The earliest Hardy family arrivals in New Zealand

The Jane Gifford and Duchess of Argyle at anchor in Auckland Harbour 1842.

Thanks to great research by David Hardy and John and Jill Hardy we are able to tell the story of the Hardy family members who were the earliest arrivals in New Zealand. When David Wilson and Matilda Roberts married in 1887 this brought together two pioneering families- the Roberts who arrived in 1840 and the Wilsons who arrived in 1842.

The Wilson/Roberts family connection is through the marriage of my grandparents Mervyn Hardy and Lillian Wilson. David Wilson and Matilda Roberts were Lillian's parents.

This story has been difficult to put together simply because it goes back to a very early period in New Zealand's history. In addition some of the family members moved around early New Zealand and to Australia in the search for employment. There remain a few gaps in our information which may hopefully be filled at a later date.

Lillian and Mervyn on their wedding day

The marriage certificate for Lillian's parents, David Wilson and Matilda Roberts is below. It records their parents were John Wilson (Blacksmith) and Janet Wilson (nee Allan) and Thomas Roberts (Miner) and Maria Roberts (nee Pooley). The wedding took place in the dwelling house of Henry J Hyde a miner of Te Aroha. Mrs Kate Hyde was Matilda's sister.

The Wilson and Roberts families came together in the gold mining town of Thames. These families came to New Zealand from quite different parts of the United Kingdom. The Wilsons were from Glasgow, Scotland. The Roberts were from Cornwall, England. They also initially arrived at different destinations, namely Auckland in the case of the Wilsons and Wellington in the case of the Roberts. The story of how each family came to be in Thames is set out below starting with the journeys that brought them to New Zealand.

Janet and John Wilson's emigration from Glasgow, Scotland

Janet and John arrived in Auckland on 9th October 1842 on the Jane Gifford. They had left Greenock in Scotland on 18 June 1842. The ship Duchess of Argyle had left Greenock the day before heading for the same destination. It is said that the captains of these ships were racing each other to Auckland. As it turned out the Duchess of Argyle arrived into Auckland harbour first but then ran aground on a sandbar. The Jane Gifford went passed her and was the first to dock at what was then the capital city of New Zealand.

At this time there was the beginnings of a significant amount of emigration from Scotland to Australia and New Zealand. The Jane Gifford and Duchess of Argyle were organised by the Scottish Colonisation Company to bring to New Zealand around 500 Scottish emigrants, mainly from the town of Paisley where the local textile industry was in recession. This was the first organised group of settlers to come directly from Britain to Auckland.

The timing of this arrival was unfortunately not great as Auckland was in the grip of depression. The excellent book Young Logan Campbell by R.C.J. Stone describes the period as one of economic stagnation brought about by "the wrong headed policies of the governor (Hobson) and the obstructiveness of the colonial administration... bitter political quarrels racked Auckland until the late 1850s."

One immigrant is quoted as saying Auckland is "a queer wee town and worst of all there seems to be nothing for us to do." Many of the men were put on temporary relief work levelling streets for half a crown a day.

John Wilson was a blacksmith by trade. According to his obituary he was from Pollokshaws. This is a district in the south side of Glasgow. It has a long history of being a centre of weaving dating back to the 17th century.

The Kawau and Great Barrier Copper Mines

The copper mines established at these two islands in the Hauraki Gulf were the initial points of commonality between the Wilson and Roberts families. However we do not think they met during this time.

On arrival in Auckland John worked at the mine on Kawau Island. It is possible he was recruited for the mine while still in Scotland as the mine's ownership was connected to Scotland.

The above image is of The Spirit of New Zealand in front of Kawau Island. The Spirit is a regular visitor to Kawau Bay. Whenever it appears in the bay it is like a recreation of history.

An excellent account of the mining at Kawau has been written by Sharron Schwartz a historian and author who is a specialist in the topic of the Cornish Mining Migration. I have extracted the commentary below from her website called Cousin Jack's World.

