De La Rue
Keith November 19th, 2008
Welcome to the De La Rue genealogy page! This is the central point of reference for the genealogy of the De La Rue families of Australia. (Alternative spellings: Delarue or de la Rue.) If you are a member of any of the families listed below, this page is for you!
Caroline Agnes
My main interest is to document the descendants of Thomas and Tabitha De La Rue, of Leicestershire and Surrey, England, who arrived at Point Henry, Port Phillip District, NSW (now part of Geelong, Victoria), Australia on 28 Jun 1849. They arrived with eight children as assisted migrants on the Caroline Agnes (570t, Master J. Alexander), after departing London, 24 Feb 1849, and settled at Germantown (now Grovedale, a suburb of Geelong), Vic. Two more children were born in Australia after they arrived. Thomas was my great-great-grandfather, and was born in Linghton, Leicestershire on 5 Dec 1808. The children born in England were christened in Camberwell and Walworth in Surrey, so it seems that the family were living there for a few years before they left. I have records of over 2,000 descendants (including spouses) of Thomas and Tabitha.
Other De La Rue families of interest include:
- William de la Rue of Forest, Guernsey (born 15 Nov 1822), who arrived in Melbourne, Victoria in Jun 1854. He arrived with his two younger brothers on the Saldanha, having left Liverpool in Mar 1854, and settled at El Dorado, Victoria. William married Louisa Augusta Borchers of Goslar, Hanover, Germany on 4 Sep 1867 at El Dorado. It seems that most of the De La Rues of any note in Victoria are descendants of William and Louisa; I have records of over 155 descendants (including spouses) of this family.
- Hippolyte Felix Ferdinand De La Rue, of Berck, Normandy, France, who came to Sydney in 1840. This family is documented in the books A Bunyip Close Behind Me and Ladies Didn’t, by Eugenie Crawford. Hippolyte established a jewellery shop in George St, Sydney in 1850.
- Charles Delarue of Colmar, Alsace, France (born 1824), who arrived in NSW between 1824 and 1860. He married Emma Hines (or Hinds) at Murringo, NSW on 31 Oct 1860; they had eight children. This family includes sports presenter Dennis Cometti in its ranks. I have not yet documented all the recent information on this family.
- Thomas de la Rue, of Forest, Guernsey (born 24 Mar 1793), who moved to England and set up as a printer. The company he founded is still in existence – see the history page at delarue.com. This is available in more detail in Lorna Houseman’s book The House that Thomas Built. It is not clear how many descendants of this family are in Australia, but there is at least one in New Zealand. Although Thomas was born in the same village as William, as yet I cannot find any family connection.
- Eliza Anne De La Rue, apparently of Paris, France (born about 1824). Keryn contacted me regarding Eliza, her great-great-great-grandmother, who I was previously unaware of. She lived in Melbourne, but there is a great deal of uncertainty about her. She said that she married John Winbanks in Sydney in 1854.
A number of members of the families are also engaged in this research. I am also researching my own ‘pedigree’ as much as possible – other family names of interest include Kelly, Westwood and Lamb. There is convict ancestry here – the De La Rue family is linked to the Thorowgood family, and the Kelly family is linked to First Fleet convicts Nathaniel Lucas and Olivia Gascoigne.
Lamb Family
Jane Lamb (née Burton), about 1909
My mother’s mother was Alice Dale Lamb, born on 16 Jul 1887. Her parents were Peter Lamb and Jane Burton, and they arrived in Australia in Nov 1884 on the Loch Ness (one of the Loch Line ships – made infamous by the sinking of the Loch Ard). Peter was 25, Jane 26, and their eldest daughter Lizzie had her first birthday on the ship on the way out. The Lamb family in Australia stayed in touch with their relatives in Scotland down the generations since, and I have maintained some contact with them myself, visiting Peter’s family home in Greenlaw, Berwickshire, in 1983, which is still owned and occupied by the Lamb family. Of all my pedigree, this is the only family that we still have some contact with in their country of origin.
