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Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: spades on Wednesday 22 May 24 10:47 BST (UK)
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Hi everyone,
I am looking for any information for Arthur VON POELNITZ or POELLNITZ who in 1875 was a Mounted Constable in the Armed Constabulary, based in Wanganui.
My research suggests that he was gentry, possibly a hereditary Baron from Bavaria, who arrived first to Australia and then moved on to New Zealand, later returning to live in NT and NSW Australia. I am keen to discover his place of birth, parents, marriage and place of death/burial, probably after 1919.
Research discoveries to date:
A ‘Baron Arthur Von Poelnitz’ arrived at Melbourne aboard the Black Ball Line’s Princess Alexandra in June 1868:
The Argus, 15 June 1868, page 4, column A.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5818987
The same passenger was described as a lieutenant in the Cuirassiers of the King of Bavaria:
The Age, 15 Jun 1868, Page 2 THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/176997776?searchTerm=von%20poelnitz
Arthur makes no appearance the Armed Constabulary rolls or in NZ BDM records, although Archives New Zealand holds six documents dating to 1875 which refer to a VON POELNITZ as a member of the Armed Constabulary.
Arthur was a champion rifle shot, winning the Carbine Champion Belt (later renamed the Charles Upham Memorial Cavalry Champions Belt) in 1875.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Upham_Memorial_Cavalry_Champions_Belt
In 1876 he was appointed Court Interpreter to the Immigration Officer:
Wanganui Chronicle, 29 March 1876, Page 2
Appointment. — Mr Arthur VON POELLNITZ, who, it will be remembered, was in possession of the Carbine Champion Belt up till the late representative firing, has been appointed interpreter and assistant to Mr Brewer, the Immigration officer. As a large number of foreign immigrants of various nationalities are expected to arrive, the appointment is a necessary one.
In November 1877 at Christchurch he narrowly escaped conviction on a legal technicality for embezzlement of the Acclimatisation Society while the society's curator:
Wanganui Herald, 22 November 1877, Page 2
The arrest of Arthur VON POELNITZ, at Christchurch, on a charge of embezzlement, is an item of interest to many in this district to whom "the Baron" was well-known.
By 1882 Arthur was living in the Northern Territory, AUS, as in June 1882 a Mr. A. VON POELNITZ of the Palmerston Rifle Club won the B.A.T. Mess Challenge Cup for the third time:
Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 24 June 1882, Page 2 PALMERSTON RIFLE CLUB
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3152446?searchTerm=von%20poelnitz
By 1884 Arthur was married (no record found in NZ BDM) and living in Fiji when he was convicted of forgery and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, as this article reveals:
Manawatu Standard, 5 June 1884, Page 2
LOCAL AND GENERAL.
A certain VON POELNITZ, who was well known in Wanganui a few years ago (says the Chronicle) as a member of the Armed Constabulary and a crack shot having once won the carbine champion belt, has lately got himself into trouble in Fiji. He has been convicted of forgery, and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. Since his imprisonment his wife has sued for a divorce, which has been granted. At the hearing of the divorce case the evidence was of a very extraordinary nature, and some very startling disclosures were made as to the principle parties concerned.
Reference and link deleted by OP - spurious.
I cannot find any record of a death or marriage, and I would love to know the details of the forgery case in Fiji.
Any help gratefully received.
Spades
Edit by Spades 13 June 2024: Subject line edited to reflect accurate spelling of surname.
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11 Mar 1873
Melbourne
Age 26
Naturalization
Occ. soldier
Born Lindau, Bavaria
In 1911 in Kent is this couple. Don’t know if it’s too far fetched! He’s the right age. And naturalisation date is very close.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWDH-FRK
Ancestry has a record for a son H. W. Von Poellnitz RAF, who died as a result of injuries 1918 at Basra. motor car accident.
Photo in papers. And caption says he was grandson of Sir Walter Elliot of Wolfelee.
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Don't know if this is the same person you are after but from the census records mcka489 posted
This is the probate record for the wife mentioned
Poellnitz Baroness Caroline Elizabeth of Blacklee Station Sidcup Kent wife of Baron Arthur James John Robert McKenzie Poellnitz died 30 January 1920 Administration London 4th March to the said mentioned
Effects £141 10s 4d
Rosie
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And in 1921 he is widowed and in Kensington with his sister.
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That wife’s death
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Update
H.W. = Herman Walter
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Deleted. Confusing myself
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A tree on geneanet says the marriage was October 10, 1887. Wonder where. Can’t find it so far
Which would mean Herman W. Must be a son of wife 1.
