Tregurtha Fields Cornwall

Edward-Primrose-Tregurtha-(1803-1880)

Richard Tregurtha & his son Percy Lawrence

As the Tregurtha branch spread further and wider, men such as Captain Edward Primrose Tregurtha, and brothers Richard and Charles Jacka, became responsible for taking the Tregurtha name outside of their native land.  Capt. Edward Primrose began his young life in the Royal Navy, then sailed the oceans with the East India Company.  After emigrating to Launceston in Tasmania, Australia, he began further adventures aboard the ship Caroline, in search of sperm whales in the South Seas.  Brothers Richard and Charles Jacka were fishermen in Penberth, Cornwall.  After their father died in late 1870,  the brothers made the decision to leave their native country in search of a better life in a foreign land called New Zealand.  Within just a few years both of these brothers were working as lighthouse keepers, responsible for the beacons that would save countless ships, and countless lives, of the day.  In fact, Richard would serve 25 years in this important position, retiring only due to ill health.  However, he would not sit idle and soon opened his own Ironmongery Shop; a testament to the Tregurtha moral fibre.

For The Fallen Plaque Cornwall

Through research and from family accounts, we learn of the Tregurtha men who dedicated a portion of their lives to fight in the Great War and the Second World War, experiencing the unimaginable in the hope of bringing peace to a nation in turmoil. May we never forget the ones who didn’t make it home, such as Eric Fitzroy Tregurtha and Thomas Fabian Speedwell Tregurtha.

William Tregurtha

Now, today, we see the name Tregurtha spread across a similar diversity in occupations and lifestyles.  You will see the name Tregurtha emblazoned on the largest ship that sails the Great Lakes in the USA and Canada.  You will see the name Tregurtha in the racing scene, in YouTube singing videos, in the food industry, and as entrepreneurs and consultant specialists.  This unique surname has continued to be linked to individuals who not only lead the way in business and industry, but also to those whose innovation has built new paths and opened new doors in their profession.

The wedding of Edmund Garrett Tregurtha &
Rosetta Clarissa Green, 1904

As a genealogical researcher I have been privileged to come to know so many families over the years, and with each project I can honestly say that the names I look at, and the faces I see in old photographs, are brought to life when I sit down to my desk each day.  The Tregurtha Project has mirrored that, and yet is has also been just as rare as the surname itself.  Searching for all the living and all the ancestors that carry the same family name, then presenting that information in a website, is not a project that is often requested in my field of expertise.  As each branch has been uncovered, I have come to know the families attached to them, with a hope of following their trail to the living descendants of today.  I look forward to the day when all of these branches will link together into one Tregurtha family tree.

Finally, it must be said that this project is being supported by the efforts of many from all over the world.  People like Dennis in New Zealand, Warren and Gary in South Africa, Louise here in Australia, Ted in the USA and Alan in Cornwall, England.  It is because of the generosity and cooperation of these individuals, and others alike, that we can present such a detailed story both in words and in photographs.

Annalies Nutley

Lee A. Tregurhta and Paul R. Tregurtha, “The King and Queen of The Great Lakes”, USA.