Thorowgood family
Joseph Thorowgood was born in Cardington, England in around 1800. He was charged on four counts of sheep stealing on 24 Oct 1828, and transported for life, leaving on the “Bussorah Merchant” on 6 Oct 1829, arriving Hobart, Tasmania 18 Jan 1830. He left his wife and four children in England; Mary Ann was expecting the fifth (Elizabeth). They were later allowed to join him, arriving on 10 Jan 1833. Joseph was my great-great-great-grandfather – his daughter Edith married Robert Betts, and their daughter Sarah married James De La Rue, my great-grandfather.
There are many variations on the spelling of his surname – it was spelt “Thorogood” on ship’s records, but also appears as “Thoroughgood”, “Thurgood”, “Thurrowgood” and others.
His family was documented in the book “The Thurrowgood Story” by the late John F Hill, which had a limited publishing run of 400 numbered copies, in around 1985. Some copies of this book are still available from the Colac & District Family History Group Inc., at PO Box 219, Colac, Vic 3250.
GEDCOM Files
Information on the above families is available on request in two files:
- DeLaRue – The families of Thomas and Tabitha De La Rue and William de la Rue. This also includes all information on my own pedigree.
- DeLaRueX – All other available De La Rue information – the families of Hippolyte Felix Ferdinand De La Rue, Charles Delarue, Thomas de la Rue and some records found that are not yet connected.
Please contact me or use the comment field below if you would like a copy of these files, and I can email them to you.
More info
A public copy of my family’s GEDCOM file has also been uploaded at Ancestry.com; although I have since acquired more information. You can view the database here – but you may need to register with them first (free).
Please contact me for more details. I am happy to load any information on the families here.
My genealogy software of choice is FZip Family Tree.
Shortcut to this page: http://delarue.net/gen/
Hello,
After reading your Family History site, I believe we are related.
My great great great grandmother was Mary Maria Delarue who married John Wilson. I come in through their daughter Mary Jane, and in turn Daniel Gordon and then my grandfather Stanley Gordon Wilson.
Cheers
Matthew –
Thanks for your note, and for your patience! Yes, we are definitely related. I haven’t previously had any details on the descendants of Mary Jane, your great great grandmother. Would love to compare notes on your branch of the family!
– Keith
Hi
I was researching my family tree when I found the name “Rue” in it. When I looked further I discovered their name was Delarue, De La Rue, La Rue, Rew etc.
I was really interested in the reason why they varied their name? I also found because of the name variations some of them are hard to trace. The Rues in my tree come from around Carcoar, Molong, Canowindra, Orange etc. Is there a connection to your mob?
Robert Edward married Phoebe Lucinda Plunkett in 1875 at Carcoar. The line then works back into the Rayners then into the Nelsons etc.
Well, that’s all for now.
Regards, Jennifer
Jennifer -
Thanks for your comment. I can’t find a direct connection to my family, but given the place names, it is likely that you may be connected to the family of Charles Delarue of Colmar, Alsace, France. A number of other people have done work on this family.
You may find that the variations in the name are due to varying levels of literacy. I have observed this a number of times. There are a number of alternatives for spelling the name. Apart from the choice of case and number of words (Delarue, De La Rue and de la Rue are all common), there are a number of alternatives that make life even more difficult. Some of these we know are related, others are not certain: De La Rew, De La Roux, De La Reu and more. Then there is the question of the relationship to La Rue and Rue. In some cases in Europe, prefixes like “de la” are just sometines ignored.
As my family came out to Australia via England, I assume that the capitalised spelling that we use is an Anglicisation. One branch of my family deliberately adopted the single-word spelling about three or four generations ago as a further simplification. The other families, having come out directly from France or the Channel Islands, tend to have retained the original lower case for the “de la”.
- Keith.
Hi
My grandma is 92 soon and she is Grace De La Rue in Gembrook, Vic. My mother is her eldest daughter and she then had seven sons. There is a very large family and I noticed there is very little information on the ancestry website about this part of the De la rue family. Hope I can help to fill in the gaps with my mother’s help.
Regards, Carol
Carol -
Thanks for the info. Yes, we are in the same family. I will drop you an email. Look forward to filling in those gaps!
- Keith
Hello there
This is mainly a ‘what’s in a name’ sort of hello message. My daughter’s name is Sarah – but I don’t know whether it’s her featuring in your blog. I am a professor in electronic engineering in the University of Glasgow in the U.K.
