The initial passenger list for the Blenheim, did not include the McConnels. They did appear in the embarkation and subsequent lists. There was also a child born at sea:
- William McConnel, 22, Paisley, baker
- Elizabeth McConnel, 21, Paisley
- Helen McConnel, born at sea
Return to The Blenheim People.
William McConnel and Elizabeth Armstrong
Helen’s birth registration establishes that Elizabeth’s maiden name was Armstrong, and that the family came from Stanraer in the county of Wigtown. However, it also suggests that Helen was the couple’s eighth child, which is not consistent with the ages they gave, not the absence of any other children on the voyage. It is possible that their attribution to Paisley is also an error.
No further information has been established for the McConnel family.
Helen McConnel
Jessie Campbell’s Journal entry for 28 October 1840 noted, “A Paisley woman delivered of a daughter, the woman do not seem to suffer much as home. Lat 33°9 S Long 9°59 W.” This puts the location in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.
The New Zealand birth registration notes that Helen, eighth child of William McConnell and Elizabeth Armstrong, both late of Stanraer, was born on 28 October 1840.
No further information has been confirmed for Helen McConnel.
Sources:
- Blenheim passenger lists at FamilySearch website
- NZ BDM records
- Jessie Campbell’s Journal and Letters.
Blenheim175 