There are two memorials placed against the Underwood mausoleum that originally marked Houghton family graves at Bolton Street Cemetery.

The headstone attached to the wall is for John Houghton, born 1818 in Shoreditch, London. He married Charlotte Yoell in 1839 and they emigrated to New Zealand just three weeks later on the ‘Aurora’. Their son Louis was born at sea and died as a child. John and Charlotte separated and both remarried although a formal divorce may not have been obtained.

On arrival in New Zealand he first went surveying for Mr Stokes about ‘Kaiwarra’ and Johnsonville. He then worked with his father and brothers boating and lightering up until about 1851. He went to Sydney and then the Victoria diggings before returning to Wellington in 1854 and opened a grocery store in Willis Street. The same year he married Mary Anne Harris at Taita. She was the eldest of thirteen children born to Abraham and Sophia Harris who arrived on the ship ‘Bolton’. Their children were Sophia Ann (1855-1861), Harriet Ellen (1858-1916) and John David (1860-1860).

On 7^th September 1879, John was reported as missing from his house Flagstaff Hill in Willis Street. He had got up at 3am, dressed and quietly left the house leaving the front door partly open. By the 18^th September, the newspapers still had no news. Telegrams were sent to his friends in the Manawatu and Picton but nothing had been heard of him. On 29^th September, his body was found in Wellington harbour near the Te Aro baths. He was identified by his clothes and papers in his pocket. John was 60 years old.

At the inquest, a lodger in the Houghton home named Henry James Underwood stated that on the 7^th September John was in his usual spirits and wished him goodnight as he went to bed. John also suffered from attacks of cramp which were only relieved by ribbing or walking. John’s daughter Harriet also gave evidence.

In the face of family objections, Henry Underwood eloped with Harriet Houghton. They were married on 6^th November 1879. The couple lived at Holly Lodge. Mary Ann continued living at Flagstaff Hill where she died suddenly on 6^th June 1893. Harriet placed In Memoriam notices in the newspaper for her mother every year until 1914. Harriet lost her husband in the sinking of the S.S. Penguin in 1909. His body was the first interment in the Underwood Mausoleum. Harriet died in 1916 and is one of 16 family members in the Mausoleum.

With the coming of the new urban motorway set to run through the middle of the cemetery, in 1969 John, Mary Ann and their infant children Sophia Ann and John David’s remains were disinterred from Bolton Street, cremated and interred in the Underwood mausoleum. The monuments came to be placed here at this time.

Houghton Bay is named after John’s father, Captain Robert Houghton. He was the person responsible for the powder magazine at Somes Island and the signal station at Mount Albert about Houghton Bay.

Plot: *Ch Eng/A/51

By Julia Kennedy

The Houghton family grave, plot 0614, Bolton Street Cemetery. Shotter, P J E :Negatives and albums (with index) of graves in the Bolton Street and Sydney Street cemeteries, Wellington. Ref: 35mm-25607-8A-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23139725

Matthew was born in Somerset, England in 1824. He arrived in Wellington on the S.S. Arab in 1841 with his parents and siblings. In 1864 he married the widowed Janet Downie (nee Robertson). The groom and bride were 40 and 39 years old respectively. Janet had a son named Alexander from her first marriage born in 1849.

Matthew went farming at Turakina for many years and then settled in Durietown. He moved to River Bank, Wanganui after Janet died in 1895.

In October 1903 he sold up everything and left the Wanganui to move Wellington where he purchased a house in Ellice Avenue [now Porritt Ave]. He married early in 1904 to Lucy Maria Haylock. The groom was 80, the bride was 41. From 1899 to 1903, Lucy had been living at River Bank and was working as a housekeeper. Was she Matthew’s?

Shortly afterward the wedding, Matthew made his Will. He died on 7^th August 1904.

‘He was a quiet unassuming man, and took no active part in public matters. He was well known and highly respected’ – Wanganui Herald, 9 August 1904.

In Matthew’s will, his stepson Alexander Downie received £800. A niece of his first wife Janet, named Mysie McAlley, received £50. The rest of his estate went to his wife Lucy. The newspaper published that it was valued at £5387 in total.

Alexander Downie died in 1921 and left his estate to his cousins. Lucy never remarried and died in 1949 and in her Will left her property in Duncan Terrace and all of her assets to the Christian Assemblies of Australia and New Zealand. She is the second interment in this plot.