I know of one other person in the U.K. who is called Richard De La Rue. I have no known U.K born ancestors, since my father was born in Russia – and our ancestry connects back to someone who is believed to have gone from France to Russia in the late 18th Century. Before that, who knows? The way that my surname is written is the result of a choice by my father and/or grandfather. In Russian it was written as a single word.
best wishes,
Richard De La Rue
Richard -
Nice to hear from you. I have not previously struck any De La Rue connection to Russia! We certainly seem to be a cosmopolitan lot…
The Sarah that commented here previously is based in the USA – does that help?
- Keith.
dear keith
where are you connected in the de la rue family? i am connected to william robert ballagh and irene de la rue if you need any more info do email me.
from lynda watson
Lynda -
We did correspond some time ago, and I do owe you an email! Irene was my father’s first cousin.
– Keith.
Hi Keith
I am just starting out with this family tree business I only know as far back as my grandfather at the moment. His name Elmer De La Rue born in Guernsey Channel Islands about 1914, not sure if he had any siblings? but he married Doris and had 3 children
would you happen to know of him in your tree?
Michelle
Michelle –
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I only really have records of De La Rues in Guernsey up to the point they migrated; I don’t have any for 1914. There may be a connection to the Australian or English migrants, but not one that I have found yet. If you can get a connection back a bit further and we find a connection to one of these, then hopefully I can help.
Apparently there is a library in Guernsey that is quite helpful on the relevant records.
- Keith.
Hi Keith,
My great-grandmother is Emma Kent, my grandfather if Thomas Kent. I would love a copy of your De La Rue family gedcom and a chance to exchange information.
Regards,
Melissa
Hi Keith,
My ggggrandmother has always been a mystery; she has claimed her name to be: Eliza/Elizabeth Delarue/De La Rue/Veourvance/White/Smith … she claims to have married my ggggrandfather, John Winbanks, in Sydney in 1854; this marriage can’t be found – neither can any trace of these two people since they spontaneously popped up having my gggrandfather, John Norman Winbanks, in 1859 in Victoria. Eliza also claimed to have been born in London and Paris on various certificates. It’s a long shot, but have you any imformation that might help me? It seems they were probably convicts hiding their pasts and, so far, have done very well at it!
cheers,
Keryn.
Keryn –
I’m sorry to say that I have completely struck out on this one! I thought that I had pretty much picked up on all the De La Rue families in Australia, but this Eliza /Elizabeth doesn’t seem to appear at all. I have no Winbanks, and no Veourvances.
She appears online (along with the Winbanks family) on a Family Tree for The Planner Family at http://www.tribalpages.com/family-tree/plannerclan.
If I do find out anything, I will post it here.
– Keith.
Hi Keith
Do you have a record of John de la Rue, currently living in Tugan, Queensland? John was in the Royal Navy and volunteered to join the Australian Navy soon after WWll, I think. John must be approaching 90 I reckon and is quite frail. He is my first cousin. I have three sons, Mark, Simon and James. I am the son of Hedley (b.1901), who was the son of William John of Favonius in the Forest parish, Guernsey.
I see my namesake has already been in touch with you and wonder if he has Guernsey connections, despite his Russian origins. ‘The House that Thomas Built’ has a chapter about the De La Rue company establishing a card printing business for the Tsar.
Cheers
Richard de la Rue
(B.1940)
St Andrew’s, Guernsey
Richard –
Good to hear from you. OK, so this is another de la Rue that I have not found yet. I only know of very few in Queensland. One descendent of Thomas (the printer) did find his way there some years ago, but later moved to New Zealand.
From what I have found, it seems that there have been many de la Rues in Forest (La Forêt) over the years, but I have not been able to find connections between them all – or any connection to my family (yet). The family of William de la Rue who came here from Guernsey in 1854 may well be connected to your family.
– Keith
Gwendoline Yvonne De La Rue was my Mother. She married Arthur George Thomas on 13 Jan 1940. She passed away on 7 Oct 2000. My Dad Arthur passed away 3 Aug 1987.