Kawau was purchased from the Māori in 1840 by an Aberdeen-based investment company for farming purposes. Manganese and copper were discovered shortly afterwards, and for a short time, Kawau was the most productive mine in New Zealand, with a resident mining community that had a strong Cornish contingent. Two distinct phases of mining occurred: 1843-55; and 1898-1900.

Mining on Kawau began in 1843 following the accidental discovery of manganese at Manganese Point near North Cove. In May 1844, a cargo of this ore arrived in Sydney from Auckland via the Tryphena. At this time, frenetic prospecting activity was taking place throughout the region, and copper and/or manganese deposits had been discovered on Waiheke Island, Coppermine Island in the Hen and Chicken Islands, and on Great Barrier Island.

In spring 1844, copper ore was discovered at South Cove by Alexander Kinghorn, the Superintendent of New Zealand’s first copper mine, which was being wrought on nearby Great Barrier Island. An overjoyed Tayler wrote to Beattie of the promising copper discovery, and could barely contain his excitement at the news that the place was thought to be worth from £20-80,000.

In the belief that this copper deposit would revive the fortunes of the Scottish investors, the North British Australasian Loan and Investment Company formed the Kawau Mining Company as a subsidiary company under the control of Mr Beattie. Beattie, who was the immediate grantee of Kawau Island from the Crown, authorised a conveyance to another company agent named John Taylor, making him a tenant in fee simple of the island.

John Taylor was instructed to engage a professional copper miner and to employ some miners to begin working the mine. Thus, on 7 September 1844, John Aberdein made an agreement (on behalf of Beattie and Taylor), with seasoned mineral prospector, Isaac Merrick, to undertake the mining of copper ore on Kawau Island.

Taylor inspected the workings in November 1844, shortly after the mine had opened, and then returned to Sydney, reporting to Mr Beattie that the copper prospects were good. His advice was passed on to the investment company back in Scotland where it was well received, and the capital was increased by £50,000 to £100,000 to facilitate mining development.

Notwithstanding the disadvantages they laboured under, from want of proper tools and knowledge of hard rock mining, the men employed by Taylor raised 750 tons of ore. The ores sold at Swansea during 1845 averaged around £11 12 s 5d per ton, and had not been selected by an experienced miner.

The copper lode ran roughly north-south, outcropping on a steep spur on the coast where the main mine adit was located. The cliffs hereabouts were blasted and the rubble used to create an area of reclaimed land separated from the sea by timber piling. This provided a platform for ore dressing and several copper ore hutches were constructed to store the ore prior to shipment from a nearby jetty. This reclaimed land, however, proved to be something of an Achilles heel for the Kawau Mining Company.

The above image shows Kawau Island and its relationship with Mahurangi Peninsula. Snells Beach where I live is shown directly to the west of Kawau.

This image shows the Mansion House on Kawau built by Governor George Grey.

Above is the remains of the copper mine's pumphouse.

A copper mine was also developed at Great Barrier Island. Both mines were thought to be promising in their early stages but proved over time to be unprofitable. In the case of the mine at Kawau its location which was below sea level meant there was a need for constant pumping out of sea water. There was also competition between two smelting companies which reduced the return on the ore. In 1852 the Kawau mine was closed because the return was poor and the ore was largely depleted.

A description of the mine at Great Barrier which is provided in a very detailed research paper produced by the University of Auckland Department of Archeology in 1990 includes the following comment in its summary of conclusions;

"The 1868 closure of the mine was the inevitable outcome of twenty five years of sporadic and rather blind optimism. The financial returns from the mine were constantly depleted by the high costs of development, transport and employing miners, which also resulted in the closure of the whole venture at different points in time."

When the Kawau Island mine closed in 1855 John moved to Auckland city where he subsequently established a blacksmith business in Chapel Street (now Federal Street). This is evidenced by the newspaper advertisement below.

The children of John and Janet are as follows;

John born around 1843. Died around 1927.

The Thames Star dated 24 January 1927 includes a commentary sent to the paper by John Wilson of Manunui. His story indicates he was most likely the above first born child of John and Janet Wilson.

