"Lest We Forget" Francis Richard Morrow - an almost relative

Francis Richard Morrow (Frank)

Our grandmother, GERTIE NAYSMITH (born HARRIS), as a young woman, had an autograph book filled with names and autograph verses which were popular at the beginning of the twentieth century.  My mother said that GERTIE (my father's mother) used to say that she had no interest in settling down and getting married when she was a young woman, as she was having far too much fun being single - going to dances, playing tennis and all the other activities of the day.  She obviously had suitors, as indicated by the number of young men's autographs in her book. But in 1914, On the other side of the world, the outbreak of the Great War put her carefree and heady youthful days suddenly behind her and cast a life-long shadow ahead of her. 

A while ago, I  started to research the names of some of the  many lads who'd written in this book over a hundred years ago.  It was achingly sad as, one after the other, I found that many of them had died in World War 1. 

Francis Richard Morrow (Frank) wrote this in Gertie Harris's autograph book on the 29th of January, 1913. The location is unknown. 

Some time after our grandmother died in 1974, I found a memorial card for FRANCIS RICHARD MORROW  amongst her personal items.  



The name MORROW was familiar - and  I remembered an elderly spinster "MISS MORROW (ANNIE)"  visiting our grandmother sometime in the 1960s when I was a child. They must have been family friends from "up North" days, as the MORROWs lived in Tapuhi (variously described as being part of Towai, Hukereunui, Ruapekapeka and Bay of Islands), and the HARRISES lived in Maromaku from the mid 1890s to 1902. 

 I vaguely remember an air of restrained sadness about, and towards, Miss  Morrow. Her sweetheart may have been killed in the war - although that was the same story for many of my grandmother's contemporaries.   I remember that MISS MORROW was being forced out of her home in Newmarket to make way for the new viaduct which was being built in the mid-1960s.  So  ANNIE  must have been the sister of  FRANCIS ROBERT MORROW in the memorial card.  

Annie Morrow's autograph - four weeks after her brother Frank's was written in Gertie's autograph book. 

I have been intrigued by the  handsome young FRANCIS RICHARD MORROW ever since and have long wondered if, had it not been for  the randomness of flying bullets, he could well have been my grandfather - and ANNIE would, therefore, have been my grandmother's sister-in-law.  

Over the years, I've researched FRANCIS RICHARD as information became increasingly available through the internet. Now, on the 100th anniversary his death,  it seems the right time to tidy up and publish all my findings. I have decided to remember him in the context of his life  and times and his family - such information as I can find.   Unless otherwise linked to the direct evidence,  much of my information comes from other families'  unreferenced information on Ancestry.com or My Heritage and the online war records available through the NZ archives. 

FRANCIS RICHARD MORROW (known as FRANK) was the sixth  of eight children to ROBERT and ANN (ANNIE - born SPRATT) MORROW. 

ROBERT and ANNIE were both born in Northern Ireland. ROBERT was born about 1848 in County Fermanagh, and ANN was born in 1858 in Lettermoney, also in County Fermanagh. ROBERT came to New Zealand sometime in about 1862, landing in Wellington.  He then  lived for some time in Wanganui and Thames.  ANNIE possibly arrived in Auckland with (sister / mother?) Ellen, and possibly a brother James in 1875 on the ship Forfarshire.  (Based on the only information I could find in shipping lists - I would appreciate any confirmation or dismissal of this.) It's quite possible ROBERT and ANNIE knew each other in Ireland, although they do not appear to have arrived in New Zealand at the same time.  

ROBERT  MORROW and ANNIE SPRATT  married in New Zealand in 1877 (NZBDM ref.1877/128) - location unknown. 

In 1879, ROBERT, ANNIE, toddler SUSAN (born 1878)  and baby ROBERT JUNIOR (born 1879) moved to their farm at Tapuhi, near Hukerenui in Northland. Singlehandedly, ROBERT had cut a track through the bush to reach his land. 

They had six more children in rapid succession: 

WILLIAM JAMES born 1880 
JOSPEH HENRY born 1882  
GEORGE EDWARD born 9th May, 1884
FRANCIS RICHARD (FRANK) born 30th July, 1886 
ANNE JANE (ANNIE) born 1888 
ELIZABETH MARY born 1892 

Life seems to have been fairly standard for this pioneer family.  The children were educated at Ruapekapeka and the boys were, not unexpectedly, occupied clearing bush and farming. The girls were involved in domestic duties and related skills. Whether or not farming provided enough means to support his family, ROBERT senior wrote to the Bay of Islands County Council in 1886 offering himself as a fit person to take charge of the forests in the district. The outcome is unknown. ANNIE  Senior would have been totally absorbed by child-bearing  and domestic duties.  

The family must have been tee-total, as in 1892, the children were members of the Ruapekapeka Band of Hope - a temperance organisation providing regular meetings where wholesome activities were arranged, and members could "take the pledge" to never take alcohol. 

But life changed changed suddenly and tragically for the family on February 2, 1892, when ANNIE died giving birth to ELIZABETH MARY.   Eight children aged 1 day to 14 years were left motherless. 

