McTaggarts/Royals

[Orlaith17]

Returning to this line of my family tree after time spent pursuing other lines for a while. I have searched in Genes Reunited but have drawn a blank in my searches for anyone else searching this family.

[Currie]

Hello Orlaith,

The following two persons, and others related, are listed on GR.

Edward John Royal, 1912, Glasgow

Owen McTaggart, 1889, Glasgow Lanarkshire

The person researching them is L*** T****** (Member No. 852004).

I think that's the one I found previously and suspected you may have known about.

All the best,
Alan

[Orlaith17]

Greetings to those I have communicated with here in the past. A bit more information has come my way via Australia about one of my NZ relatives. His daughter, elderly but still living, told a relative there that her father was a member of Byrd's first expedition to the Antarctic.
I have searched and searched but cannot find a list of names of all who went on that expedition. Anyone help me with where to look? Thanks

[Currie]

Hello Orlaith,

This site is quite informative about the expedition.
http://www.south-pole.com/p0000107.htm

As well as the two main vessels there seems to have been quite a few ships involved in the transportation of equipment and supplies between America and NZ, and between NZ and Antarctica. If not taken on as one of the main party he may have been a crew member on one of those.

Probably a fair bit of delving into PapersPast would be in order, with a search for the persons name combined with other keywords, to see if his involvement was newsworthy anywhere at the time, or if it was mentioned later on in an obituary etc. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

Or try this sort of a search. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... alanders--

And you’ll find results like this. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... alanders--

If you need any help with that you could post the person’s name.

All the best,
Alan

[Orlaith17]

Thanks again Alan. It was Edward John Royal (jnr) who was said by his daughter to part of the expedition. He was the one born in Glasgow 1912, but who was taken to NZ as a baby and grew up there.

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings.

And a colourful character it would appear going by these press clippings. The August 20th 1934 one mentions his Byrds Expedition claim.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... -&x=22&y=7

Happy hunting.

Alan SHARP.

[Orlaith17]

Colourful character hardly begins to cover it, LOL. Thanks for that link, Alan. I have just read the articles and am most bemused to say the least. So he was indeed a member of Byrds expedition......maybe they should have left him in the Antarctic to keep him out of trouble, lol. I am just about to mail the link to my relative in Australia who is a direct descendant of his; it was her who spoke to his daughter and found out he was a member of the expedition. I'm sure she will appreciate his.....ummmm....."colourful" side as much as I did, lol. Thanks again

[Currie]

According to the south-pole.com site “Heavily laden, the ELEANOR BOLLING and CITY OF NEW YORK left Dunedin for the Antarctic at 6 a.m. on December 2, 1928. There were a total of 29 men on board the CITY OF NEW YORK and 54 aboard the ELEANOR BOLLING.” That’s a total of 83.

Here’s what is supposed to be a full list of the first expedition that was due to depart NZ on December 2nd. I did a rough count and got 81 in total, maybe I miscounted or the newspaper missed a couple, or perhaps a couple of crew was added at the last moment.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... ce+party--

He would have been only 16 years old at the time, maybe he gave a false name and age to get on board as crew? There’s a boy scout in that list but he was 19 and from the US. It doesn’t seem likely he would have made up the story in a Court about an event so recent and so public.

Unless he was a crew member on one of the re-supply missions during the period of the First Expedition, which was 1928 to 1930. Balchen, the aeroplane pilot, wouldn’t necessarily have ever laid eyes on him but just gave him the money on the basis of his story. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... alanders--

Alan