Who are my Gillis ancestors?

[Marilyn Astle]

I have noticed a discrepancy between several websites and The Billingsley Family of Canada book with regard to the Gillis family into which my ancestor, John Campbell Astles (1833-1901), married. John’s wife was Margaret Gillis (died 1913), as evidenced by the baptismal record of their 3rd son James (my great grandfather, often known as James Gillis Astles) and by the death registrations of their children James, William Hector, and Margaret.

Although I have not yet seen evidence of the Astles-Gillis marriage, several sources (which of course may really only be one source) say the marriage took place in Ste. Anne de Restigouche Roman Catholic Church, Québec. The date is given as before 1854, apparently because the couple had a daughter Jane in October 1854. Irene Doyle’s site http://members.tripod.com/~CyberBart/ provides registers of St Anne de Restigouche from 1842 to 1867 and, while there are Gillis entries, none are for Margaret and there are no Astles of any spelling variation. Margaret’s religion was given as Presbyterian on her death registration and the Astles usually frequented the Anglican Church, so this Catholic reference has always seemed odd to me.

Both John and Margaret died in New Brunswick. Margaret’s death registration states she was born in New Carlisle and died at 81 years of age in 1913, suggesting a birth year of 1832. The 1901 census for Nelson, NB gives her birth date as 12 May 1835.

Hazel Shearer, on her site Loyalists of the Gaspe http://www.gaspe-loyalists.ca/church.html , provides indexes to several Gaspe churches. The index to New Carlisle and Paspebiac Anglican Church 1811-1884 shows that there were two James Gillis families baptizing children there between 1830 and 1845. James Gillis and his wife Jane Enright lived at Bonaventure River, west of New Carlisle. James Gillis and his wife Jane Forsyth were at Port Daniel to the east of New Carlisle. The Gillis-Forsyth marriage is in the index as are baptisms for 10 children, 8 belonging to this couple and two to the Gillis-Enright couple. There is no Margaret listed.

Jane Enright is sometimes shown as Jane Knight, an inference supported by the baptism of a son John Knight Gillis in 1845, as listed in the above index. 

Jane Forsyth was apparently a Flowers descendant. The Billingsley book (p. 432-434) says Jane Forsyth (born 1808, Port Daniel) daughter of George Forsythe & Nancy Ann Flowers married James Gillis (ca. 1806-1882), farmer and shipwright, and that they had 12 children. Ten are named, including Margaret, born about 1830, who married John Campbell Assles. The Billingsley compilers and editors state that Jackson Ross of Campbellton, NB gathered the information from records of St Andrew’s Church, New Carlisle.

Darlene Campbell’s website http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dar&id=I21171 shows the marriage of James Gillis and Jane Knight occurring in 1829 in St. Paul's Anglican Church in Northumberland County, New Brunswick. Six children are listed including John Knight, as above, and Margaret, born 25 June 1835 in Settlement on Bonaventure River and baptized 15 July 1840 in New Richmond, Bonaventure County, Québec. The family seems to have moved around as first daughter Isabella is shown as born in New Carlisle in 1832 and third daughter Mary Ann in Port Daniel in 1837. The family was apparently at Bonaventure River for the births of the two sons in 1842 and 1845.

Darlene also includes the Gillis-Forsyth family with 13 children and Raymond Garrett’s site http://www.rocher-perce.org/garrett/ shows 12. Neither lists a Margaret. Raymond shows the same 6 children as Darlene for the Gillis-Knight family.

While I need to view the actual records myself for the Gillis births and baptisms to determine with some certainty in which family my Margaret Gillis belongs, the detail in Darlene’s record matches most closely with the 1901 census. Margaret’s death record, on the other hand, provides an estimated birth year of 1832, about halfway between the Billingsley date and that given by Darlene and Raymond.

Other researchers please provide your input.

[William Flowers]

I have noticed a discrepancy between several websites and The Billingsley Family of Canada book with regard to the Gillis family into which my ancestor, John Campbell Astles (1833-1901), married. John’s wife was Margaret Gillis (died 1913), as evidenced by the baptismal record of their 3rd son James (my great grandfather, often known as James Gillis Astles) and by the death registrations of their children James, William Hector, and Margaret.