ANNIE's obituary on 20th February, 1892, is an interesting mix of fact, opinion and political opportunism. She was remembered as "the wife of [an] old and much-respected pioneer" and her funeral was one of the most numerously attended in the district for years. The article stated that thirteen-year-old ROBERT JUNIOR cut a further track through the bush so that his mother's dead body could be taken to a point where it could be met by a conveyance to reach the cemetery.  The writer of the obituary took the opportunity to decry the state of roading in the area and pointedly noted that the appalling state of the roads may have something to do with the absence of local Council members living within the vicinity.  We do not learn much about ANNIE from her obituary, but we do learn about her husband, her son and the local male Councillors.  ANNIE is buried in Kawa Kawa cemetery. 

 Oldest daughter SUSAN, at age 14, helped look after the family and her father after ANNIE's death. Whether there was any other help to raise the new-born baby is unknown.  There do not appear to have been any other relatives in the area; however, MORROW descendants may have more information on this. 

The following year, in March, 1893,  oldest son and second-born child, ROBERT JUNIOR MORROW,  died, aged 13.  Short of ordering the death certificate, I can find no other information on the cause of his death or any death notice for him in online newspaper archives. This would have been another unimaginable blow for the family. 

In 1908,  now the oldest son, WILLIAM  JAMES MORROW (aged 28)  married Ellen Jane Cecily  (CICELY) Nelsen. (NZBDM Ref. 1908/7977 ), daughter of Tapuhi  settlers Joseph and Eliza  Nelson, originally from Ireland. WILLIAM and CICELY farmed at Tapuhi. They had three children: Eric William, born 1910, Annie Eileen, born 1912, and Vera, born 1915. 

FRANK was a bushman and a farmer who had lived all his life in Tapuhi.  He was a member of the Towai Show Society, and  participated in local social  and sporting events. He was athletic (with an 8 yard handicap in hurdles competition, December 1914) and won prizes in  wood-chopping competitions.  He was a respected member of the community and was described as remarkably strong, healthy,  and cool headed. 

1911 Electoral Roll - Northland Bay of Islands - Bay of Island

In 1911, according to the electoral roll,  father ROBERT MORROW was classified as a settler, daughter SUSAN (aged 33) as a spinster - regardless of any of her house-keeping duties, brother WILLIAM JAMES (aged 31) as a married settler and his wife ELLEN JANE CICELY MORROW as married. Brother GEORGE (aged 27), living in Ruapekapeka,  was classified as a climber - maybe in reference to being involved with tree felling, as brothers JOSEPH HENRY (aged 29) and FRANCIS RICHARD (FRANK) (aged 25) were both classified as bushmen.  Sister ANNIE JANE (aged 23) is also described as a spinster. ELIZABETH MARY (aged 19) is obviously too young to be on the electoral roll. 

1914 started out as an eventful year for the MORROW family, and there are several newspaper and other records of their activities. In February, FRANK and ANNIE won prizes at the Hikurangi-Otonga Show - FRANK with his dairy cow, and ANNIE for her currant cake, seed cake, madeira cake, iced birthday cake, shortbread, jellies, peach jam, chutney and bottled plums! 

 According to the 1914  electoral roll, ANNIE (26)  and SUSAN (36) are classified as spinsters  - regardless of their full-time housekeeping duties for family members, FRANK (27) was a farmer, GEORGE(30) was still a climber, WILLIAM (34)  and father ROBERT were still described as settlers, and JOSEPH had obviously moved elsewhere - or not enrolled. 

Youngest sister, ELIZABETH MARY MORROW (age 22) married on September 2nd, 1914, to CHARLES HENRY SHERMAN from Mangonui (NZBDM 1914/1519) Note that Elizabeth's name is recorded as Morron - no doubt a transcript error.  They moved to Tauranga - Te Puke area and had a family of one daughter and two sons. 

1914 Electoral Roll - Northland, Bay of Islands

As early as mid-September 1914, within days of war being declared, The Hukerenui District did its patriotic fundraising duty and raised 45 pounds at a social event, which included an auction of donated goods.  Secretary of the Tapuhi War Fund, FRANK MORROW paid the highest price of the night for an individual item, and went home with a  rooster which cost him 2 pounds. 


Little did anyone know how many of those present would not live to see the end of the war.

Good luck prevented another family tragedy in April 1915, when ANNIE and SUSAN and another female travelling companion were thrown out of their trap when their horse fell, breaking the gig shaft.  ANNIE received knocks and bruises, and the other two women were unharmed. 

But grief was not far away, with father, ROBERT MORROW,  dying at Tapuhi after a short illness, on June 1, 1915.    His death notice was published in the Northern Advocate on 28th June.  

WILLIAM took over the "home farm" after father ROBERT's death. SUSAN had been her father's housekeeper, and she moved to stay with FRANK to house keep for him after ROBERT died. ANNIE also remained in Tapuhi, possibly remaining  at the home farm, or living with one of her other brothers. 

