Thomas William Rose Porter

Thomas William Rose Porter (1843 – 1920) and Major, the War Horse.

We were lucky to meet a family member of Thomas William Rose Porter who told us some stories about him and agreed that we could share a story with you.

Most likely born in Streatham, Surrey, England, on 2 August 1843, Thomas William Potter was the son of John Potter, an agricultural labourer, and his wife, Jane Phipps. It is thought Thomas later changed his name to Porter and claimed to have been born in India, the son of John William Porter, an officer in the 7th Bengal Native Infantry, and his wife, Jane Emily Rose.

Thomas served on H.M.S. Hercules in raids against pirates on the coast of China in 1857–8, and then migrated first to the gold fields in Australia and then to New Zealand. Between 1863 and 1866 he served in the Colonial Defence Force in Hawke’s Bay under the name Potter. During this period he began to study the Māori language. He remained on the East Coast after leaving the Defence Force.

On 9 May 1873 he married Herewaka te Rangi-Paea Potai, of Tokomaru Bay. Together the couple had at 9 children, among them the tattooer Tāme Poata and the singer Fanny Rose Porter, known as Princess Te Rangi Pai.

Descendants of the Porter family told us that Thomas’ favourite horse had once grazed at Karori Cemetery and thought that the horse is buried in the cemetery. We have managed to find out some details about his horse “Major”.

Born in the Wairarapa, Major was the only New Zealand horse to serve in the South African ‘Boer’ War and return back to New Zealand. He initially belonged to Lieutenant Robert Collins of the Fourth Contingent. After Collins was wounded, Major served with a number of men before coming into Thomas’s possession in May 1901. In the South African ‘Boer’ War, Thomas was Commander of the Seventh New Zealand Contingent (1901) and the Ninth Contingent (1902).

Thomas rode Major throughout South Africa and some records suggest that they covered an estimated 3000km to 6000km.

Major was twice wounded in action (in the knee and shoulder). As about 60% of the horses died in combat it is miraculous that Major survived these wounds. The campaign is recorded as notorious for the demands it placed upon horses. Once they reached South Africa, after a stressful sea journey, the horses were constantly on the move.

When the decision was made that all of the 8000 horses, taken to South Africa, were not to return to New Zealand, (due to duress and the tsetse fly threat to New Zealand), varying people protested on behalf of Major, and it was decided that Major should be sent to England to be ridden in the coronation parade of King Edward VII in 1902. After being sent to the wrong castle in England the horse made it to London in time for the parade. Lt Col Porter was commander of the Coronation Contingent and proudly rode Major in the coronation parade.

Following the coronation Major was returned to New Zealand, where he was quarantined on Matiu/Somes Island for three months. Major travelled the country with Thomas in while he worked in Canterbury, Wellington and Gisborne.

Herewaka Porter died in Christchurch on 7 December 1904. Thomas married his second wife Florence Ellen Sheppard at Petone on 6 January 1906; they were to have no children. It is likely that this is when Major would have grazed around Karori Cemetery as while Thomas worked in Wellington he lived in Karori.

Thomas retired from the Public Service in 1908 and moved back to Gisborne with Major. Major was described as “an exceptionally fine stamp of horse, possessing all the best points of strength and endurance”.

Sadly Major died at Thomas’s private Gisborne residence Heatherlea on 11 May 1909, from the effects of a severe chill. Contrary to the family story, there are no records indicating that Major was relocated from Gisborne and buried in Karori Cemetery.

During the First World War, Thomas was brought out of retirement and moved back to Wellington. He was appointed Dominion Commandant of the National Reserve and later Inspector of Recruiting Services.

Thomas retired (again) in 1919 and died on 20 November 1920 at his residence in Austin St.

Thomas’s funeral was a full military funeral featuring a gun carriage and a firing party. The regimental band was in attendance and the pallbearers were colleagues who had served with Thomas during his career.

Ch Eng/N/69

Thomas Porter
Major

Porter plot

Constance Annie de Bathe Vaughan

‘she gave her life for her child’

Widely known as Miss Connie Brandon prior to her marriage, born in 1869 she was the eldest daughter of Henry Eustace de Bathe Brandon and his wife Anna Wilson. She was the granddaughter of Alfred de Bathe Brandon, an English solicitor who was one of the New Zealand company settlers who arrived on the “London” in 1840. The Brandon family plot is highly visible at Bolton Street cemetery. Her father died in 1886 and left the family ”slenderly provided for” owing to the fact he could not get an insurance policy on his life due to lifelong poor health.