Plot: *Public 2/K/4

By Julia Kennedy

one of the best rifle shots New Zealand has ever produced

Arthur Samuel Ballinger was born in 1860, in Melbourne, Australia. He was the son of Joseph Ballinger who would eventually own one of the largest plumbing business in  Wellington. Joseph started the business as a small shop on Willis Street in 1864 and then moved to Waring Taylor Street in 1879 where the company held a very large site. Notably, Joseph installed the plumbing at Government Buildings.

Arthur and his brother William Henry took over the business when their father died in 1881. The brothers expanded the from the six staff that their father employed to thirty-four by 1900. Among the fixtures in their impressive plumbing showroom was a toilet made of iron, stamped and painted to resemble carved walnut.

In 1902, the brothers were in dispute over patents with their older brother, Thomas, who had established his own very successful plumbing company in Wellington.

But it is in rifle shooting that Arthur is most remembered. His shooting career started with the cadets in 1872. In 1892 he was part of the Petone Rifle Club members competition. He secured second ‘leg-in’ with a score of 97 out of 105. National success came at Trentham in 1893, Auckland 1897 and Trentham again in 1907. In 1873, the government had donated a belt that became the prize for the national championship. The third victory gave him the belt outright. At the banquet given to the Ballinger brothers in 1907, Arthur said he had decided to present the belt to the Association, on condition that it became known as the Ballinger Champion Belt. It is now the oldest sporting trophy in New Zealand.

In responding to Arthur’s speech, Hon. J Carroll said that a country’s defences must be strong on land. ‘This could be brought about by cultivating nerve, resolution, self-control, and patriotism and rifle practice’. He went on to say ‘… the old fashioned weapons contrasted strangely with the fighting machines of today, but the quality of men remained the same’.

His brother William was also a champion rifle shooter and was often Arthur’s competition for first prize. As was their elder brother Joseph, shooting off in a tie with Arthur in 1892.

Arthur married Fanny Smith in 1891 and their children were Eric Arthur, Leonard Francis, Norah Alice and Esmee Phyllis.  He was a member of the Petone Club for more than 30 years and was competing in minor association meetings and club competitions until just a few years before his death. Arthur died in 1941 aged 80. He is the first of nine interments in this plot.

Plot: *Ch Eng 2/M/479

By Julia Kennedy

Johan Gottlob August Rothe (aka John Rothe) arrived in New Zealand from Germany in the early 1880s. He married Sophia Maria Christina Rose (aka Sophy) in 1882. The groom was 32 and the bride was 24. Sophy was the grand daughter of German immigrants and grew up in the Upper Moutere. John and Sophy’s children were Annie Sophia, Thomas John and Lily Elise. Lily died in 1887 at 2 months old.

The family lived at Ngauranga where John operated a sausage skin factory for ‘Oppenheimer & Co of New York’ in the nearby Wakefield Gully.  The former Wakefield Gully road appears to still exist as a cycle route between Newlands and the Centennial Highway at Ngauranga.

In 1890 John obtained a permit to slaughter and subsequently opened a butchers shop on Manners Street opposite the Opera House.

But the ‘nuisance’ caused by the commercial activities in Wakefield Gully came to the notice of the health authority several times. It was described as bleak, precipitous gorge and unlikely to be selected for building any housing. Towards the head, the gully branched and there was a dam at the left used for flushing the creek. The upper most inhabitant of the Gully was Mr Futter where he deposited animal refuse for several years. This was known as the ‘tip’. At John’s place, the refuse from the sausage skin factory was disposed of using a digestor and the solids were burnt. The liquid, which contained a large volume of gelatinous animal matter, was poured into the creek.

John’s lower neighbour in the gorge was Mr Taylor who ran a tallow and manure processing operation run in dilapidated buildings. Animal matter was lying about the banks of the creek. The toilets in all three premises drained into the creek also. These activities were about 500 – 600 yards away from the residents of Ngauranga and the stench was described as ‘very high’.

In a case against the three men in May 1900, Mr W.R. Haseldine, S.M  ordered that James Futter was to cover all the accumulated material at the ‘tip’ with chlorinated soda and then destroy it by fire. John was ordered to remove the timber floor from the sausage skin factory and replace it with a cement concrete floor, to scrape the walls thoroughly and then lime white wash them before covering them to a height of 6ft with zinc panels. Frederick Taylor was ordered to thoroughly cleanse his buildings either by destroying them with fire or lime washing them.