Three of the four MORROW brothers enlisted at varying times after their father ROBERT's death.  WILLIAM, who was already married with a young family and aged 34 at the outbreak of war,did not enlist and remained farming. It  would have been an essential industry, no doubt.  

GEORGE EDWARD MORROW  was the first brother to enlist, and he signed his attestation at Featherston in October 1915. He joined the 9th reinforcements  as a private in the Auckland Infantry Regiment. He gave his occupation as a self-employed bushman with the last address at Tapu, Thames, and gives his brother WILLIAM at Tapuhi as his next of kin.  His serial number was 12/3740. 

FRANK enlisted in 1916,  and by August, aged 30, he was in Featherston,  where he signed his attestation. He joined the 20th  Reinforcements  (J Company) and  was listed as a private, but was changed to a rifleman in the 1st Battalion, 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade. His serial number was 31134. 

JOSEPH HENRY signed his attestation in Whangarei in March 1917. He must have been keen to enlist,  as he had previously failed a medical examination in 1916 because of varicose veins,  which he had operated on before being accepted for enlistment the following year.  His occupation was self-employed farmer, from Tapuhi.  His serial number was 56628. He gives his date of birth as 22 August 1883 - a year later than his birth is registered in NZ Births, Deaths and Marriages. His age on enlistment is given as 33 years 7 months. His next-of-kin is listed as sister ANNIE MORROW of Tapuhi. JOSEPH HENRY was of fair complexion with brown hair and light brown eyes and stood 5'9 ¼"  (1.75m) tall.  In his attestation, he indicates he has two adults partially dependant on him - perhaps his two unmarried sisters? 

From his enlistment records, FRANK gave his occupation as a self-employed farmer of Tapuhi, with his religion as C of E. FRANK also gives his brother WILLIAM (farmer of Tapuhi) as his next-of-kin.  His medical records give details of an absolute clean bill of health and give details of his weight (162 lbs. 74kg) and his height (5' 10¾"). He was described as having a medium complexion with brown hair and blue eyes. Instead of completing a soldier's will, he indicated he already has one lodged with Reid and Millar, solicitors at Kawa Kawa, Bay of Islands. For a man who seemed to keep robust health and strength before he enlisted, FRANK did not seem to maintain the same constitution once he joined the army. On September 18th, he was admitted to Wairarapa Hospital (from Trentham Camp) with influenza, and remained there until 25th September when he was discharged to further sick leave until October 8th. 

FRANK has one discipline issue recorded in his army files while at Featherston: in November 1916, he overstayed leave by 1 day and lost a day's pay in consequence.   On 2nd of January, 1917, FRANK embarked on the Opawa (HMNZTS No.73) for foreign service. There were two stopovers in South Africa (Simons Town and Cape Town) and he disembarked in Devonport, Plymouth, England on 27th March, 1917. They marched into Sling - the main training camp for NZ servicemen - on the Salisbury Plain. In April he was posted to the 15th Company in Codford, but on 22nd May,  FRANK was admitted to the 3rd NZ General Hospital at Codford with mumps. He was discharged on the 12th of June, and  eventually returned to Sling Camp. On 23rd July, 1917, FRANK embarked for France, marching onto Etaples training camp on 27th July.  By the 24th August, FRANK was "in the field", posted to the 15th Company, 3rd Battalion, Auckland Regiment. 

On 13th February, 1918, FRANk was granted leave to Paris, and was posted to the 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade on his return.  On the 10th April, he was posted to B Company, and on the 6th of May he was detached to the 3rd Field Company, NZE (NZ Engineers), still in the field. 

On 15th May, Frank was hospitalised "sick" but rejoined his battalion the following day.  On 1st September, FRANK returned to England on leave, and rejoined his unit on 23rd September, 1918. 

Meanwhile,  life carried on as best it could at home, with patriotic fundraising events  for the war effort, and other modified social events to help keep the home fires burning. At the Towai Show in January, 1916, ANNIE continued to demonstrate her domestic skills  in winning prizes for her seed cake, iced birthday cake, and sample darning. Interestingly a full list of prizes could not be published as the regular reporter had enlisted and a successful replacement strategy had not eventuated.  

And as November 1918  and the prospect of peace loomed tantalisingly closer, the deadly influenza started its snowballing  journey across the world - reaching the remotest parts of New Zealand. 

Back in France, with the end of the war only seven days way, FRANK was involved in the final - and ultimately most successful - NZ engagement of the war,  at the old fortress town of Le Quesnoy, which had been in German hands since 1914.  Several thousand German troops were still inside it, but heavy artillery would cause civilian casualties.   

From FRANK's records, I'm fairly sure he was in the 1st Battalion, 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade, B Company at this time.  In short, three battalions were to advance and capture the railway line parallel to their front. The 4th Battalion would be facing the width of the town, the 2nd Battalion were on the left and the 1st Battalion were to the right.  Combined, they would half encircle the town. The 3rd Battalion  would advance to the east and eventually join with the rest of the brigade to "mop up" the enveloped town of Le Quesnoy. 

