Joy and Richard Gannell

My husband, while on holiday as a boy, was taken to the Technical Museum in Sydney (Australia) with his brothers and sisters. (The family lived in a country town in New South Wales). While looking at the items on display, he was shown a pewter plate and his father would say that the plate had been made by one of our family, Henry Burgum. That was our introduction to the Burgum name. In 1990, I started to collect the GANNELL family tree and locate all my husband's relatives. It was then that we were told that we had connections to a Lady who turned out to be Sarah Thompson, the Countess Rumford, adoptive mother of Emma Gannell. This title was bestowed on Sarah in honour of her father and she was made a Countess of the Holy Roman Empire.

Going back a few years, Mary Ann Grove was a maid working for Sarah Thompson, Countess Rumford, at her home at 45 Brompton Row, London. In 1824 Mary Grove met and married Henry Gannell, a silversmith. They had four children. Emma Gannell was born 30th April 1826, Edwin was born 30th September 1830, Isabella was baptised 21st December 1833 and Henry was baptised 20th November 1835. As mentioned, the Countess adopted Emma, although the reasons behind it are not known. Emma grew up and travelled the world with the Countess. On 30th October 1852 she married John Burgum at Concord, New Hampshire, in the USA (but not with the Countess' consent). John Burgum was born in Birmingham, England, on the 14th May 1826.

Emma and John Burgum built a house at 68 South State Street, Concord, N.H. and it was here that Emma's mother, Mary Ann Gannell visited her in 1855. Earlier (before her marriage), Emma's brother Edwin had sailed to New York (in 1848) and as he spent eleven months in the area, I expect he spent much of the time with his sister. Then, in 1937, Richard's uncle Edwin Alexander Gannell visited two of Emma's sons, Charles Henry Burgum and Edwin Gannell Burgum. So now you see the connection!

In the BURGUM FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY quarterly newsletters, there are two stories - "The Concord Story" runs for five issues from No.14 to No.18 and "The Gannells" in issue No.20. There is a lovely reading book called "The Countess" by March Cost published in New York in 1963 by Vanguard Press, which is well worth a read if you can find a copy. I am still trying to trace any of the Gannell family living or deceased. Should you hear or read of anyone with this surname, would you please contact me at 1/96 Karingi Street, Ettalong Beach, New South Wales, Australia. Or you could phone me on (02) 4342-1095. Or you could e-mail me at jgannell@tech2u.com.au Now a little about the Gannell family. After visiting his sister in America, Edwin Gannell sailed to Australia. He had become a registered seaman and obtained his Mariners Register Ticket in December 1851. After nine months he returned to England. On 9th August 1856, Edwin married Charlotte Ann Toby at St Lukes Parish Church in Chelsea, London. Eight weeks later they sailed to Australia on a ship called the Sussex arriving there 14th January 1857. On arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, they travelled to the Beechworth area where they were pioneers. Edwin and Charlotte Gannell had six children, Edmond, Mary, Edwin, Charlotte, Alfred, and John. Only three (Edmond, Edwin and John) got married. Both Edmond and Edwin had children, but none of Edmond's five children reproduced.

This was not the case with Edwin Gannell! He had ten children and this is where our present family came from. He had seven children from his first wife Alice Wheetman whom he married at Reids Creek, near Beechworth, Victoria, on 16th January 1889. Their children were George, Alice, Herbert, Eleanor, Charlotte, Jack and Raymond (Richard's father). When Rchard's father was three months old, the family were waiting on the verandah of their home to go to church when a great storm came. Alice, who was to play the organ for the service, was struck by lightening and died. Two years later, Edwin married his housekeeper Sarah Ann Rowan and they had three children, Andrew, Edwin and Alma. Alma is now ninety-four years of age and is living in Yarrawonga, Victoria, and this country house is where we are going to have our Gannell Family Reunion on Saturday and Sunday 27th and 28th October 2001.

Now I said that Edwin had ten children. Well, all but two reproduced. Jack did not marry and disappeared just a day before his brother Raymond was married. The other was Edwn, who visited Concord, New Hampshire, to see his cousins Charles and Edwin in 1937. Edwin married, but did not have any children. He died in a tragic road accident in 1944, while in the Royal Australian Navy. Richard and I have three children, Elizabeth, Stephen and Peter. All have grown up and are married and have children of their own. We have six grandchildren from ages eleven to twenty months. We retired up here in 1986 at Ettalong Beach, which is one hour north of Sydney. Australia has beautiful weather and we love being close to the beach. I do hope you enjoy reading about our family.

Written by Joy Gannell. October 2001.