Written how it's Heard / Hurd/ Herd / Yard - In search of the family of Mary Harris, born Yard.

Our NANA GERT maintained a life-long attachment to her Cornish ancestral roots and, although no locations were ever mentioned, she frequently talked of her family being from Cornwall.  One of my most exciting  discoveries was to find details of the ancestry of her grandmother MARY HARRIS (understood to have been born HEARD).

 MARY's maiden and married name are quite common in Cornwall, and with the incredibly helpful clues from the details on MARY and WILLIAM HARRIS's marriage registration details and the dates and names in the single remaining page of MARY's prayer book, I set out to find her background. 

This post is about MARY HEARD's family and her ancestry, and my cyber-journey to find these details. 

To summarise the previous post about MARY, her maiden name is clearly identified as HEARD  in her prayer book, and her location in 1838 is placed in the vicinity of  Meadrose Sunday School (established after cross-referencing the unclear writing with locations in Cornwall). Her birthdate, probably in her own handwriting, is established as July 1st, 1825, giving her age when she received her book as 13.  At a later date, obviously after her marriage,  WILLIAM HARRIS's name is added, and his date of birth is given as October 1st, 1823. 

Page from the prayerbook of MARY HARRIS born HEARD 

Snapshot of entry in the Warbstow parish register of the marriage of WILLIAM HARRIS and MARY HEARD.

From the  most wonderfully comprehensive Cornwall OPC website  which transcribes and publishes the details from parish registers in Cornwall,  I had  found the marriage details of WILLIAM HARRIS and MARY HEARD, which established details of both WILLIAM's and MARY's fathers. 

Details from the Warbstow parish register: 

1847  marriage solemnised at the parish church in the parish of Warbstow, in the county of Cornwall. 

Entry number 43: May 2nd, William HARRIS, of full age, bachelor, servant, at Trevillan, son of JAMES HARRIS, labourer, married MARY HEARD, spinster, no given profession, from Penwillan, daughter of RICHARD HEARD, labourer. 

The marriage took place after banns had been read, although I can find no record of the banns.  The marriage was solemnised by the curate (name currently unreadable) and was witnessed by Richard Hawke (signed) and William (possibly) Burdon.   Note that MARY signed her own name, and WILLIAM was - at that stage - illiterate and could only leave his mark. 

I can find no mention of Penwillan anywhere, and assume it was the name of a small farm. 

So back to the beginning... After spending literally hours unsuccessfully looking for the baptism details of MARY HEARD  born in 1825 - with a father called RICHARD - I tried a different approach, and searched all the births of 1825, and discovered a MARY YARD (with a father called RICHARD), who must be our MARY. Maybe it was the way it was pronounced? 

From that information, I was able to find RICHARD's marriage details. 

According to MARY's personal details in her prayer book, she was born on July 1st, 1825, (Friday). Parish records indicate that she was baptised on Sunday 14th August. 
Baptism records give her parents as Richard  - a labourer - and Jane,  and their residence is Treliggo, St Teath.  Nowadays, it's called Treligga and more information and photos can be found here and here. 

Treligga today. 

All St Teath Baptisms 1813 - 1911

The Meadows Connection (Barker/Drabble side of the family) Part 1.

The following information may seem a bit confusing; however, it could be useful if you are researching the same names. Any further clarification or corrections would be appreciated. 

Our nearest Meadows connection is Sarah Ann Meadows , who married Robert Drabble and came to New Zealand as assisted immigrants with their three children on the Viscount Canning, in January, 1865.  Their daughter Annie Rebecca Drabble married Frank Barker, whose son Walter Henry (Jack) married Dorothy Baucke who are my generation's grandparents. Simple. 

Sarah Ann Meadows  was born some time before mid-1832  in Tickhill, a small town and civil parish in South Yorkshire, near the border of Nottinghamshire.  Her parents were John Meadows and Elizabeth Meadows - born Hill,  who married in Tickhill on 6th March, 1832.  Sarah was baptised on the 24th of June 1832 at Tickhill, York, England. Do the maths! 

Subsequent children born to John and Elizabeth Meadows were:

Susannah baptised September 7th, 1834

Arthur baptised March 6th, 1836

George baptised March 10th, 1838 

Henry baptised April 19, 1840
and possibly 

Edward baptised March 6th, 1842 

William baptised June 15th, 1845

Joseph baptised July 7th, 1846 
and all were baptised at Tickhill. 