On the 4th of November,starting at 5:30am, the New Zealand Division advanced 10 kilometres and captured 2000 Germans and 60 field guns. About 140 New Zealand soldiers died on this day - virtually the last of the 12,483 New Zealanders who fell on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918. Of these 140, about 80 were men of the 3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade who led the assault on Le Quesnoy.
FRANCIS RICHARD MORROW was one of these 80 men.

Frank was buried at the Romeries Communal Cemetery Extension. It's about 10.7 km from Le Quesnoy, and there are many other casualties from that day alongside him. Some had been buried in the field and were re-interred at Romeries after the armistice.

It's  about 10.7 km (about a two-hour walk)  from Le Quesnoy to Romeries, and about 14 minutes by car. Some of the dead were moved after the armistice from graves in the field.  There are 106 NZ casualties buried here, several of them sharing FRANK's day of death. 

In July 2005,  husband Mark, children Laura and Julian, and I visited Le Quesnoy and then Frank's grave at Romeries, nearby.

 I'm pretty sure I'm the first person to seek out his grave, and took  a NZ poppy and a photocopy of his memorial card to place at his headstone. It certainly felt special to be able to do this  on behalf of all those who never could have contemplated the journey. 

Frank's eternal neighbour - WH BUCK who died the same day. 

Rifleman H Crawford, another of Frank's neighbours in eternity. 

D'Arcy Street, another of Frank's Romeries neighbours. 

Frank's view of France. 

I had no idea when I planted these poppies that they would wait until
4th of November for the first one to bloom.
How's that for spooky timing! One hundred years in the planning to get that moment right.
My personal poppy for Francis Richard Morrow. 

And that was it - FRANK was gone! 

I have more to post about what happened next - because FRANK wasn't the only one who didn't have a "next". 

"Lest We Forget"

Speaking Frankly - In search of our ancestor Frank Barker, Part 1

 

Great-grandfather FRANK BARKER has always been a bit elusive, and he's the last of my generation's great grandparents to be located in context of his ancestry.  His youngest child - my grandfather WALTER HENRY BARKER, known as JACK -  was the youngest in the family of at least eight children. Because FRANK seems to have been  - to put it bluntly - not very nice, and because he died in 1918, estranged from the family, we know little about him and even less about his past.

Various family members have researched Frank as much as they can, and cousin Chris has accessed information from the NZ archives about his war records,  but I'm particularly interested in his beginnings in England and his ancestors' stories - and what circumstances contributed to making him the person he was. 

I'm reasonably sure I've found his pre-NZ details, and it would be great to have my findings confirmed by DNA matches. Time will tell. 

So, this is what I've found, and am hoping beyond hope that I've found the right FRANK BARKER.

Starting with his father- called FRANCIS BARKER who was born about 1795 in Yorkshire.  He married MARY (most likely KELK) sometime before 1826 - assuming the birth of the first child came at least 9 months after the marriage . . .  From at least 1826 (and possibly before) FRANCIS and MARY and family lived in the small hamlet of Brookhouse  near a village  called Laughten en le Morthern. 

According to the Laughten en le Morthern parish registers, FRANCIS  and MARY had the following children - all with FRANCIS's occupation given as labourer, and with dates of baptism given (rather than dates of birth): 
JOHN BARKER 14.05.1826 
ANN BARKER  27.07.1828
HANNAH BARKER   28.11.1830
MARY BARKER  28.07. 1833
ELIZABETH BARKER  02.08.1835
JANE BARKER  15.10.1837  (abode given as Brookhouse in this entry) 
JOSEPH BARKER 16.06.1839 (most likely incorrectly transcribed as all other details fit. Abode also given as Brookhouse) 
DAVID BARKER  16.12.1841  (Note: there is a burial record in the same parish for DAVID BARKER , infant of Brookhouse, buried 19.04.1842. 
FRANCIS BARKER  03.04.1843
FRANCIS BARKER 13.10.1844 One of these (or are they both the same child?), I'm sure, is our FRANK BARKER. 

Why are there two entries for FRANCIS BARKER - both with the same parents, same abode and same parish?  
- Did the first Francis die as an infant and was he replaced the following year? 
- Was he re-baptised? Interesting to note that there are 2 other baptisms on the same day as the second Francis.  
- A clerk could have forgotten he had registered once and did it again for the quarter records 
- The baby could have been baptised hurriedly at birth if it was sick and not expected to live, and then officially baptised later on and accepted into the church at a formal ceremony (which could account for the three-in-one-day occurrence).  This theory is supported by the fact that the first baptism on 03.04.1843 took place on a Monday, and the second baptism on 13.10.1844 took place on a Sunday, so would have been part of the regular weekly Sunday service, no doubt. 