Although I have not yet seen evidence of the Astles-Gillis marriage, several sources (which of course may really only be one source) say the marriage took place in Ste. Anne de Restigouche Roman Catholic Church, Québec. The date is given as before 1854, apparently because the couple had a daughter Jane in October 1854. Irene Doyle’s site http://members.tripod.com/~CyberBart/ provides registers of St Anne de Restigouche from 1842 to 1867 and, while there are Gillis entries, none are for Margaret and there are no Astles of any spelling variation. Margaret’s religion was given as Presbyterian on her death registration and the Astles usually frequented the Anglican Church, so this Catholic reference has always seemed odd to me.

Both John and Margaret died in New Brunswick. Margaret’s death registration states she was born in New Carlisle and died at 81 years of age in 1913, suggesting a birth year of 1832. The 1901 census for Nelson, NB gives her birth date as 12 May 1835.

Hazel Shearer, on her site Loyalists of the Gaspe http://www.gaspe-loyalists.ca/church.html , provides indexes to several Gaspe churches. The index to New Carlisle and Paspebiac Anglican Church 1811-1884 shows that there were two James Gillis families baptizing children there between 1830 and 1845. James Gillis and his wife Jane Enright lived at Bonaventure River, west of New Carlisle. James Gillis and his wife Jane Forsyth were at Port Daniel to the east of New Carlisle. The Gillis-Forsyth marriage is in the index as are baptisms for 10 children, 8 belonging to this couple and two to the Gillis-Enright couple. There is no Margaret listed.

Jane Enright is sometimes shown as Jane Knight, an inference supported by the baptism of a son John Knight Gillis in 1845, as listed in the above index. 

Jane Forsyth was apparently a Flowers descendant. The Billingsley book (p. 432-434) says Jane Forsyth (born 1808, Port Daniel) daughter of George Forsythe & Nancy Ann Flowers married James Gillis (ca. 1806-1882), farmer and shipwright, and that they had 12 children. Ten are named, including Margaret, born about 1830, who married John Campbell Assles. The Billingsley compilers and editors state that Jackson Ross of Campbellton, NB gathered the information from records of St Andrew’s Church, New Carlisle.

Darlene Campbell’s website http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dar&id=I21171 shows the marriage of James Gillis and Jane Knight occurring in 1829 in St. Paul's Anglican Church in Northumberland County, New Brunswick. Six children are listed including John Knight, as above, and Margaret, born 25 June 1835 in Settlement on Bonaventure River and baptized 15 July 1840 in New Richmond, Bonaventure County, Québec. The family seems to have moved around as first daughter Isabella is shown as born in New Carlisle in 1832 and third daughter Mary Ann in Port Daniel in 1837. The family was apparently at Bonaventure River for the births of the two sons in 1842 and 1845.

Darlene also includes the Gillis-Forsyth family with 13 children and Raymond Garrett’s site http://www.rocher-perce.org/garrett/ shows 12. Neither lists a Margaret. Raymond shows the same 6 children as Darlene for the Gillis-Knight family.

While I need to view the actual records myself for the Gillis births and baptisms to determine with some certainty in which family my Margaret Gillis belongs, the detail in Darlene’s record matches most closely with the 1901 census. Margaret’s death record, on the other hand, provides an estimated birth year of 1832, about halfway between the Billingsley date and that given by Darlene and Raymond.

Other researchers please provide your input.

In the absence of any entry for a "Margaret" in the New Carlisle registers, and assuming that "Margaret" was not known by any other name, the Knight/Enright equivalency is intriguing.  How do the entries for the James Gillis/Jane Knight children of Darlene Campbell match up with the entries in the New Carlisle Anglican registe in terms of names, dates, locations?

[Hazel Shearer]

Hello Marilyn, I knew Gillis's who lived in Escuminac - Frank Gillis and his wife Ruby Mann.

There are a number of Gillis references in the Index - Presbyterian Escuminac, Matapedia, Kempt Road
(Includes Oak Point, Mann Settlement, Nouvelle, Fleurant, Sillarsville, Deeside etc.)

Hope that helps a bit,

Hazel