There is also the article below published in the Auckland Star of 3 August 1925. This contains interesting recollections from John's wife Jane of her parents fleeing the Bay of Islands at the time of Hone Heke's rebellion.

William born at Kawau Island on 31 December 1846.

The newspaper clipping below sadly records his death at only age 15.

.

James born around 1848. Date of death not yet known.

Robert born 1849 died 28 April 1925.

Alexander "Sam" born about 1851 died 15 September 1914 Sutherland St, Sydney, NSW

Isabella Ann born 1852

Allan born about 1856

Janet born 1 April 1857 died 9 December 1857 at Chapel St Auckland

Thomas born about 1858

Mary born 1860

David Wilson born 24 December 1867 in Auckland.

John carried on his business for around 10 years years but it ultimately failed. As seen below he was unable to meet his mortgage payments and lost his home and business by mortgagee sale.

The Wilsons move to Thames

In search of work John took his family to the town of Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula around 1868. There he found work at the Kuranui Mine. In his obituary we are advised that John lived in Thames and worked as a blacksmith at the Kuranui Mine for a period of seven years prior to his death

The headstone on John Wilson's grave in Thames.

The death notice below for John's son Robert who died 28 April 1925, provides an insight into the family's history and his career as a miner. His death is indicated to be related to suffering from miner's phithisis. This is a form of occupational lung disease caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust. It was very common amongst miners of this era.

Gold Mining in Thames

Much has been written about early gold mining at Thames. The information that follows comes from one of the many excellent sites connected to the history of Thames.

Thames came into existence when gold was discovered in 1867 at the south-east corner of the Firth of Thames. At the time the Auckland province was bankrupt, and adding salt to the wound, had also lost the seat of government to the new capital in Wellington. It urgently needed something to revitalise its prospects. That something would be gold, and it would be discovered near to ‘The Thames.’

The first rush was orchestrated on August 1, 1867, when a party of 60 aboard the steamer, SSEnterprise, left Auckland headed for ‘The Thames’. On a flat piece of land given the name Shortland, the Civil Commissioner, James MacKay (acting on knowledge from local Maori prospectors who had already found gold there), began issuing miner’s licenses. But by noon the same day, it looked as if the rush might be over before it had even begun, as miners returned empty handed, some demanding their money back.The mistake they made was to look for alluvial gold, commonly found with pan and shovel in the river and creek-beds of the South Island gold fields. ‘The Thames’s’ golden fortune, instead, was hard-packed into flinty quartz, hidden in seams underground in auriferous reefs needing first to be dug out, then crushed by battery stampers.It was soon clear that ‘The Thames’ wasn’t going to be a “poor man’s field” or give up its spoils that easily!

The government chose Shortland, at the mouth of the Kauaeranga River, for the town. Meanwhile, many miners occupied Tookeys Flat on the Kuranui Stream, in order to be close to the gold workings. In 1868 Auckland entrepreneur Robert Graham purchased the land in between, which became Grahamstown. The three towns combined to form Thames.

The first major discovery of gold was made on August 10, 1867 by a prospector, William Hunt, in a waterfall in the bed of the Kuranui Stream. This mine produced over 102,353oz bullion and was known as the Shotover.

By the end of the 19th century, Thames was the largest centre of population in New Zealand with 18,000 inhabitants and well over 100 hotels and three theatres.

The era from 1868 to 1871 represented the bonanza years for the town with gold production topping one million pounds sterling at its peak. Official figures for production of the Thames Mines recorded a yield of 2,327,619oz bullion with the value at $845 million.

Grahamstown and the numerous battery engaged in crushing ore on behalf of the surrounding mines.

William and Elizabeth Roberts journey from Cornwall England.

The Roberts family arrived in New Zealand before Janet and John Wilson. They came on the ship Duke of Roxburgh that sailed from Plymouth on 5 October 1839 and arrived in Port Nicholson, Wellington on 8 February 1840.

