There are times when I find there is quite a bit of information when researching family members especially when you do the Alice in Wonderland thing and fall down the rabbit hole. Looking into both the Tonks and Kells families might not mean very much until you realise that they are not just linked to one line of the family, but there is much more to the story.
I have come up with two dilemmas, while I wouldn’t call them bad at all. My thoughts are do I dive into the information that I can access through the National Archives to see where that all leads me as someone might have already written about these people already. One news article from 1944 mentions the Tonks family were one of the three biggest families in the Dominion. That would be quite a lot of information to add to Family Tree Maker.
A little about the Tonks family is that William Tonks arrived in New Zealand between 1841 and 1842, where his occupation was Brickmaker. Sources I have came across through Google has him operating a business making bricks, and even a brick well in Wellington near Cuba Street that still survives today. Its on Google Maps as I found. Several of his sons were also linked with the brick making business. The Tonks are early settlers so there would be plenty of information out there already.
The links with the Kells family isn’t just John Foster Kells, but also with another brother who married one of William Tonks other daughters. That was Thomas Kells. I know New Zealand would have been a small place back in the 1800s, but I have not looked into the other brothers that were with John Foster and Joseph as of yet, but all seem to be involved with the Militia possibly around the Taranaki area. One of the records I have come across within the Archives is Thomas Kells of the 65th regt of Foot from 1860 to 1872 in regards to naval and military land claims. I have yet to look up the other two brothers William and Joseph, but I think I have found plenty of information for future research.
My thoughts are, should I jump in and see what else I can find especially when I already have a growing list of records I wasn’t to view when I next visit the New Zealand archives or leave all that for another time?
Sources
Thomas Kells Sergent 65th regt of Foot, R27457980, New Zealand National Archives
EE Tonks Obituary, Evening Post, 14 Sept 1944, p.6,
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19440914.2.55
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