We presume that John carried out the order as he continued operations until October 1904 when he sold out the lease on the premises and moved to Petone. On 26^th April 1905, daughter Annie married Albert Wells at St Augustine’s church at Petone. Just a few months later on 16^th October, John died at Annie’s house in Crawford Road, Kilbirnie aged 55 years.

Sophy died on 3^rd August 1918, also at Annie’s house in Kilbirnie.

Albert and Annie Wells had five daughters and Annie died in 1949 and is buried at Karori Cemetery (Plot: *Ch Eng 2/E/160).

John and Sophy’s son Thomas went to the United States in 1907, married and fought during WWI. He died in 1965 in Michigan.

Plot: *Ch Eng/U/129

By Julia Kennedy

Rothe headstone November 2024.

Helena was the eldest daughter of John James Boyd and his wife Ann Elizabeth (nee Barker). John was a successful builder based in Newtown. In 1898 at the age of 22, Helena married Robert Albert Upchurch, known as Albert or Bob. Albert was a plumber.

After their marriage, the couple lived in Picton Avenue, Newtown.  Their first child Albert Edward was born in 1899 and a daughter Ida Florence in 1903. By 1908 the family had moved to Hunterville.

In January 1909, Helena gave birth to her third child named Helena May.  Helena died shortly after on 10^th January, presumably as a result of the birth. She was 32 years old. Her body was bought from Hunterville to Wellington and her funeral departed from her father’s house  ‘The Anchorage’ in Kilbirnie at 2pm on 13^th January for Karori Cemetery.

On the 11^th September in the same year, baby Helena May also died and was interred with her mother at Karori Cemetery.

When Helena’s father John died in 1928, his estate was worth over £100,000. He specifically bequeathed £500 to each of Helena’s remaining two children. Helena’s mother Ann died in 1948 aged 88. John and Ann lie in the adjoining plot to Helena’s

*Public/K/115.

Helena’s beautiful headstone is a good example of the clasped handshake symbol. The two cuffs are distinctly masculine and feminine in their detail. It is used to symbolise unity between two people after death where the deceased has left a loved one behind.

Plot: *Public/K/77

By Julia Kennedy

John Alfred Chaney married Nicoline (Lena) Petersen in 1887 in Wellington. He was 21 and she was 17. Lena arrived in New Zealand in 1873, aged 3. She came from Denmark with her parents and two sisters. John was born in Lyttelton.

John and Lena’s sons John, William and Albert were born in 1888, 1890 and 1892 respectively. It was later said by Lena’s sister that John treated Lena cruelly and that she had to work to support herself. She thought John did support his children though.

In 1902, and claiming to have not heard from her husband for 9 years, Lena married Otto Herman Maymond. John who had been suffering from delirium tremens in Wellington Hospital turned up six days after the marriage took place, and then died a week later.

In 1922, Lena was questioned by Detective Sergeant William Butler of Napier about her third marriage to Benjamin Henry Charles Bright (alias Charles Benjamin Chapman) at Hastings that year. She denied having married Otto Maymond and only lived with him. She was charged with bigamy.

Lena’s defence lawyer stated that under the Crimes Act, no one can have committed bigamy if either party had been absent for seven years. Her marriage to Benjamin was ‘all right’, said Lena’s lawyer, because her marriage to Otto was not valid as her first husband was alive. The jury retired at 12:30pm and at 12:45pm returned a verdict of ‘not guilty’. The judge quipped ‘Well gentlemen, if you can reconcile that with your consciences, it’s your business, not mine’. Lena died in 1925 in Palmerston North.

John is the only interment in this plot, which is unmarked. Thanks to Kieran for supplying the photo.

Plot: *Ch Eng/X/12

By Julia Kennedy

Sarah was the first interment in this plot. She was the daughter of George Clifford and his wife Elizabeth (nee Clarke). She was born in 1875 in Waitara. In 1896 Sarah married James Thomas Yeo. James was born in Exmouth, Devon in 1871.

In 1900, a daughter was born named Ellen [Helen] Armstrong Morrison Yeo. Ellen’s birth was only registered in 1957. James’ will which was dated 2 December 1958 repeatedly refers to Helen/Ellen as his adopted daughter.