In 1894 Connie married Leonard Castle Vaughan, the second son of a Somerset gentleman who had emigrated with his brother in 1891. At the time of their marriage, Leonard was a farmer in Marton. They were married at St Paul’s church and the bridge wore an ivory silk dress and was given away by her uncle, Mr A de B Brandon (Mayor of Wellington). After the wedding breakfast, the couple departed by train for Paekakariki en route for New Plymouth where they spent their honeymoon.

During their married life, the couple attended many receptions at Government House. In 1898 there was a fancy dress ball held there, and Connie and her husband dressed as Benedict and Beatrice from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Her outfit consisted of a white satin petticoat handpainted with roses, green velvet skirt looped over the petticoat and trimmed with jewelled gold embroidery, richly embroidered bodice, sleeves of white satin slashed with green velvet, point lace collar and cap with pearl ornaments. We were very fortune to find a photo of the pair in costume.

The couple divided their time between the Manawatu and Wellington. In 1900, the Rangitikei operatic society put on a “highly credible performance of the ‘Mikado’” of which Connie undertook the entire stage management. She was directing amateur dramatics right up until a month before she gave birth.

Connie’s death notice was printed the same day as her son’s birth notice. Her son Leonard Eustace was born on 31st August 1901, at their home in Tinakori Road.

There were numerous floral tokens and telegrams and letters received attesting to the high esteem in which she was held. The Manawatu Standard printed “The death of Mrs Vaughan, wife of L. Vaughan, late of this district, cast quite a gloom in this vicinity, where she was extremely popular”.

In Connie’s will, which she signed the day of her death, she left her clothing and sewing machine to her mother, but her wedding dress and veil to her husband. Her bicycle was bequeathed to her sister Gladys and £5 to her servant Eva.

Leonard returned to England with his brother in November 1901. We presume Leonard Eustace was cared for by his Brandon relatives. In 1905, Leonard returned for his son and he was accompanied on his return trip to England by his sister in law Florence Brandon, presumably to care for her nephew.

In 1911, father and son were living with his parents in their 30-roomed ‘Barton Grange’ in Somerset with 8 servants. Leonard remarried in 1926, aged 55 and had two further children. His bride was 25. He died in 1964.

We last pick up Leonard Eustace departing Liverpool for South Africa with his wife Ellen and daughter Veronica en route to North Rhodesia where he is listed as a game ranger in 1947.

Plot: Ch Eng/L/53

Constance Vaughan plot

Edwin Joseph Ellis

“Missing Link” – have you any goods to sell? I never refuse them

We recently shared a story with a photo that had the “Missing Link” second-hand shop in the background. Some of you were curious, so we did a little digging …

The shop sat on the corner of Dixon Street and Taranaki Street (adjacent to the present Hope Gibbons Building). At about the time the photo was taken, the proprietor was Edwin Joseph Ellis. We can’t confirm his origins but we believe he was born around 1860.

Edwin first appears in the records in the Victoria police gazette in October 1897, with a warrant for deserting his wife and two children. His occupation was described as ‘hawker’. He was arrested in November.

In January 1899, there is another warrant for his arrest, this time in NSW – charged with being about to leave the colony to defeat the provisions of the “Deserted Wives and Children’s Act”. His physical description included the fact he had no fingers on his left hand! He had left home with a swag and a violin in a case. The complainant was his wife Caroline Ellis but now there were three children on the scene: Florence, Agnes and Edward. Somehow Edwin and Caroline must have patched things up as their younger children William, Matthew, Beatrice and Alexander were born in New Zealand between 1899 and 1910.

In 1903 in Wellington, Edwin was charged with three counts of having purchased goods from boys aged under 16 years. He pleaded guilty and was fined 20s for each of the charges. In 1909 he was fined 3s for purchasing a shirt after 6pm. His defence being that the man had come to him twice pleading with him to buy the shirt, as he was hard up and wanted a bed, and it was only then that he made the purchase.

