Merrilees Immigration to New Zealand

The first members of Merrilees family branches to arrive in New Zealand are listed below:

The early voyages by sailing ship from Britain around the Cape of Good Hope took from 80 to 100 days, depending on weather conditions, and huge icebergs were often encountered in the southern ocean.

1853: Alexander Merrilees (23) with the Runciman family of Dirleton East Lothian to Dunedin on Rajah. MFA Tree #6
1859: William Mirrilees (76) of Dirleton East Lothian with his daughter
????: Isabella Neill, her husband James & 4 children to Dunedin on Sevilla. MFA Tree #1
1862?: Agnes Mirrilees (20) of Lanarkshire who married John William McLean Field 26.1.1864 in Christchurch. MFA Tree #34
1862: John Merrylees (29) of Glasgow to Invercargill on Storm Cloud. MFA Tree #29
1870: Ann Russell (nee Mirrilees, 35) with husband John, infant son John jnr and daughter Agnes (1) from Cambusnethan to Wairarapa. Tree #8

Later arrivals by steamship were:

Click on the links for more information & other family arrivals.

Merrilees Immigration to New Zealand from Australia

Several Merrilees' came to the New Zealand gold fields in the South Island from Melbourne, Australia in the 1860s, but we know nothing more about most of them. One miner died and the others may have returned to Australia.

1861: Merrilles, R., age 33, miner, originally from England, aboard Result, from Melbourne, dep. Sep 1861, to Otago
1862: James Merrilies, age 39, miner, originally from Scotland aboard Ringdove, from Melbourne, dep. 15 August 1862, to Otago. Died at his claim, Dunstan, age 42. A native of Glasgow, Scotland. (Death notice, Otago Police Gazette 1864, page 21)
1863: Merrilees R., age 32, listed as passenger on Aldinga from Melbourne to Dunedin.
1866: John Stewart Merrillees, age 39, originally from England, aboard Alhambra from Melbourne, dep. 27 Oct 1866, to Hokitika. His wife and family came to join him 11 months later aboard Gothenburg, from Melbourne, dep. 04 July 1867, to Hokitika (Elizabeth, age 31; John, age 05; and James, aged 1). John tried mining on the Victorian gold fields but reverted to his trade as a baker before coming to the West Coast in New Zealand. A third child, Edward William, was born in 1869 but by 1872 the family had returned to Australia and were running a restaurant in Melbourne. MFA Tree #7
1868: William Phillip Mirrielees, (32) from Australia to Riverton, Southland. MFA Tree #33
1899: Agnes Reid, age 36, daughter of Mary Ann Reid (nee Mireylees) from Melbourne to Otago. MFA Tree #9
1962: Bob Scanlon Merrilees from Australia to Auckland. MFA Tree #10