What happened to the BARKER children? 
- JOHN BARKER (age 30) (subject to further verification - deduced from records on Ancestry.com) married MARY ANN GREEN (age 29 - from Beeston) at the Parish Church of Leeds, Saint Andrews in the County of York, on December 22, 1856.  JOHN was able to write his name but MARY ANN wasn't.  JOHN's occupation is given as labourer. His father's name is given as FRANCIS whose occupation is also a labourer.  (Note that FRANCIS's name has been transcribed as Francois.) MARY ANN's father, Jonathon, was a miner (collier on her baptism register) and her mother's name was ELIZABETH.  The clue that this is our JOHN BARKER comes from the censuses of 1861 and 1871 where JOHN and MARY ANN are living at Beeston, and their places of birth are given as Laughten and Beeston respectively.  In 1861, JOHN's occupation is given as a railway labourer, and in 1871 is given as an excavator (Leeds Corporation).   Note: JOHN and MARY ANN appear to have had no children.  

JOHN and MARY ANN are both buried at St Mary's Parish Cemetery, Beeston, Leeds. 
John died in 1877 and MARY died in 1885.  Note that MARY ANN remarried after JOHN's death and is buried under the name of MARY ANN HOLDSWORTH - wife of GEORGE HOLDSWORTH. 

Grave of JOHN BARKER and his wife MARY ANN HOLDSWORTH

- HANNAH BARKER married THOMAS GRANT, also from Brookhouse, on 14.12.1847.  She would have been about 17 years old. THOMAS GRANT's occupation was given as a labourer, as was the occupation of his father, also known as THOMAS. HANNAH's father's name is given as FRANCIS BARKER, labourer of Brookhouse.  HANNAH and THOMAS had at least 6 children. THOMAS was a farm labourer and coal miner over the years.  

It looks like MARY BARKER, mother of all the above children, died when FRANCIS was just a young child - or baby, depending on the baptism date you choose. There is a burial entry in the Laughten en le Morthern  parish register for MARY BARKER, age 42, of Brookhouse, buried on 13th of March, 1845. Poor MARY -  she must have married at age 18 or very early 19 - assuming JOHN was her first child and arrived within up to 9 months of her marriage.  As yet, I can't find a marriage record for FRANCIS and MARY - but she was undeniably young, and the rest of her life was spent on the relentlessly regular reproduction  and care of  at least 9 children at two year intervals over the next 18 years.  

In the Laughten en le Morthern parish register there is a marriage entry  for November 3, 1845, for FRANCIS BARKER, a widower, marrying LUCY STEER, daughter of HENRY STEER. FRANCIS must have remarried and LUCY was probably a stepmother to our FRANK who would have been 2 to 4 years old.  Interestingly, FRANCIS gives the name of his father as FRANCIS and his father's occupation as a wheelwright. 

Maps of Yorkshire. These were originally published by Ordnance Survey, Southampton, 1848-1857, so this was in our FRANK's lifetime and gives us a really good idea of what the place was like when he was a young man.  This specific map (Sheet 296) is of Laughten en le Morthern and Brookhouse.  Enlarge and move the map around to get a close look. 

Click on the link to find out more about Brookhouse and Laughten en le Morthern today. 

The earliest reference to Frank being in New Zealand puts him in Otago by 1863.  

In July 1863, Governor George Grey and the colonial government invaded the Waikato.   Four regiments of Waikato Militia were raised to serve in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato districts.   Any men who enlisted -  if not already in the North Island of New Zealand - were to be given free passage to a designated port and were promised land in the settlements that would be established after the war.  FRANK'S place of enrolment was Otago, on September 2nd, 1863,  so he must have taken up this offer to end up in the Waikato later that year. He enlisted in the 2nd Regiment, Waikato Militia, under the command of Theodore Haultain.   Men for this regiment were  sourced mainly from Otago, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. 

FRANK'S registration number was 892, and his name was given as FRANK BARKER.  He enrolled on 2nd September, 1863 - in Otago.  He gives his place (parish) of birth as Brookhouse,  in York county, and this single piece of information has been the biggest help in finding out where he came from, geographically and ancestrally. FRANK'S trade is given as a miner - although it's not clear whether this was his trade in England or once he had arrived in New Zealand - and his age is 21, which puts his year of birth as 1842 - give or take a year, assuming he was telling the truth about his age!  Interestingly, his height is included - at 5 foot 5 inches, so he was not a particularly big man.  Somewhat aggravatingly, under the "Ship" heading in his military details, is listed "Auckland" which appears to be the name of the ship in which he came to New Zealand. Try googling Auckland in any combination of words to find the arrival of a ship and see how frustrating it can be.   It seems several other men in the same regiment also enlisted in Otago and give their ship as "Auckland", so it looks like a package deal for many of them! 

In March 1864, Māori entrenching parties were building fortifications at Ōrākau. The 2nd Waikato Regiment joined other imperial troops there, and ‘Rewi’s last stand’ at Ōrākau Pa took place between 31 March and 2 April 1864. 

In June 1864, sites were selected for the regiments, and the 2nd Waikato Regiment established the Alexandra East redoubt (often called the East Pirongia redoubt) in the Waikato.  It  was built for 300 men and occupied a flat grassed area on a slight rise overlooking the Waipa River. In addition to the officers’ and soldiers’ huts and tents within the redoubt, there was a large commissariat store and hospital building nearby, and some structures near the river landing between the two redoubts. Kihikihi was also another base of the Waikato 2nd Militia. 