But theft seems to have been the family’s primary woe. In 1908 a boy (unnamed) was convicted of stealing a pair of boots from Edwin worth 7s 6d.

In 1908, his wife Caroline was acting as a second-hand dealer in Adelaide Road. She had unwittingly purchased a pair of stolen planes. Alexander Swanson who was defending the charge of theft claimed that while he was muddled with drink, he had received the planes from another man who could not since be found. He was sent to jail for seven days.

In May 1909 Frank Kerwin was convicted of stealing a tape measure from Edwin, valued at 5s. In July, Peter Neilson and Francis Lawson were jointly charged with stealing a blanket valued at 9s.

Edwin’s second-hand shop “Missing Link” was burgled in October 1909 by Alfred Driscoll and Thomas O’Neill. They stole a miscellaneous selection of watches, chains and jewellery valued at £12 19s 6d.

In 1910 Maurice Pointon and Joseph Haughey were charged with breaking and entering the “Missing Link” and stealing two revolvers, one clock and three tobacco pouches, valued at £2 10s.

By June the same year a sale of all the stock in trade of the “Missing Link” was held as the premises were to be pulled down. Edwin relocated his shop to the corner of Tory and Vivian Streets and the site was replaced with “Belchers Buildings”. In 1917 he had another clearing sale due to the expiration of his lease. We presume he retired at this point.

He was said to have acquired considerable property in Te Aro, most notably the land for the new Municipal Milk Station in Tory Street that he sold for £7,600. The site is the present day carpark for Noel Leemings. But his obituary said that many old residents will remember his shop at the corner of Taranaki and Dixon Streets.

Caroline died in Sydney in 1927 while on a visit to her daughter and is interred at Randwick cemetery. Edwin died in 1932 aged 74. His son Alexander was interred in the same plot in 1979. Edwin’s Will & probate runs to 70 pages and his estate was valued at £17,961. Amongst his belongings was 3 violins.

ROM CATH/W/234

Missing Link shop
Ellis family plot

Rachel Rothenberg

Rachel was born in Kovno in Russian Poland to Lyons Caselberg and his wife Leah Joseph. In 1840 the family moved to Wales. The rapid expansion of coal mining had led to major economic growth in the Wales and new Jewish communities were founded especially in the heavily industrialised South Wales Valleys like Merthyr Tydfil where the Caselbergs settled. The Jewish congregation was established there in 1848 and the first synagogue built in 1852.

In 1856 Rachel married Henry Lyons, a ‘general dealer’ from Swansea and children Abraham, Moses, Sophia, Esther, Louis and Fanny were born. Henry died in 1867 and the following year Rachel married Emanuel Rothenberg who was also a ‘general dealer’ and also from Kovno. Hannah, Aaron and Gertrude were born before the family emigrated to Wellington. Not all of the children from her first marriage accompanied them. They sailed on the ‘Orairi’ from London as steerage passengers.

On arrival in Wellington, Emanuel opened a store in Willis Street. He was declared bankrupt in Wellington in April 1879. He stated that his bankruptcy was caused by sickness in his family and having a number of bad debts. A certificate of discharge was issued in August and in September he auctioned off his remaining stock. In 1880 the family had grown with the birth of William and they were living in Taranaki Street. According to later testimony by her sons, Emanuel died in Australia when they were very small children, and no further record can be found of him.

We don’t know how Rachel managed to support her large family on her own. The children attended Mt Cook School and William won a scholarship to Wellington College, and then studied law. Aron trained as a dentist completing his studies in England. Two of the daughters became teachers. In her later years Rachel she lived at 34 Buller Street with daughter Annie and son William. It was there she died in 1919, aged 81 and her death was widely reported.

Plot: Jewish/A/137

Plot of Rachel Rothenberg

Eleanor White

‘they also serve who only stand and wait’

Who organised this sweet headstone for a widow?

Eleanor White was the eldest child of William and Harriet Jones and born in Birmingham in 1847. William was a miller. At some point the family emigrated to Melbourne and it was there that Eleanor married Alexander de Pedros Kellett in 1864. He and his brother Samuel were grocers.

