1882-1901
Christiana had only been married to Alfred James Wingfield for less than a year when she died in Wellington, a distance from both their families in Hina Hina in the Catlins District of South Otago. They had grown up as settler-farmer neighbours clearing the bush of the region to earn a living from the land.
Christiana’s parents, George Harry and Susan Smith (nee Burrell), had a second home in Dunedin. Her time, with her eight brothers and sisters was split between schooling in Dunedin after the local Hina Hina school closed, and life on the farm.
During the year 1900 Christiana was living in Dunedin in employment as a hand-seamstress at the DIC Department Store. She and Alf married at St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin in December of that year. The marriage was not one planned over time with all the families in attendance, and a letter from Ma, her mother, to her sister Lizzie tells us the detail.
Sunday, Dunedin
My Dear Liz
Just a line or two we are getting on all right. I was sorry I did not know sooner that the marriage could not take place until Tuesday or that Alf had to be here in Dunedin three full days. I do wish I could have let you know and I would have got you to come down.
Archdeacon Robinson is to marry them in St Pauls, and they are going to take the boat to Lyttleton. They are going from there to Ch-Church (Christchurch) to see the Exhibition then to Wellington to spend the honeymoon, as the return tickets last three months they may take a long honeymoon.
We have got her rigged up in style I can tell you, but we had to buy everything ready-made. She will be married in her travelling dress of brown colonial tweed. We got some pretty things I will tell you when we come all about it.
I feel tired today as we had so much to do yesterday so, please excuse the writing the pen too is bad. She looks so toff in her new dress and hat, but we thought it best to wear the new travelling one as it is such a nuisance having to change. The few who are coming you know, just Mrs Haigh, Powell and LR Tillie, bridesmaid, and Harry, best man, we are all coming to Mrs Jacks to celebrate the event in cake and wine and lunch after, then to the station to see them off and I will be home on Wednesday.
From Ma.
The newly-weds settled into Lamerton Cottage, Sydney Street, close to Parliament in Wellington. Letters Christiana wrote to Lizzie from Wellington have survived in which she describes the sights and happenings in a bustling city, a very different place from Dunedin. Ma visited in February 1901. Lizzie would have accompanied her to Wellington but was busy during that time with her music examinations in Dunedin.
A wedding photo taken later in Wellington, 1900–01. Christiana wrote home that the photos’ negatives were lost in a central city fire that consumed the photographer’s Wellington business.
Photo Wrigglesworth & Binns, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington.
Photo Wrigglesworth & Binns, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington.
George Alfred Wingfield was born the following June but Christiana, at the age of 18 years, died shortly after on July 12th. It was a sad time for Ma making the trip again alone to Wellington to grieve with Alf and meet her grandson. Baby George struggled the first months but succumbed to join Christiana in the Karori Cemetery in February 1902.
Christiana is also remembered in memorial on the family plot in the Owaka Cemetery, Otago.
Alf returned south and lived his life in Oamaru, remarried but had no further children.
Plot Church of England 1, 41 N
Ally McBride, great niece.