William and Elizabeth had married in St Austell, Cornwall on 13 September 1820. William was a cornish miner born in Devon. Elizabeth Bottrell was born in Cambourne, Cornwall. A family record indicates they lived in the Mount Charles area of St Austell.

The St Austell parish marriage record for William and Elizabeth- see top left page 114

St Austell is on the Cornwall Coast. This area is known for its tin and china clay mines. Juliana and I spent a few days at Charlestown, St Austell a few years ago. At that time we did not know of the Hardy family connection to the area. It is a beautiful coastal town to stay at. The very picturesque Charlestown is famous as a location for the filming of the TV series Poldark.

Charlestown

William was born in 31 January 1796 His parents were John and Jane Roberts - 10th line of right side page on Baptism record below.

John Roberts and Jane Houghton were married in December 1788- second entry on left side page of parish marriage record below.

By the time William and Elizabeth sailed to New Zealand they had 6 children. The passenger list for the Duke of Roxburgh indicates they all accompanied them on the journey. William Junior was born during the journey.

Their children were;

Mary born 1822, died 1854.

*Mary married John Eslick in 1842. They moved to South Australia and then Castlemaine, Victoria.

Sophia born 1824, died 1897.

*Sophia married James/Joseph Thompson in 1840.

Elizabeth born 10th June 1826, died 1893.

*Elizabeth married Joshua Gregory a soldier in 1845. They travelled to Australia, India, England and finally settled in Brisbane, Australia.

Elizabeth's birth certificate is below- see first entry on left side page of parish record.

Thomas born 1829- no information yet found on Thomas' place or date of death

Priscilla born 1835, died 1911.

*Priscilla married Richard Grey Bell in 1848. They travelled to South Australia and then Castlemaine.

Keziah born 1836, died 1891.

William (Jnr) born at sea 1839, died 1907.

Joseph born 1842, died 1882.

*The above notes in italics are taken from a genealogy posting about the Duke of Roxburgh passengers.

It is believed that the family stayed in Wellington until about 1846. Mary, Elizabeth and Priscilla had gone to Australia. The rest of the family moved to Auckland where William (senior) and Thomas would find work initially at the copper mine on Kawau Island and then on Great Barrier Island.

From the death certificate for William (senior) - see below- we learn that he and Elizabeth probably along with Keziah and William junior had moved to Australia at some time in 1849. Initially they spent about 6 months in the state of New South Wales, followed by about 2 1/2 years in South Australia and then 21 years in Victoria.

William died 17th May 1873 at Campbells Creek, Victoria. The cause of his death was dry gangrene of the legs which he had suffered for 3 years. His death was notified by his son William who was living at Sandhurst.

The names and ages of his children are listed as;

Mary dead, Sophia 49, Elizabeth 47, Thomas 45, Priscilla 38, Kezia 35, William 34, Joseph 31.

Thomas married Maria Pooley in Auckland on 2 February 1851. They had the following children;

Louisa Jane born 3rd August 1852 in Auckland

William born 15 August 1854 at Kawau Island.

Joseph born 17 January 1857 at Great Barrier Island

Catherine born 15 April 1860 in Auckland

Matilda born 28 May 1867 in Lyttleton

Lilian born 26 September 1869 in Auckland

The period of time in Lyttleton during which Matilda was born is connected to the construction of the Lyttleton Rail Tunnel. The death notice for his wife Maria (maiden surname Pooley) published in January 1900 and shown below indicates that Thomas "managed" the tunnel. The construction of the tunnel commenced in 1861 and the breakthrough was achieved in 1867. Based on these dates and the fact Thomas was a miner it is likely Thomas was managing the construction of the tunnel rather than its ongoing operation.

Exactly when Thomas and Maria moved to Thames is not clear. It seems likely to have been around 1867/68 following the completion of the Lyttelton Tunnel. The death notice for their son William who sadly died in a mining accident 6 January 1879 indicates they were in Thames at that date. Of interest is that the notice refers to Castlemaine Papers to copy. Castlemaine is near Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. Copying those papers would be intended to reach the family members who were in that area- possibly Thomas in particular if he was living there at this time.