By the end of 1864, the Waikato regiments were withdrawn from  the Te Awamutu front line and were established in frontier settlements, each defended by a redoubt.  Each Waikato military settler received a grant of one town acre and a section of from fifty acres upward, according to rank.

It seems the 2nd Regiment was not well treated at the end of their duty - as complained by a correspondent to the Daily Southern Cross in November 1865.  FRANK  would have been one of the disgruntled militia sharing the same sentiments, I'm sure.  At least seven months after they finished duties, they were still asking  the Government for work (building roads or bridges) or a Crown grant.

By July 1866, the military settlers were petitioning government  for payment and allowances that had not been paid since March the previous year. Many had families to provide for and were enduring great hardship and privation and many ended up abandoning their allotted lands. 

By August 1866, the military settlers' claims had been rejected as not being well founded and the Government declined to comply with their request.   This surely must have had an impact on FRANK, who cannot have had any independent means.   By  1866, at Alexandra,  the 2nd Waikato Regiment settlement consisted of 675 men (excluding officers), 102 women, and 183 children.

By December 1866, FRANK'S entitlement for a Crown grant was confirmed. His name is fourth in the list. 

COMPENSATION., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2934, 20 December 1866 
This is most likely  to be our Frank (4th in list).

The Militia was disbanded in 1867 and replaced by the Armed Constabulary, and in 1896 the name Alexandra was changed to Pirongia to avoid confusion with the Central Otago town.

FRANK stayed in Alexandra until at least 1873, when he married REBECCA DRABBLE from Ngahinaporiri.  The wedding took place at Te Awamutu and, most interestingly, the marriage notice confirms FRANK's militia registration details giving (Lake) Brookhouse, Yorkshire as his original home.    There is no record of anywhere called Lake Brookhouse. 

Marriage of Frank Barker and Rebecca Drabble
MARRIAGES., New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 3625, 24 June 1873

I will add more to this, and include Part 2 once I  collate the next lot of information. Stay tuned!

A Recent International Conference about Reinhold and Georg Forster

Look what we've just missed out on!  Just happened to find out about this while researching ancestor Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg.  

This is a Google translate of the page - which was originally in German. How cool that Johann Reinhold and Georg are still recognised and significant!  

Around the World: International Conference on Georg and Johann Reinhold Forster

28.08.2018 by Laura Krauel

Georg and Johann Reinhold Forster are known for their world tours in the 18th century. A selection of their collected treasures can be found today in Halle and in the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz. From the 6th to the 8th of September the conference "Collected Worlds" will take place in Wörlitz. It is organized by the University of Halle, the Dessau-Wörlitz Commission and the Cultural Foundation Wörlitz. Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Décultot, Humboldt Professor at the MLU, explains exactly what this is all about.

Humboldt Professor Elisabeth Décultot is also involved with Johann Reinhold Forster. (Photo: Maike Glöckner)

Georg and Johann Reinhold Forster were scholars of the Enlightenment, who have sailed around the world as a naturalist on the side of James Cook. What significance do you have for Central Germany and the University of Halle?
Elisabeth Décultot: In 1775 the Forsters met Prince Franz of Anhalt-Dessau and his wife Luise in London and gave them some 40 rare, precious objects from the South Sea - for example a Tongan squid angel and jewelry from Tahiti. In 1779, at the invitation of the prince, they spent some time in Wörlitz. Especially Georg's father Johann Reinhold is closely related to the university. He was appointed to Halle the same year as Professor of Natural History and Mineralogy. He was also director of the Zoological and Mineralogical Collections and the Botanical Garden. He has collected many objects during his travels, which shed light on the history of natural history in the late 18th and early 19th century. At the Chair of Modern Literacy and European Knowledge Transfer, I am also working with my colleagues on his activities at the University of Halle. There is still much to discover - for example, how he enriched the Botanical and Mineralogical Collection and what has become of these objects.

In Wörlitz the treasures of Forsters are shown.
(Photo: Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz / Heinz Fräßdorf)

An exhibition opened in Wörlitz in May is dedicated to Georg Forster, while another will show the entire Wörlitzer Forster collection next year. What is the conference about?
Both Forsters are not only a magnet for scientific research, but also for the humanities - and for the history of science in general. For that reason, because they are real cosmopolitans. Their circumnavigation and the German-English biography are of global and European interest. For various reasons, they have also lived and worked in the region of Central Germany. At the conference we would like to take a closer look at these spatial dimensions. Another topic is their collection activities. What was the goal of Forsters? Did you collect the objects for ethnographic, aesthetic or scientific interest? Can one distinguish these categories altogether? These are questions we want to ask at the conference. It is also a kind of scientific preparation for the grand opening of the May 2019 collection exhibition.