Eleanor’s husband had the publican’s licence for the Victoria Hotel at Prahran. In 1866 an employee by the name of Young sued Alexander for £4 for wages. Amongst his other misdemeanours, Young had been insolent to Eleanor and use threatening language towards her. But Alexander lost the case, as he had not discharged Young on the instant the insolence was given. Alexander appears to disappear from the records at about this point.

We next pick Eleanor up in New Zealand at her wedding to Charles Loynes White in 1876. Charles was the postmaster at Balclutha and later also a Registrar of marriages at Bulls. There were no children of this  marriage either. Eleanor’s Will left the bulk of her estate to her nephew Charles Hunter White (b 1886), the eldest son of her brother in law George. She said that “I have brought him up from childhood and who has been as good as a son to me”.

Charles Hunter White passed the Junior Civil Service Exam in 1903 and became a cadet in the Government Insurance Department. Eleanor was also widowed in 1903.

Charles served in WWI in Western Europe with the Wellington Regiment and Eleanor was his next of kin. They shared a home at 3 Cardall Street Newtown, until Eleanor died in 1925 aged 79. We assume it was Charles who oragnised the headstone. The line on the headstone is from a poet by John Milton “On His Blindness”.

Charles worked as a civil servant his whole working life and died in 1943. He is buried in the Servicemen’s section. He left his whole estate to Catherine Mahoney (b 1899),the wife of John Mahoney. Charles had been living at the same address as the couple since 1935. He may have been their lodger.

Eleanor White – Plot: Public 2/H/589
Charles Hunter White – Plot: Soldiers/H/3/14

Plot of Eleanor White

James Phillips

The catastrophe at Miramar

At about 3:30pm on 6 June 1910, a mass of earth without the slightest warning came down upon two men who were working in the drive at the Miramar cutting, and completely entombed one of them.

The two men John Wilson and  James Philipps had just gone into the drive after a “shot” had been fired. The shot bought down a mass of earth and after they entered the drive, a second mass came down and buried both of them.

James Wilson was rescued at about 8pm, having been administered chloroform while they tried to extricate him and immediately sent to the hospital. By 11pm the contractors had as many men as could work in the cutting engaged in the search for James Phillips. They worked through the night but it wasn’t until 11:30am the following day that they found his body.

An inquest was held on 8th June. James was described as a competent man who had the confidence of his employer and the men. He had been employed for about 2 months and had been foreman for the last five weeks. Discussion was held on the method of work, competency of the men and oversight of the Wellington Harbour Board. The medical practitioner present when his body was found thought that death had been instantaneous.

“A verdict was returned that the death was accidental and the coroner recommended that the Chief Engineer of the Wellington Harbour Board be instructed to report on the best methods of carrying out this admittedly dangerous work, with a view to minimising the risk run by the workmen engaged thereon”.

James’ funeral departed from the Mortuary Chapel of E Morris jun, 60 Taranaki Street on 10th June for Karori Cemetery. James was a married man with two children. A Benefit “social” in aid of his widow was held at the Druids’ Hall, Taranaki Street on 12th July. James is the only interment in this plot and we have been able to confirm who his family were, other than that his wife’s name was Elizabeth.

Plot: Ch Eng/Y/193

Funeral of J. Phillips, killed at the Miramar Tunnel, Wellington, 1910, Wellington, by Zak (Joseph Zachariah). Purchased 2013. Te Papa (PS.003328)

Plot of James Phillips

Mary Ann Clapshaw

Born in 1849 Mary Ann Tiernan but known as Marion, she was raised in Quebec city, Canada by her Irish born parents. At age 16, she married Evan Davies. They went to India and spent 10 years in Bombay where he was now Colonel Davies, 7th Royal Fusiliers. There were no children of the marriage. During their married life, Marion served as head school mistress of the regiment.

Evan died in June 1875 in Bombay and in October the same year Marion married James Frances Clapshaw (a native of Somerset, England). James was a warrant officer in the Second Battalion Royal Fusiliers. Their eight children were born in India, six survived to adulthood.

From 1890, the family were living in Australia while James served as warrant office on the Australian staff.

In 1902 the family came on to Wellington. It was at this point that Marion appears to have become a  breadwinner. She opened a school from her home in 1903 specifically for adults:

“Adults of both sexes desirous of improving neglected and backward education are invited to join my Culture Classes. All English subjects thoroughly taught. The beautiful arts of reading and speaking quotations from the best poets and writers. Teacher and student brought together under the most pleasing and refined circumstances. Correspondence taught and letters written” (Evening Post 22 Oct 1904)

Special attention was offered to “nervous and dull pupils”.

