AUS-NSW-L Archives

From: "Verran Dykstra" <>
Subject: INTRODUCING VERRAN DYKSTRA TO THE LIST
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2000 23:19:56 +1200

Sue Lund,
Thank you for your lovely welcome and invitation to introduce myself to the
List.

My name is Verran Dykstra and I live in the "City-of-Sails, Home of the
Americas
Cup"; I'm now retired. I was born a Piscean in Auckland, NZ in 1932. My
father hails
from Sydney (as does his father and mother), and my mother from London, from
Irish
stock.

I have quite a mixture of blood in my veins. On my father's side my
ggrandfather, John
Dylcster [Dykstra], (father Michael, mother Anna Strobant), emigrated from
Rotterdam to Sydney about 1862 and married Margaret Gleeson in Scots
Presbyterian
Church on 28/1/1864. Margaret (father John, mother Johanna McGrath) hailed
from
County Tipperary, near Nenagh I believe, and emigrated to NSW around 1863.
There
were at least 4 children from the union - Michael John b. 19/11/1864,
William John b.
circa 1866 (my grandfather), Johanna b. 15/6/1868 and Peter John b.
29/4/1870.
Margaret died at Newington Asylum on 16/4/1910 and is buried at the R.C.
Cemetery,
Rookwood.
My other ggrandfather, John Tiho was born in Shanghai and emigrated to NSW
about
1853. He married Mary Flannery in Scots Presbyterian Church, Sydney on
29/11/1859.
Mary (father Edward, mother Mary Coventure) was born in County Galway and
emigrated to NSW about 1857. There were at least 5 children from the union -
Sydney
John b. circa 1863, Mart Ann b. circa 1866 (my grandmother), Edward Thomas
b.
30/4/1868, and 1 female & 1 male unknown. John died on 17/1/1874 as a result
of a
fight with an Edward Perry, and is buried at the CofE Necropolis. Mary died
on
28/3/1883 and is also buried at the CofE Necropolis.

I'm looking for descendants of the Dykstra and Tiho families and would
appreciate any
assistance with this.

On my mother's side, my grandmother Emily Hester Reid married my grandfather
Charles George McLaughlin (b.12/9/1863, Limerick) on 21/6/1887 in the
Donegall
Square Methodist Church, Belfast. I believe Emily (b. 23/7/1876) was the
youngest of
6 children of John & Emily Reid (nee Atkinson) of Belmont Park, Belfast. The
other
children, not necessarily in birth order, were Lydia, Harriet, John, Minnie
& Joe. After
the wedding Emily & Charles settled in Islington, London. There were 7
children from
this union - Rachel Maggs b. 10/7/1898, Martha b. 22/8/1899 (my mother),
Sheila
Isabel b. 1/3/1901, Emily Reid b. 21/11/1902, Charles b. 3/11/1904, John
Reid b.
26/10/1906 & Harriett May Victoria b. 24/5/1909. The McLaughlin family,
apart from
John & Harriett who had died, and Rachel, emigrated to Auckland, NZ in 1920.
On a dark and foggy night in November 1892, grandfather McLaughlin saved the
life
of Rose Soloman from drowning in the Serpentine. For his heroic action he
was
awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society. In the early 1900's
Emily
was secretary for the Women's Freedom League founded by Emmeline Pankhurst
the
famous suffragette. She was especially friendly with Emmeline's youngest
daughter
Sylvia. Emily had some brushes with the law 'though she preferred less
violent
protests. She was one of 7 suffragettes who chained themselves to 10 Downing
St to
attract the attention to the cause.

Thank you for listening to me.
Kind regards,
Verran E Dykstra

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• INTRODUCING VERRAN DYKSTRA TO THE LIST by "Verran Dykstra" <>