What else makes the event interesting?
The conference brings together many representatives of national and international Forster research. It is also special that we look at both Forsters - not just the more famous son, but also his father. Her relationship is still under-researched, though she can elucidate certain facets of her life. This includes the ethnographic interest of Georg, which is reflected in his travelogues and on which his father Johann Reinhold had a great influence.

The meeting

"Johann Reinhold and Georg Forster - Collected Worlds" is aimed at scientists who deal with the life and work of Forsters, as well as to all other interested parties. The conference will take place from 6 to 8 September 2018 in the historic inn "Zum Eichenkranz" in Wörlitz.

Follow this link for more information on the conference and  how it relates to Johann Reinhold and Georg Forster. 

Meanwhile, on the Polish side of the Family . . .

I wonder if the organisers of the following event knew just how many of Johann Rheinhold Forster's descendants live in New Zealand  today - and I wonder how many of the descendants would have loved to have been there for this event, had they known about it - or  that they even were his descendants.   My revelation came through an ancestry website, otherwise I doubt I would ever have found out.  Yay for our ancestress Maria Mueller  (married name Baucke) and her thoroughly interesting forebears!

From  12 December, 2017 Southland Times: an article about the first Polish people in New Zealand  being acknowledged  245 years after their arrival here with Captain Cook on the Resolution. The event also celebrated 40 years of Polish - New Zealand diplomatic relations.

A plaque was placed on the Manapouri waterfront on Monday to remember a Polish father and son, whose discoveries included more than 100 New Zealand plants.

Part of The Polish Trails in New Zealand project, the plaque was in commemoration of Johann Reinhold Forster and J. Georg Forster who arrived in New Zealand on board Captain James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific.
The plaque was officially unveiled by Poland's New Zealand ambassador Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Southland District mayor Gary Tong at Pearl Harbour in Manapouri.

Photo: Barry Harcourt

Southland Mayor Gary Tong and Polish Ambassador Zbigniew Gniatkowski unveil the plaque celebrating two Polish botanists at Manapouri.

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Tong said the turnout was "very good", with Polish people coming from Invercargill and Winton to attend the ceremony.

Gniatkowski is believed to be taking in the scenery and "getting a feel" for the place the two men arrived at so many years prior.

Two hundred and forty-five years ago, Captain Cook's expedition ships the HMS Resolution and the HMS Adventure set sail for the Pacific.

Johann was an anthropologist and Georg, a writer, and while in New Zealand, they discovered 119 plants and 38 bird species in Dusky Sound, Fiordland, and Queen Charlotte Sound in the Marlborough Sounds.

Georg wrote about the journey in his book A Voyage Around the World. He was quickly considered one of the founders of modern scientific travel literature.

The plaque unveiling was designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Poland-New Zealand diplomatic relations.
Ten plaques issued in memory of famous Poles have been unveiled throughout New Zealand so far. The Forsters' plaque was a continuation of that historical trail.

Tong said the unveiling was special as it was believed the Forsters were the first Polish people to arrive in New Zealand.

The father and son duo went on to return to England after the expedition. Johann then returned to Germany and was appointed to a chair at the University of Halle. He died there on December 9, 1798.

Georg regularly published essays on contemporary explorations and continued to be a very prolific translator, writing about Cook's third journey to the South Pacific. Georg died in 1794 in his Paris home.

In search of James Naismith and Isabel Steel - The Canongate connection

According to HENRY NAYSMITH'S* death certificate, (see this post) HENRY'S parents were JAMES NAISMITH, a weaver, and ISABELLA NAISMITH born STILL (Steel).  

JAMES and ISABELLA were married at Canongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  on 4 February 1808. 

The Canongate is a district of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was a semi-autonomous burgh until its incorporation into the city of Edinburgh in 1856. Somewhat disappointingly, the name has nothing to do with large weapons. Canongate, instead,  is believed to derive from  the Scottish word 'gait' meaning 'way'. It was the route the canons (clerics) of Holyrood Abbey took to Edinburgh. Canongate Kirk (church) opened in 1691 as the parish church of the Canongate.   The church still operates for Sunday services and weekday concerts. It can be presumed that JAMES and ISABELLA married in this church. 

Kirk of The Canongait 

Churchyard of the Kirk of the Canongate.  David Rizzio, the murdered private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, is believed to be buried in the chuchyard.  

The parish includes  the Palace of Holyrood House (of interest to Mary  Queen of Scots fans), the Scottish Parliament, and is also the parish church of Edinburgh castle, even though it sits outside the rest of the parish.  Interestingly,  Princess Anne's daughter, Zara  Phillips married former England rugby captain Mike Tindall in this church in 2011. 

The ecclesiastical parishes within the 'civil parish' of Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Old Parish Register (OPR 685¹) covered the the civil parish of Edinburgh.

This was originally only the parishes of the old town, and later included a further four new parishes as the new town was built.

The original 'Old Town' of Edinburgh enclosed by the red line. 

The light blue line encloses the parishes of the 'New Town' 

NOTE - St Cuthberts, the parish almost surrounding the city, was also known as the 'West Church Parish' or 'West Kirk' 

Follow this link to see what Canongate Kirk looks like today. 

