DNA match proves Gorey family connection
DNA tests have proved a connection between the South Australian and Victorian branches of the Gorey family in Australia.
A link has always been suspected because both branches came originally from the small village of Thomastown in county Kilenny, Ireland.
My ancestor James Gorey and his wife Betty arrived at Port Phillip, NSW (now Melbourne, Victoria), in 1841.
Michael Gorey travelled alone to Port Adelaide, South Australia, aboard the Victoria Regia and arrived 14 years later on 13 November 1855.
Michael was born on 11 July 1833 in Thomastown to Daniel and Bridget (nee Gooley) Gorey. He married Ellen Eliza Coles on 4 February 1863 in Adelaide and they had 13 children in 22 years.
Michael and Ellen lived at Balaklava where Michael was a farmer. According to this article, he had a property on what is now known as Gorey’s corner, where local farmers used to bring their sheep to send them to market.
Gorey’s corner is the junction of seven roads and there’s still an old stone building on the property which would have been either his house or his shed.
Several years ago a descendant of Michael Gorey, Lynley Gorey, contacted me because I was a DNA match with her nephew, but not with her.
It happens sometimes that DNA isn’t always shared beyond the first three or four generations despite the individuals being related. Lynley and I were both exploring our Irish roots. We agreed that we were probably related but there wasn’t enough evidence to confirm it.
Time passed and being busy, I never returned to investigate the relationship.
This week however, I’ve had time to spare and I looked at the DNA matches for my lovely aunt Noreen Warren. Being a generation older than me, she has different genetic connections with parts of the extended family.
Bingo! Noreen is a DNA match with Lynley and ancestry.com.au kindly points out they have common ancestors in Denis Gorey and Bridget Croake.
Denis and Bridget were grandparents of my James Gorey and great-grandparents of Lynley’s Michael Gorey.
Denis was born in 1730 and lived for 90 years until 1820, a rare feat in those times. Bridget appears to have been 30 years younger than him and they had their first child together in 1780 when Denis was 50.
Lynley believes her side are descended from Denis’ son Andrew, who must have had a different mother because he was born in 1765.
The children of Denis and Bridget were Thomas (my ancestor), Daniel, Anastatia, Michael, Bridget, Richard and Margaret. Most of those names recur in later generations.
Indeed, there has been a Michael Gorey in every generation since at least the early 1700s.
We don’t know if pioneer settlers Michael and James ever met, but it seems unlikely. They were second cousins and 19 years apart in age. It’s likely though that Michael knew his relative had gone to Australia and that might have swayed him to follow when he decided to emigrate.
It’s always good to solve a puzzle and to make a new discovery.
Genealogy has become easier thanks to DNA and the increasing digitisation of records but it’s still important to check and validate information.