Below is an interesting letter found when searching for information on Thomas Roberts. It appears to have been written by his son Joseph who is seeking some land that his father may have received in return for service in the Militia during the land wars. Vincent O'Malley's book The Great War for New Zealand Waikato 1800- 2000 states that under the Militia Act of 1858 all Pakeha males aged between 16 and 55 could be conscripted for service in the local militia. Usually this was for garrison or guard duties. Joseph indicates that his father did not serve in the Waikato War. This took place in the period 1863 to 1864. If he served in the militia it seems most likely this was while he was still in Auckland in the period prior to his move to Lyttleton around 1861.

Members of the Waikato militia were given land settlements under a scheme designed to establish military settlements using confiscated land in the Waikato. The intention was that these settlements would improve security against future Maori uprisings.The scheme was quite contentious with many of the soldiers electing to quickly sell their settlements either because the land allotted to them was poor or because they were in poverty and needed the money.

Joseph states that his father left New Zealand in 1873 and that he has no further trace of him. William Roberts died in 1873. It is possible that Thomas went to Australia for his fathers funeral. Perhaps he then stayed in Australia. It appears his wife Maria did not go to Australia given she died in Thames.

To further confuse matters below is a mention of a Thomas Roberts seeking a mining licence in August 1878.

A family record suggests that Thomas went to Coolgardi Australia in 1889 and never returned. We have not been able to find any death record for Thomas Roberts. His movements after 1873 remain a mystery.

David and Matilda Wilson

David and Matilda married 10th April 1887 in Te Aroha. David Wilson's occupation is recorded as butcher. His usual place of residence is recorded as Grahamstown. Matilda's usual place of residence is recorded as Shortland.

Grahamstown and Shortland were settlements established by the early gold miners in Thames. Grahamstown was close to the goldfields and Shortland to the south of Thames near the mouth of the Kauaeranga River and the government wharf.

David and Matilda were both age 21. They were married at Te Aroha in the dwelling house of Mr Henry Hyde, husband of Matilda's sister Catherine.

David and Matilda's children were;

Lillian May born in June of 1888. Sadly Lillian May died at home in Karaka Rd, Thames on 5th May 1889, only 11 months and 3 weeks later.

Eva Aroha Maud "Birdie" born June 1890. Eva also died young at the tender age of only 8 years and 9 months. She died at her grandmother's home in Karaka Rd.

Ethel Alma was born 30 June 1892

Laurel Mabel was born 1895

Lillian Alice was born 18 April 1898

David Allan was born 10 January 1901

William Joseph Roberts was born 24 September 1903

Identical twins Eva Beryl and Matilda Esma - "Beryl and Tilly"- were born 19 March 1909.

Beryl and Tilly

Matilda died on 20 March 1909, the day after the birth of the twins, at Auckland Hospital of blood poisoning. She was only age 42. David was left with 7 children between the ages of the new born twins and Alma who was age 17.

In 1910 David Wilson remarried to Evelyn Maud Miller. Evelyn was some 20 years younger than David and only 5 years older than Alma.

In 1911 David and Evelyn and their family were living at 73 Vermont St, Ponsonby. David and Evelyn had 3 children. They were;

James (Jimmy) Henry born 5 July 1911

Ivy Isobel born ----

Sydney Robert Alexander born 1916

Beryl and Tilly standing

Left to right Sydney (known as "Siddy") Ivy and Jimmy

Very sadly young Siddy died at just age 4 on 12 May 1920 not long after the above photo was taken. At this time the family was living at 47 Sussex St, Grey Lynn.

William Alma

David Wilson

David Wilson died 4 August 1932 at his residence at 29 Grosvener St,

Grey Lynn.

Evelyn Wilson died tragically as a result of a car accident on 21 June 1943.

She was struck by a "service vehicle" in Khyber Pass Rd at 10 o'clock in the evening receiving serious injuries from which she died in hospital. It was

raining at the time of the accident.

Beryl and Tilly become the world's oldest living identical twins