Note: One possible reason why there are some no-shows for some of our family members in online transcriptions of parish registers: The Scotland National Archives maintain that "all" Church of Scotland registers of baptisms, marriages and burials were consolidated and submitted to the then Public Record Office in about 1855. However, some local ministers have suggested otherwise. This may be why some parish registers seem to have a puzzling lack of entries, besides mere under-registration of i.e. baptisms and some marriages.    


* Henry Naysmith c. 1818 - 1880 - our founding Naysmith, arriving at Auckland on the Duchess of Argyle, 1842, with wife Mary Maclean,  1-year-old son Alexander, and new-born daughter Mary Argyle. 

The Adams Family Connection Part 3: We find Rebecca - and Her Brother's Family.

Just after deciding that I'd exhausted all possible leads to confirm any more details about REBECCA ADAMS's  family details - other than her daughter GRACE who joined the HARRIS family by marrying JAMES (see previous two  posts) -  I had a lightbulb moment 💡and thought, why not try researching the ADAMS family details of my My Heritage  correspondent, James A,  and see if I can find any connection there.   

James A  suggests that the 1% DNA that connects us comes through the ADAMS surname which appears in both our family trees at a similar distance in time.  I wondered if this could be a little coincidental in that it's not a particularly uncommon name; however, it was an obvious avenue to explore. And we had to be related somehow - if not  through the ADAMS family, then who? 

So, with these details of James A's (from USA) ancestors, I set forth: 

CATHERINE ADAMS (born 1801) married John LAMERTON (1795 - 1876) from CORNWALL. 

On the My Heritage site, I searched their names, and the first entry that came up was CATHERINE LAMERTON (born ADAMS) baptised November 5, 1801, in CORNWALL! So far so good. 

And not only just Cornwall, but the parish of St Winnows which is an approximate distance of 24 miles from REBECCA's last confirmed sighting in the parish of TREWEN. (Although Google maps estimates it's an approximate 8 hour walking distance - depending on the starting and end points within each parish - it puts both families in a credible distance of each other.) 

 And, I have already found  a REBECCA ADAMS born in St Winnow who was a contender for being the mother of GRACE (see previous post for details). So all I had to do was join the dots . . . and eliminate the spare Rebeccas I'd found along the way. 

OK, so here's the pathway: 

James A from USA's ancestors CATHERINE ADAMS and JOHN LAMERTON married on 27 February 1819 in the Quethiock parish. Both were residents of that parish at the time of their marriage. 

There is a JOHN LAMERTON  baptised 15th February 1795, according to the  Cornwall Parish Register, and this seems most the most likely contender for the above-mentioned John.  His parents were WILLIAM and JANE LAMERTON (born Garland) and they married in Quethiock in 1784. 

From the My Heritage site details, CATHERINE was born in St Winnow parish, to the parents of JOSEPH (Jo. according to Ancestry.Com records) and ANN ADAMS,  and was baptised on 5 November 1801. 

The most likely parish records for CATHERINE's parents were JOSEPH ADAMS of Lanlivery  marrying ANN CREGOE on 5th June, 1799, in the parish of Gerrans,  which is bewilderingly far from Lanlivery  - a nine hour walk minimum. It seems ANN was a sojourner in the Gerrans Parish - which is odd as there was an ANN CREGO baptised there 25th November, 1770.  Plus an ANN  CREGO died there in 1772, and another in 1796, and another ANN CREGOE married PETER HILL (both of the Gerrans parish) in 1799 also.  Confusing, for sure, but in the absence of any other evidence, I'm going to assume these are CATHERINE's parents. 

Note both JOSEPH and ANN were literate enough to be able to sign their names in the marriage register - which is interesting as REBECCA probably wasn't literate because her daughter GRACE only put a mark on hers. 

CATHERINE's birth date and details did not fit easily with being a sister or daughter of our REBECCA, but I wondered if Catherine's father, JOSEPH ADAMS, could be REBECCA's brother, and our connection was at least another generation back?  (This had been surmised by my USA correspondent, JAMES A, but I needed to find the evidence.) 

Which I have done!

(See previous post for the complete ADAMS family line up.) Joseph Adams, baptised 28 November, 1775, At St Winnow,  was the eighth (recorded) child of THOMAS ADAMS and MARY CHELEY, married at St Winnows in 1763.  REBECCA Adams was THOMAS and MARY's fifth (recorded) child and, therefore, JOSEPH's sister and CATHERINE ADAMS's aunt.  

The connection has been found at St Winnow.

St Winnow

The indisputable confirming evidence (which helps sift out all the non-related Josephs, Rebeccas, Catherines and Thomases) is the DNA connection identified between JAMES A in USA  and me in New Zealand.  Yay for science.  
*Waves to Cousin JAMES A👋👋* across the oceans and generations. Thanks so much for contacting me to consider our connection. I would never have found our REBECCA without your details. 

How  cool that these families  of JOSEPH ADAMS and ANN CREGO can be reconnected after over 250 years. 

I guess this is what you call a family reunion!