In 1905, Marion was made bankrupt. She stated that her earnings had only been about £5 a month and her husband, who was a church verger, had been receiving about £6 a month and that she had a family of six. She attributed her present position to sickness and accidents in her family.

Her school continued from her home “Quebec House”  with her daughters joining her as assistant teachers. At her daughter’s wedding in 1911, Marion was described to be wearing  a dress of black crepe de chine relieved with oriental insertion, and a black hat with jet and chiffon trimming.

Marion died quite suddenly at her residence 27 Wilson Street, Newtown, from heart failure, aged 67. James died in Christchurch in 1927. Marion is the only interment in this plot.

Plot: Ch Eng 2/D/133

Mary Ann Clapshaw
Clapshaw plot

Mary Louisa Hancock

Our heads were turned first by the Hancock plot, and after a little delving realised the connection with a plot three along to the right. This is the story of the Wickens family which was kindly supplemented by a descendant.

Frederick Nimrod Wickens, born 1830 in Sussex, married firstly Maria Stornton in 1852. His occupation was a land surveyor. He was one of many children and as not all could inherit the family farm, in 1856 he travelled alone to New Zealand in search of an easier life. He settled in Dunedin and described himself as a gentleman. He made an application for land from the Crown in February 1860 which he then subdivided to create the village of Frant (named after a village in Sussex) at West Harbour.

Frederick was widowed in 1866 and returned to England where he married Elizabeth Turner Peek in 1871 in Sussex. She was aged 20 and the illegitimate daughter of William Turner, an auctioneer and surveyor. She was also an artist and the family still have some of her drawings. Their children Frederick William, Trayton George and Mary Louisa (May) were born in the following years.

In 1878 the family travelled as steerage passengers on the ‘Auckland’ to New Zealand. The younger sons Frank Nimrod and Stanely Huia were born in New Zealand. Over the following years, Frederick’s jobs ranged from running a Coal & Wood business, local councillor and picture framer.

Elizabeth died in 1896. According to the family, she never really recovered following the birth of Stanley. The family then moved to Wellington. Frederick struggled with his young family and at times Stanley was sent to Te Aro school at a young age to be cared for. Money was short and May was sent out to get a job as a shop assistant. Family letters home reflect a general tone of disillusionment at how difficult life was in New Zealand.

In 1897 Frederick acquired the lease of the Ponsonby Hall off Abel Smith Street and lived in the quarters attached. The hall could be let from the Wickens for ‘Evening parties, socials, dancing or other classes’

Son Trayton George Wickens opened a studio in Manners Street called ‘T G Wickens & Co’, “for executing high class Photography in all its branches, at very low prices”. In 1899 he registered the copyright for ‘the design for a medal in commemoration of departure of New Zealand Second Contingent to the Transval’ and sold these in the form of a sterling silver medal with 5% of proceeds from the sale being donated to the Patriotic Fund. He died aged 26 in 1900 from typhoid fever and was the first interment in the righthand side plot.

Daughter May married Henry Arthur Hancock in 1900. He was a telegraph cadet. She died in 1902 of tuberculosis and he erected this magnificent headstone for her. He remarried to Lena Langdon, the divorced wife of Hart Langdon in 1923. Henry and Lena are also interred in this plot but are not named on the headstone.

Son Frank Nimrod Wickens died aged 24 from meningitis in 1908 and was the second interment in the Wickens’ plot.

Frederick Nimrod Wickens followed in 1909, aged 80,  after a long illness. In his will, he bequeathed a section in the village of Frant (section 32a and 32b upper harbour west) to his son Arthur Henry.

In 2018,the Public Trust advertised its proposal to become manager of section 32A and 32B of Upper West Harbor as the owner, Frederick Nimrod Wickens “is believed to no longer be resident in New Zealand, or even whether he is alive or dead”. So if there are any Arthur Henry Wickens descendants out there, do come forward and claim your land …

Mary Louisa Hancock

Hancock Plot
The Wickens’ plot is far right hand side.

