We share stories about the people known to be buried at Karori Cemetery. The burial register also contains 18 entries for ‘Male Unknown’. These men have died in Wellington and been buried without being identified. So today we remember them and share below the little we can find about them. The information comes from the burial register and the inquests printed in the newspaper at the time. All are in unmarked plots. Many share the plot they are in with paupers.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 27 July 1895
Plot: *Public/E/21
Information: found in Wellington harbour. Inquest described him as a Seaman.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 2 April 1896
Plot: *Public/E/86
Information: found in Wellington harbour. Inquest described him as about 50 years of age.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 5 June 1896
Plot: *Public/E/106
Information: found in Wellington harbour. The inquest noted that he was much taller than the sailor missing from the steamer Matatua.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 17 April 1897
Plot: *Public/E/199
Information: found in the harbour by Joseph Corrick (an employee of the Union Steam Ship Company) near Queen’s Wharf. Deceased was described as having a dark beard turning grey and a Roman nose. He was dressed in a dark tweed suit, a blue coloured Oxford shirt with turned down collar, blue tie, flannel singlet and a pair of elastic-side boots. In his pockets were a pair of spectacles, a knife, a metal match box, a handkerchief and a carpenter’s pencil. There was no money.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 6 January 1903
Plot: *Public/N/79
Information: found in Hutt River. Inquest noted that he appears to be a seafaring man or wharf labourer, 40 to 45 years old, almost 5ft 4in high, a dancing-girl and bust of a woman tattooed on his arms. He was dressed in an old black Vienna coat and vest with blue serge trousers. A watch & chain and two pennies were found on the deceased.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 31 July 1905
Plot: *Public 2/G/16
Information: found in Wellington harbour. The inquest jury returned an open verdict.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 15 September 1906
Plot: *Ch Eng/X/192
Information: story is on our website https://friendsofkaroricemetery.co.nz/unknown-male/
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 23 February 1907
Plot: *Public 2/G/9
Information: found in Wellington harbour. A watch was found on the body and had been made for J. Ralph of 8 Park Street Sydney.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 3 November 1908
Plot: *Ch Eng/X/83
Information: found in Wellington harbour near the Thorndon Baths by a lad named Thomas Brice. The man was about 5ft 5in in height and was wearing a brown tweed coat, dark tweed trousers and vest and blucher boots.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 11 July 1912
Plot: *Ch Eng/X/60
Information: found in Wellington harbour. A pipe and cigarette papers the only things found in his pockets. He was still clasping a penny. He was of stout build with dark hair and moustache. He was dressed in a dark serge sac suit and dark grey overcoat.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 11 May 1914
Plot: *Public 2/G/184
Information: found in Wellington harbour. In his pockets was a notebook recording the number of hours he had worked in the country harvesting and cutting gorse.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 30 December 1914
Plot: *Ch Eng 2/A/39
Information: found in the harbour by Constable Thompson. Dressed in a square-cut single-breasted dark tweed coat with a grey stripe, a grey tweed vest and light-coloured bone buttons and dungaree pants. On the neckband of the short were the words ‘Made expressly for Laidlaw, Lees, Auckland’. On the left wrist was a broad leather band. One foot was covered with a piece of flour bag and the other with a white handkerchief, which did duty as sox. Chrome watertight boots completed the footgear. The underclothing consisted of a heavy Petone woollen singlet.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 4 June 1917
Plot: *ROM CATH/U/38
Information: story is on our website https://friendsofkaroricemetery.co.nz/killed-by-a-tram/
Male Presumed to be Felix Murphy
Date of Burial 7 December 1920
Plot: *Ch Eng 2/A/306
Information: the body was found in the harbour near Queen’s Wharf. Felix Murphy went missing from a vessel which left Wellington for Boston on 26th November. It is thought that this was him but there was insufficient evidence to identify the body.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 13 April 1921
Plot Public 2/W/224
Information: found on Pencarrow beach
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 27 August 1921
Plot: *Public 2/I/382
Information: found drowned. Inquest described his clothing as bearing the initials G.R.C.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 9 December 1926
Plot: *Public 2/W/543
Information: found in harbour near the Clyde Quay Wharf. He had a dark moustache and dark hair turning grey. He was wearing a fawn tweed overcoat with a belt at the back and black boots. No papers were found in his pockets.
Male Unknown
Date of Burial 24 April 1945
Plot: *Public 3/D/56
Information: found on the rocks in Evans Bay. He was about 60 years old and of thin build, fresh complexion and an operation scar on the right side of his body. He was dressed in a brown sports coat and brown trousers and blue stripped short with the laundry marks ‘B.L’ and ’62 U’. He was wearing two pullovers, one green, one of blue check.
