Brief Life History of Ellen Esther
When Ellen Esther Oliver was born in 1902, in New Zealand, her father, John Oliver, was 36 and her mother, Priscilla Phillips, was 32. She married Thomas Scoular Gourley in 1933, in New Zealand. She died in 1988, in her hometown, at the age of 86.
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World Events (8)
1907
The country becomes a dominion, or self-governing community, within the British empire.
1907 · Dominion of New Zealand
The Dominion of New Zealand was brought about when New Zealand proclaimed itself a political independent government inside the British Empire. The Dominion of New Zealand allowed the British Government to shape its foreign policy, and it followed Britain into the First World War. Full independence was granted in 1931 and adopted by the New Zealand Parliament in 1947.
1939
WWII. Troops from New Zealand see action in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific during World War II.
Name Meaning
English (northern), southern Scottish, southern French, and German: from the Old French personal name Oliver (modern French Olivier). This became common largely through the influence of the immensely popular narrative poem Chanson de Roland, in which the warrior Oliver is the wise best friend of the doomed hero Roland. The two men were peers at the court of Charlemagne, and the name is probably of ancient Germanic origin. The name ostensibly means ‘olive tree’ (see Oliveira ), but this is almost certainly the result of folk etymology working on an unidentified ancient Germanic personal name, perhaps a cognate of Alvaro . Old Norse Óláf (see Olliff ) and ancient Germanic Alfhari (composed of the elements alf ‘elf’ and hari ‘army’) have also been suggested as sources, but both personal names are difficult to explain phonetically, especially the latter. The Anglo-Norman name has been established in Ireland (Louth) since at least the 14th century, and was reinforced in Ulster and Limerick by migrants from England in the 17th century. The surname is also borne by Jews, apparently as an adoption of the non-Jewish surname.
Catalan: generally a topographic name from oliver ‘olive tree’, but in some instances possibly related to a homonymous personal name (see 1 above).
History: The surname Oliver of French origin (see 1 above) is listed in the register of Huguenot ancestors recognized by the Huguenot Society of South Carolina.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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