Louis Peter Christeson

Louis was born about 1861 in Denmark. He married Eveline Stephens (born 1866) in 1883 in New Zealand and became a naturalised citizen the same year. His profession was recorded as hairdresser. A son Thomas was born in 1885 and daughter Annie in 1889.

He was an active participant in the Wellington Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association and the Wellington Scandinavian Society. He was also an amateur photographer, and whose photos give us a glimpse into his domestic life.

In 1901 Louis went to Australia where he was engaged as a ladies’ hairdresser during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York. And then in 1902 he travelled to Paris to further his studies in the latest styles of “postiche” and the most up to date fashions in ladies hairdressings. He was away for about 10 months and on his return invited “ladies who are admirers of pretty hair and who for fashion, convenience or necessity require some additional hair of any kind to call and inspect our Artistic Fringes of Natural Curled Human Hair on invisible foundations”. 

“Wigs on the Green”. In 1906 Louis sued Albert Mould for £3 that he claimed was owing for the price of a “scalp” supplied by him to Albert defendant. “A scalp” was described as “something like a wig, only it is rather less than a wig”. It was claimed the “scalp” was a loan until the permanent one was supplied and when it was returned it was useless. Louis won the case.

From at least 1893 until his death, Louis lived with both his wife Eveline and a woman named Priscilla Page (born 1870). On the Electoral Rolls, Priscilla is only described as a spinster so we have no clue as to their relationship. At his death, Louis left half of his estate to his wife, and half “to my friend Priscilla”. His total estate was worth £54,000 which has the buying power of £1.3mil today. All three died the same year and all three are interred in the same unmarked grave. Priscilla died in June, aged 86; Louis in July, age 92 and Eveline in Ocotber aged 87.

Plot: Public 3/H/541

Louis (far RHS) and his wife outside of his Willis Street store
Man in garden of Louis P Christeson (we assume this is Louis)

Alan & Elizabeth Loxton

The couple had only been married a few months before they were accidentally drowned in Wellington Harbour in 1899.

Alan Parsons Loxton was born in NSW in 1866. He trained as a draughtsman in Sydney and in 1895 was working for William Chatfield in Wellington. At the time of his death he was working for Clere, Fitzgerald and Richmond. His sister Lucinda was married to Boulton Molineaux, manager of the Bank of NSW in Wellington.

In November 1899 he became engaged to Elizabeth Davy, daughter of Chief Judge George Boutflower Davy of the Native Courts. Her sister was married to a nephew of Sir James Prendergast.

Elizabeth Davy was born in 1877. We don’t know much about Elizabeth, except what she wore in society: 14.06.95 – pale blue veiling and cream lace; 15.10.96 – pale blue silk and pompadour ribbon; 10.06.97 – pretty grey silk and lace; 26.08.97 – pink silk with gauze frills. We also know she went to Dunedin in 1897 to consult Dr Fergusson about her eyes.

The couple were married in June 1899.

At about 6pm on Tuesday 19th September, they went to Jervois Quay to hire a boat from Richard Huffam. Richard noticed the woman had a bag of fruit in her hands and she caught sight of the name Little Nell on the stern of one of his boats, a skiff 3ft wide and 14 ft long. Elizabeth remembered being out in that boat with Alan about six months ago and expressed a wish that they might have the Little Nell again.

Alan folded his overcoat for Elizabeth to sit on, and took his place at the oars. They said they would be back by 9pm and by 11:30pm Richard became anxious and started checking the other wharves in case they had returned elsewhere. At about 12:15am, the steamer Te Kapu came into port and the captain told the duty constable that they had picked up a boat half full of water and some articles of clothing.

Elizabeth’s body was found near shore by Ngauranga train station the next morning. She was wearing a black coat with one buttoned fastened. Papers in the pocket with the name B.M. Molineaux assisted in alerting the family.

An inquest was held at the couple’s house in Palmer Street. Her brother in law stated the couple were happy and often went boating on moonlit evenings. Alan was a good swimmer but suffered from asthma.

Mr Huffam’s theory was that Elizabeth had stood up and lost her balance and her husband had tried to seize her, causing himself to fall in. This would cause the boat to ship water, but not capsize. The jury returned a verdict of accidentally drowned through falling from a boat. Alan’s body was never recovered.

Plot: Ch Eng/M/14