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Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: sunic on Sunday 02 October 11 17:27 BST (UK)
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Hi, I'm coming to NZ next month and want to flesh out what I already know about my 3x great uncle.
Jethro Smale and his wife Fanny arrived in Wellington aboard the Waipa on 2nd April 1876. Their son Ernest was born in the 'Immigration Depot' on 28th April. Next thing I know they are back in London by 24th Sept 1877 when Jethro joins the Police.
What I want to find out is where they lived in NZ (if they ever left the Immigration Depot), what their life would have been like, and when and how (and why if poss) they left.(I haven't been able to locate them on any passenger list back to UK).
Please can anyone tell me a where to go to get further information? Is the National Archives the best place or are there other options?
Thanks
Sunic
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http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/ArrivalWaipa.htm
thats a link for where they were meant to go
Bye
althea
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Thanks Althea,
This is very helpful. So it looks like they were bound to Wellington, rather than the other places mentioned. They were still in the Immigration depot 26 days later, so I suppose the next step is to find out if that is normal, and if there would be any records for where they went if they left the depot.
Sunic
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Research guide
http://archives.govt.nz/research/guides/migration
Seems strange, people did return to England because it was not what they expected, maybe their sponsorship or promised work did not eventuate.
bye
Althea
The Waipa records are online at LDS do you know how to find them
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection/1609792
click browse records
then wellington
then 1876
then Waipa
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Yes thanks, I've got that.
I assume deciding to go home is a major decision financially - surely they'd have to pay their own passage home?
Sunic
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Sunic
You probably have all this information but I post it here just in case
Back To Search Results Previous Page New Search
Detail:
Person Details
Name JETHRO
Family Name SMALE
Gender M
Date Of Birth 1849
Place Of Birth DEVONSHIRE
Date Of Death
Place Of Death
General Notes
Record Source Vogel Government Period
Voyage Details
Voyage Number 1
Is NZCO Voyage? No
Comments
Vessel Name WAIPA
Voyage Details Click Here
Other Fields
FANNY
Mans age 26
Womans age 25
Occupation or calling GARDENER
Assisted Y
Source IM 15/257 'WAIPA' NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
From the Petone Settlers Museum (who aim to list all immigrants to Wellington).
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0fc9/
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Thank you TwiggyTree, yes I have this - I want to find out what happened next!
Sunic
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A little 1876 background on the immigration depots
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP18760412.2.7&srpos=1&e=--1876---1877--10-EP-1-byDA---2immigration+depot--
looks like you could stay there until something secured, but once you left, you weren't allowed back in
Bye
Althea
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Have you contacted the Petone Settlers museum
they would be obvious place for more background info
(following on from Twiggytree's info)
Bye
althea
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Didn't know about them until just now - will investigate. Maybe you could stay at the Immigration Depot as long as you wanted.
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I have only just registered with roots hat, so your request may no longer be relevant; but Jethro Smale was married to my mother's great aunt, Fanny Godsave, from Great Warley, Essex. I think that Jethro worked his passage back from NZ, as on his police attestation forms, his occupation was given as seaman.
He was with the Thames police, stationed on a floating police station at Greenwich. He was drowned on August 21st 1890. The family tradition was that for a bet he said he could dive in and swim under the station - he drowned! Because he had taken off his jacket, he was not in uniform, and thus his widow got no pension. Police re rods confirm no pension was granted.
I have a little more information, if you are interested.
D Morgan
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Hi,
Yes I am interested!! Jethro was my 3x great uncle through his sister Sarah. I saw the newspaper reports into his death. I felt so sorry for his wife and children. I presume one or other of them didn't like NZ as they decided to come back pretty quickly. Are the Attestation Forms online? I've only found the entries in the Police Registers. I would love to hear any information you have. I have a lot of information about his father Humphrey which was hard to come by. If you're missing any info about him I'm happy to help.
Thanks, best wishes,
Sunic
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I got the police info by emailing heritagecentre[at]met.police.uk they sent me digital copies of their records. As I'm not supposed to put my email address on here, I'm not sure how to send them to you - my computer skills are a bit limited! And they are on my laptop, not this ipad.
I have several pictures of Fanny, one (I think) before she married.
Why did they marry in Croydon, rather than her home in Great Warley?
Could you tell me what paper his death report was in, and do you know where he as buried?
My interest in Jethro was sparked by the family story of his death, although he is fairly peripheral to my main family history.
I have just thought: If you wrote to me. Dan Morgan. (*)
I could send you hard copies of what I have got.
Dan Morgan
Moderator Comment: e-mail edited, to avoid spamming and other abuses.
Please replace [-- at --] with @
(*) Moderator Comment: personal address removed to protect personal privacy.
Please use the Personal Message (PM) system for exchanging personal information.
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Hi Dan, and welcome to RootsChat. :)
If you make one more post you will be able to use the Personal Message facility and contact other members direct.
Spades
Moderator
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Thanks Dan, I'll email the heritage centre and will PM you as they've removed your address. I'd love to see a picture of Fanny! I have a copy of their marriage certificate and it says Fanny was living in Penge (which is also where Jethro's parents were living). If my research is correct, in 1871 she was a cook in Lewisham, which isn't that far away. I can't find Jethro in 1871, but his family moved up from Devon at some point between the 1861/71 censuses. I don't know whether you've researched them, but it's a convoluted story (however I have proved it without doubt). They have been very hard to trace and I'd love to know their motivation for their actions, but I presume I never will, unless I get really lucky! The newspaper report of Jethro's death was in the 'Morning Post' on 28 August 1890 - I tried to attach a copy but it wouldn't let me. It's on FindMyPast. Is there a way I can get it to you if you can't access it?
Do you have Ancestry? I wonder if the easiest way for you to see the information I have is for me to share my tree with you (it's set on private because I had a problem with a man insisting I had siblings that I don't!!).
Sue
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ also worth a look.