The world wide spread of the World Wide Web has been a bonanza for genealogists. We can now share and access information that otherwise would not be available to us. However, everyone should be aware that not everything on the Internet is accurate.In December 2005, I was contacted by Debbie Jeans (also a Certified Genealogist with experience researching the Pike family) who said that I could add her support behind Wayne's remarks.In particular I want to warn genealogists who are researching the surname "Pike". There are several websites that contain much misinformation about early Newfoundland Pikes - one actually traces his ancestry back to the early 1600's and legendary Gilbert Pike and his Irish Princess, Sheila Na Geira. Another makes family connections back through the 1700's to the first Pikes that came to Newfoundland from Poole, Dorset in the late 1600's.
After nearly 25 years of Pike research, I HAVE NOT found any documentation to show Pike family relationships back through the elusive 1700's. And I know of no other person who has found such documentation. No doubt, those early settlers were the forefathers of many, if not all present day Newfoundland Pikes - but where is the evidence to tie them together? I also know of no evidence of the existence of legendary Gilbert & Sheila. These web sites are misleading at the very least.
This warning applies equally well to many other families. Because of the lack of surviving church records and other primary sources, few families are traceable in Newfoundland prior to the early 1800's.
Please be careful about anything that you obtain from the Internet. Especially if traceable sources are not quoted. Even those who mean well sometimes lead the rest of us astray.
So my purpose with this webpage is to
As for the corrections and comments that follow, I do not claim that I have compiled a complete list. If you see clear problems with other items from the various genealogies noted above, feel free to contact me at dapike@mun.ca.
Lastly, those with an interest in the Pike families of Newfoundland might find it useful to refer to my website, where extracts from a number of primary sources have been posted.
2008 update: A mini-family tree has been discovered in the Portsmouth Central Library, revealing that Thomas and Susannah Pike of Poole had sons John, Thomas, Samuel, and William. William resided at Portsmouth, where he was engaged in the brewery trade. William's brother Thomas is noted to have been a planter in Newfoundland, and their brother John is shown to have had children Timothy, Francis, Moses, and Susannah [all four of whom appear to have resided in England]. This new-found evidence (which can be viewed here) casts substantial doubt on the claims that Thomas and Susannah's son John is the John Pike who is buried at Pike's Lane in Carbonear.
The death date of Thomas, reported as May 1861, is also in error, since there is documentation among land records from April 1848 that notes that he was deceased (but just when he died is something I haven't yet determined).
Incidentally, regarding Moses & Jane, there is no sign of them in the church records beyond their 1874 marriage. My best guess is that they left Newfoundland after they were married.
As for Timothy himself (ie the husband of Patience), I have found no baptism, no marriage, and no burial record for him. Some online genealogies suggest that his parents were Timothy & Mary Pike, but I haven't yet seen any evidence to support this.
Some online genealogies assert that George was named George Andrew Pike and that he was a son of Thomas and Mary Pike (where the middle name "Andrew" comes from is not clear to me). Others assert that George was the Lewis George that was baptised in Feb 1820 as a son of William and Eliza Pike of Carbonear. I have reason to believe that neither of these assertions is correct, but that George is instead a son of William & Susan Pike (this is based on Susan's obituary in 1865).
As for "Lewis George", I am aware of a Richard George Lewis Pike who ended up in New Zealand (and who was apparently from Carbonear) but as yet I haven't really got enough information to be sure if RGLP is the same as the Lewis George baptised in 1820.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 28-Mar-2018 21:33:04 NDT