In 1904 the family were living in the Wairarapa. Sarah won second place in the Ladies 100-yard race at the annual Kakaraki Athletic Club event. In 1905 the family were living near Hukanui and James was advertising in the NZ Times looking for work:

‘An experienced and competent yards man desires engagement, bush or town mills; not afraid of work’.

Sarah died at Wellington Hospital on 8^th November 1909. Her funeral left their home at Hayes Street, Brooklyn at 2:30pm on 10^th November for Karori Cemetery. James remarried in 1913 and their daughter Helen married Montague Enting in 1922.

The second interment in this plot is Sarah’s mother, Elizabeth Clifford (nee Clarke). Elizabeth was born in 1840 in Coseley, Staffordshire. Her father David was a ‘sinker’ – this occupation created the vertical element of mine shafts. Elizabeth married George Clifford, a labourer, in 1863. Three children were born before they emigrated as assisted immigrants to Taranaki in 1874. Also on board with them was Elizabeth’s half-brother David Clarke. Two of George’s siblings emigrated in 1875 to New Zealand.

Their daughter Sarah was born in 1875, the same year they lost their first daughter Elizabeth, aged three. Their son, Benjamin, was born in 1877 at Waitara. By 1908 Elizabeth is a widow and living with her son George and his wife in Veale Road, Taranaki. We could not trace what happened to her husband.

Elizabeth died in her sleep at her son George’s residence at Matahiwi in 1928. She was in her 89^th year. The funeral took place in Wellington. Longevity ran in the family with her son Benjamin living to the age of 93. His ashes are interred in the Small Chapel at Karori Cemetery with his wife’s in 1970.

Plot: *Public 2/J/177

By Julia Kennedy

Hannah was born in 1808 in West Teignmouth, Devon, England. In 1848 she married Johann Otten in Whitechapel, London. This was her second marriage, her first husband was Mr Parkhouse. Hannah and Johann emigrated in the 1850s. Her brother Henry Bragg and his wife Caroline had arrived in Wellington in 1848.

By the mid 1860s, Hannah was running a Boarding Establishment at Claremont Cottage on Willis Street. In 1875, she was seeking  a General Servant and the benefits advertised were that she was not at home on Sunday evenings and there were no children.

In 1886 she wrote to the Board of Education complaining of the annoyance caused by children of Te Aro School assembling in front of her house. The matter was referred to the Te Aro School committee.

In 1891, Hannah was again looking for domestic help. She wanted a girl to assist in housework and to reside in the house. Sunday afternoons were offered as time off and that there were two in the family to take care of.

But 1891 was a sad year for Hannah. Her husband Johann died, followed by her sister-in-law Caroline and then her brother Henry. All three are buried at Bolton Street.

Hannah died in 1895 aged 86 at her house on Willis Street. In her Will, she left all of her property to John William Pickergsill who is the second interment in this plot. He was an accountant at the Bank of Australasia and died of pneumonia in 1900, aged 50. We do not know if there was any family connection between the two. John’s wife, Ann Olive, is the third interment in 1909. She died aged 72. The fourth and final interment is that James Frederick Linley, Ann’s son by her first marriage. He died in 1936 aged 71.

Plot: *Ch Eng/B/29

By Julia Kennedy

Our dear brothers

Antonio Mastrogeorge (Antonios Demitrious Mastrogeorgiou), known in NZ as Anotnio George

Stelios Mastrogeorge (Stelios Mastrogeorgiou) known in NZ as Stanley George

Antonio and Stelios were born in Plomari, Mytilini, Greece and were 2 out of 7 siblings who came to New Zealand. Antonio and another brother Georgios (George) were listed as operating a restaurant as the George Brothers called the Empire Street Cafe in Willis Street.

Stelios was listed as a waiter on his death record so he could have possibly been involved in the family business as well.

Antonio passed away in the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, signing his will two days before he passed away to allow his brother Georgios to be his executor. 

Remembered by their remaining siblings in New Zealand Marigo, Permathia, Emmanuel, Georgios, Zaharo

It’s been a little difficult finding further information on the brothers, due to the various name changes, and the anglicising of their names.

If anyone has further information on this family we would love to know.

Plot: *Public 2/I/309

Mastrogeorge plot

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.

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.