Hi Marjery,
No-one else had asked new questions (when I started this) so I had another look at your friend's IOM couple.
Unfortunately John Christian's burial didn't say how long he had been in NZ, but did have born in the Isle of Man, as did Eliza Mary's. She must have arrived in NZ just before her marriage (d.aged 82 in 1946; NZ 60 years), and would have been only 21 in 1885.
There was only one Eliza Cowin b.1864 in the 1881 census (Familysearch.org) and she was born in Ramsey, which seems a good possibility because John also came from there:
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation
James GALE Head M Male 25 Ramsey, Isle of Man Publican
Rubenia GALE Wife M Female 26 Birkdale Lpool
Daisy GALE Daur Female 2 Birkdale Lpool
Eliza COWIN Sister U Female 17 Ramsey, Isle of Man
Christion COWIN Mother W Female 57 Ramsey, Isle of Man Formerly Publican
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Source Information:
Dwelling 283 Athol St
Census Place Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Family History Library Film 1341862
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 3600 / 110
Page Number 21
And bingo! What luck having her mother's name on the census entry. The IGI extracted entry has: ELIZA MARY COWN Christening: 19 JUL 1863 Maughold Father: THOMAS COWN, Mother: CHRISTIAN CORKILL. Her sister Ann Jane was bapt Maughold 25 May 1862.
(Ramsey is a town partly in Lezayre but mostly in Maughold parish.)
JAMES GALE Christening: 03 FEB 1856 Lezayre, Isle Of Man, Father: JAMES GALE Mother: CHRISTIAN CORKILL.
There was a James Gale aged 58 buried in Lezayre on 8 Oct 1860 (BL's burial index) who could have been half-brother James's father.
I couldn't find Christian's remarriage anywhere, until finally:
Maughold records have:
17 Nov 1861
Thomas COWIN, Full age, Bachelor, Mariner, Ramsey, [father] William Cowin, Mariner, and
Christiana SAYLE, Full age, Widow, Ramsey, [father] W Corkill, Mariner.
SAYLE entered incorrectly for GALE by the clerk?
In the 1861 census Christian GALE 37 is at South Quay Ramsey, Oddfellows [Inn?], widow, publican, b.Lezayre, with son James Gale 5 b.Ramsey, and daughter Elizabeth Gale Unm 22 b.Lezayre.
In 1871 Eliza Cowin aged 7 b.Ramsey was a "visitor" in Lezayre, Glenaldyn:
Household schedule number: 64
Piece: 5773
Folio: 68
Page Number: 27
Household Members: Name Age
John Corkhill 56 widr joiner b.Lezayre
John (ditto) 29 son miner b. Lezayre
Edward (ditto) 27 son miner b.Lezayre
Jane (ditto) 21 daur housekeeper b.Lezayre
Eliza Cowin 7 visitor b.Ramsey
Sue