Gwenda –
Nice to hear from you! We are third cousins – that is, we have the same great-great-grandparents, Thomas & Tabitha.
Your great-grandfather was Robert William De La Rue, who was the tenth child of Thomas & Tabitha, and born in Geelong in about 1849. My great-grandfather was James De La Rue, who was the first child of Thomas & Tabitha. He was born in London in 1831, and came out to Australia with Thomas & Tabitha. Eight older children came out on the boat, the two younger children were born here. One of the older children apparently died before the family travelled.
– Keith.
G’day,
I was going thru my family tree and the name James De La Rue popped up but I wanted to check some info on him to see if the following is true…….did he marry a Mary Ann Elizabeth Betts in the 1800’s in Germantown ( now Grovedale ), in Geelong, Victoria? Could you please send me some information on him if the above is true ( I would say this is where the Thorogood connection comes into your family as Mary Ann’s Mother, Edith, was the wife of Roberts Betts but her maiden name was Thorogood ).
Many thanks for the help with this, it’s very much appreciated,
Cheers
Aaron
Aaron -
Thanks for getting in touch.
James De La Rue was my great-grandfather. On 18 Feb 1858, he marred Sarah Betts at Christ Church, Geelong, Vic, and they lived in Germantown/Grovedale.
Sarah was the second child of Robert Betts and Edith Thoroughgood – they had 13 in total. Mary Ann Elizabeth was their eighth child.
I am sending you more info via email.
– Keith.
Hi Keith,
My grandfather was William Edward Delarue, a saddler who married Josephine Maud Pettit at Narrandera 1901, and my father was William Charles Delarue. We had grown up to believe that our great grandfather was a ship’s captain from France in the 1800’s. Whether that is correct I am not sure but any information would be appreciated. We could be related. My dad served in the Army and the Air Force during WW2 and he did mention that he had a relative in the services in Melbourne and some other one in W.A. who owned a laminex business over there. Any help would be appreciated. Regards, Gloria
Hi Keith, its been awhile, I was reading through the emails and wow, it is you. I don’t know if you remember me, I’m the daughter of Bruce Robert De La Rue, my grandparents were Oswald and Lorna (Scarlett) De La Rue. Anyway just thought I would touch base and I don’t know if you know dad passed away on 4 Sep 2006. Would be nice to catch up.
Hi Keith,
My great-grandmother is Emma Kent, my grandfather is Thomas Kent. I would love a copy of your De La Rue family gedcom and a chance to exchange information.
Regards,
Melissa
This is fascinating. My father Colin Jack de la Rue known as John, was born in ? Victoria in 1921. He was in the Australian Navy , and in 1948 ? was in Heidileburg ? spelling having his appendix out. My mother a kiwi nurse Aimee Julia Sexton met him there, they subsequently married and moved to NZ about Christmas 1948. Therefore I was conceived in Oz but born in NZ in 1949. Dad retired from the navy in 1966 and moved north to be an engineer in the freezing works. He had been a “Chief ERA” in the navy. His brother George was in the airforce. He also had a sister Addie.Sadly contact between the family was non existent. I understand one of Georges daughters may have done a family tree. ? Gayle or Glynne. Can anyone help?
Wendy –
Great to hear from you!
As per the details above, there are two major De La Rue (or de la Rue) families in Victoria; you are descended from William de la Rue of Guernsey. He was your great-grandfather. Your father was the only “Colin De La Rue” in your family that I am aware of. The name appears in our family only twice – my father and my brother.
More details coming to you via email.
– Keith
Hi Keith
Do you know same one of De La Rue family, whose came to Brazil?
The mother’s of my grandfather name was Irene de La Rue, she was born in Brazil and had just one sister.
If you know some thing about it, please tell me. It’s very important to me.
My name is Neyra, i’m from Brazil and i’m so sorry because my english is bad.
Best wishes,
Neyra Bastos Estrázulas
Neyra -
I did once hear from a De La Rue in Brazil, but I’m sorry that I have no information on the genealogy of any of the families there. The name also appears in the USA and in Mexico, descended from immigrants from either France or Guernsey.
If I collect any info, I’ll post it here.
Thank you!
Kisses,
Neyra