he thinks he hears!

The other point to keep in mind is that any index (online or not) is bound to contain errors. In the case of the online newspapers the text is computer generated and the accuracy is dependant on the quality of the original document. The indexes for most other record groups (e.g. census records), are created by a human who puts down what he/she thinks they see on the document. If the handwriting is poor or hard to understand then some interesting spellings can result with what would otherwise be relatively straight forward names.

-----

One reference I overlooked last night is the wedding of Jack's grandparents Joseph and Nellie - it is in the New Zealand online BDM indexes, but the newspaper reference provides more detail and was the missing link between William & Gerte and Leonard - showing that Joseph is their son. It also indicates (as evidenced by Joseph being missing from the above list of births) that there are considerably more children, including Joseph to be located yet.

Nelson Evening Mail, 19 December 1911, Page 4
MARRIAGE.
NINNES-DAY. - On December 18th, at St. John's Church, Nelson, by Rev. J. J. Lewis, Joseph, fifth son of Mr and Mrs W. J. Ninnes, to Nellie Lott, second daughter of Mr and Mrs W. H. Day, both of Swindon, Wiltshire, England

[gandolf]

Hi Debbie

On rechecking while trying to pick up the presumed missing children of William Ninnes and Gertrude Bray, I have come to the conclusion that they were almost certainly NOT - repeat not - the parents of the Joseph Ninnes who married Nellie Day in 1911.

For one thing the marriage is in the Nelson region at the top of the South Island (and therefore a long way from Auckland). Secondly, newspaper reports and BDM indexes indicate there is a NINNES family in the Nelson area from as early as the 1880's (perhaps even earlier?).

I still cannot identify where Joseph Ninnes might have come from. The marriage report in the newspaper implies local residence of both Joseph and his parents. But there is no clear evidence of them in the BDM records. Perhaps they emmigrated to NZ for a period of time after Joseph was born elsewhere (e.g. the UK) and then returned a couple of decades later, leaving son Joseph married in NZ?

I would strongly recommend at this point that you need to follow the paper trail. Obtain the marriage certificate for Joseph and Nellie from the NZ government and see what it tells you, then go from there.

[Deleted]

I would strongly recommend at this point that you need to follow the paper trail. Obtain the marriage certificate for Joseph and Nellie from the NZ government and see what it tells you, then go from there.

Just a note Debbie. If you get any NZ certificates make sure you get a copy of the original print and not a Certificate. The print is more useful for you as well as being a few dollars cheaper. You also negate the likelihood of a mistake when the original information from the print is transferred to the certificate.

Lannanta

[genie2]

Hello Debbie
I have this family on my NINNES dbase. Did you find William NINNES's birth date and his parents? I have an email address for a descendant of this family. Kaye.....

Cheers

Glenys