There was a significant age difference between  John Meadows and Elizabeth Hill.  Acccording to  details from  the 1841, 1851, and 1861 censuses,  John was born in Stanningfield, Suffolk.  He was baptised on August 2, 1778.  Elizabeth's birth year is estimated at 1811, but her birth place is given as Shropshire in the 1851 census and Newbury, Staffordshire in the 1861 census.  There is no confirmed evidence of her birth or baptism as there are too many  baptisms of the same name and districts to be certain which is her. There are some incorrect details on other family trees found online. 

In the 1841 Census, John and Elizabeth are recorded as living in "Part of House with Laughton", in the parish of Tickhill.  It has "ditto" for the next few pages, so I doubt it's a shared house situation.  Laughton is another village in the vicinity of Tickhill, and Laughton was also the surname of a local family.   John Meadows is recorded as age 60, and his occupation is an agricultural labourer. Elizabeth is listed as age 27.  Neither were born in the county. Children living with John and Elizabeth at the time were  (our ancestress) Sarah, age 9, Arthur, age 5, George, age 3, and Henry age 1.  It appears that Susannah has died by 1841, but  I can find no evidence of a burial. 

John Meadows had been married previously - to Ann Webster  on February 13, 1815, at Rotherham Parish church.  John and Ann had at least 5 children (recorded as Medows) and all baptised at Firbeck in Yorkshire, before Ann died in 1831 (buried February 10, 1831, Firbeck Church records): 

William baptised September 17, 1815

George baptised February 16, 1817

John baptised March 28, 1819

Sarah baptised February 3, 1821 (buried November 11, 1821, aged 10 months - Firbeck Church records)

Joseph Paul baptised January 15, 1823

It could be assumed that John and Ann's children, William (1815), George (1817) and Joseph (1823) may have died in infancy because their names were reassigned to John's second family with Elizabeth Hill:(George, 1838), William (1845), and Joseph (1846). Further research will clarify this, although there is no record of their burials in the Firbeck Church records.  Neither do they appear in any of their father's households from the 1841 census onwards, but by then they could have been old enough to be living independently. 

That makes John Meadows the father of at  13 children with an age range between the youngest and oldest of 31 years. 

Note: There was, confusingly,  a John and Elizabeth Meadow of Tickhill who had the following children: 

Elizabeth baptised Ocitber 31, 1847

Frances baptised March 22, 1852 (probably  the Fanny who appears in their family's 1851 census records) This census  - and a possible 's' or no 's' on the Meadow name are the only evidence to prove these two children did not belong to our John and Elizabeth Meadows. Oh for more imaginative names back in those days!

The Harris Connection (Part 2) Mary Harris born Mary Heard

This is an ongoing and cumulative account of all the information I can find about Mary Harris (born Mary Heard). Please feel free to copy, confirm or clarify any details. Check out other blog posts about my Harris family information, and do check out the Descendants of William and Mary Harris Facebook page. 

Mary Heard was born on July 1, 1825. The evidence for this is a small page from her (prayer of Bible?) book, the page below being all that survives of it. The inscription says: 

Mary Heard's book. A reward given by the Meadrose Sunday School, August 12th, 1838.  

She would have been 13 years old at this stage.  At the bottom is added:

 Mary Heard was born July 1st 1825.  

 Later, obviously after her marriage, she has added: 

William Harris, born October 1, 1823. 

From this, we can assume that Mary was literate - possibly through her attendance at Sunday School which locates her in Meadrose, in the parish of St Teath (rhymes with breath) in 1838. (Meadrose is also found spelled Medrose and Meathrose.)

Detail from photo of Mary and William. Mary appears to be holding a small book, conceivably the same size as the page  above.  

 I wonder if this page is from the book she appears to be holding in the photo of William and her together? (See previous blog post). 

In 1847, Mary signed her own name in the Warbstow parish marriage register (where William is only able to make a mark and is obviously illiterate). More on this later. The marriage certificate also identifies Mary's father as Richard Heard. 

William and Mary's entry in the Warbstow marriage register. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

A few things to ponder:
Mary's name in the marriage register does not appear to be the same handwriting as the inscription in the page of the book, and the M in the Mary Heard at the top of the page is a different style to the M in her name at the bottom of the page, with her birth date. 

Interesting links for further information: 
1. Parochial and family history of the parishes of St. Teath and Temple, in the county of Cornwall
by Maclean, John, Sir, 1811-1895.  

2. St Teath Village Website 

3. Medrose St - Delabole (Google Maps)

4. A comprehensive report on the Delabole area (2002) assessing it for its historic value and conservation. Lots of interesting information, including a reference to the Harris family (ours?) commemorated in the church at St. Teath.  Covers the history of Medrose.

5. St.Teath Marriages  1754 - 1837 listed by year (Look for 1817 Richard Yard (sic) marriage to Jane Hoskin - Mary's parents).

"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!