Yes I could not see one either there seems to be plenty of tree's for Caroline but not much information on Arthur ..Think it might just be a coincidence with the names ::)
Rosie
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Marriage
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A tree on geneanet says the marriage was October 10, 1887. Wonder where. Can’t find it so far
Which would mean Herman W. Must be a son of wife 1.
Yes I could not see one either there seems to be plenty of tree's for Caroline but not much information on Arthur ..Think it might just be a coincidence with the names ::)
Rosie
Yes…but he isn’t in England in the crucial years. Ie there is nothing to rule him out yet.
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Well done mckha489 ;) Caroline was on the 1881 census in Roxburgh Scotland with her family
Rosie
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Repton school reg has Herman born 21 Jan 1891
Address in 1905, Brookfield, Blandford, Dorset
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They were still in Argentina 1895 National Census
Incoming record for Baron A Poellnitz
5 august 1905 Southampton
Rosie
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Herman is on 1911. At Sandhurst.
Born Argentina
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Herman is on 1911. At Sandhurst.
Born Argentina
A tree has a death for him 11 May 1918 Bagdad
Herman Walter Von Poellnitz
Rosie
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Herman is on 1911. At Sandhurst.
Born Argentina
A tree has a death for him 11 May 1918 Bagdad
Herman Walter Von Poellnitz
Rosie
I thought I had posted that already.
He died as a result of a car accident but it is classed as a war death
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I THINK Arthur and Caroline were cousins.
Off to sleep now.
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Sorry mckha ;)
Rosie
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This Arthur’s niece kept a diary.
https://wynnesdiary.com/nicknames-and-all-those-strange-edwardian-words-that-wynne-uses/
But I think it is too late for her to know anything about Arthur’s earlier life - IF Australia/NZ/Fiji Arthur = Argentina /Brazil /england Arthur.
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Hi Guys,
Thank you for all the information you found.
I have read it over three times and am left with the impression that we might have two different Arthurs, particularly because the 1884 article I transcribed mentioning his conviction for forgery in Fiji along with his wife filing for divorce occurs three years prior to the marriage to Catherine ELLIOT in 1887.
What do you think?
Regards,
Spades
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Well I thought he could be marrying for a second time in 1887.
The birth place of English Arthur is a very good match
But one thing I worried about was the jail sentence, if he was indeed jailed for 7 years, the timing doesn’t work.
If we could find Arthur in Australia Leaving it would be good but I haven’t.
Or him anywhere after 1887.
Also cannot find a death for the Arthur in England. With all the connections of that family he could have died anywhere.
There is an 1910 shipping list to New York, that one has an occupation of “explorer”.
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Hi mckha,
Thanks for that, I agree with you on all points. I think it's unlikely to be two Baron Arthur VON POELNITZ's of the nobility roaming around.
I'll try to find more information about the Fiji case.
When I first found the 'Baron' arriving in AUS I wondered if he was a remittance man but I think that theory can be discarded.
Thanks again to you and Rosie for all your work,
Spades
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Hi Mckha and Rosie,
It is the same man! ;D ;D
The clincher is this page in Wynne's Diary, para 2, where Thurie (Wynnes alias for Arthur) is mentioned recounting stories of his time in Australia and of acclimatisation of annuals and plants there, both of which match what we already know of him. I wonder if he ever talked about his Armed Constabulary service or his less salubrious life events. :-X
https://wynnesdiary.com/1923-september-viewer-5/
So now I need to find his death and burial, and maybe a first marriage.
There are a total of thirteen files regarding him sitting at Archives NZ which I'll get in the coming weeks.
I have just emailed the Fiji Times newspaper requesting a search of their archives for the court case and their divorce, as the paper was in print then. I'll keep you posted.
Brilliant work, thanks again. ;D 8)
Spades
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Oh excellent!
I only glanced at the summary pages of the diary. I am very glad you persevered.
so - in 1923 Arthur is in Germany.
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Yes.
The diary doesn't mention his death but I wonder if he died in Bavaria. If so, he came full circle.
Spades
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That's great news I was looking at records for his family early on this morning .His mother was listed as living at
5 Montague Road Richmond Surrey going by the probate record for her husband who died 8 March 1879 .He was a Captain in the Bavarian Army..So the family must have been back in the U K matching the record for immigration record for Arthur B Palintz leaving Southampton going to Melbourne 1868 .His mother died 1915 Farnham you can find a record on findagrave Eleanore Mary Elliot Poellintz 13 March 1814 - 12 February 1915
I thought we might have been lucky in finding her son with her but nothing so far
Rosie
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Hi Rosie,
Thanks very much for that. I had a look on FindaGrave and read the inscription.
Yes, I agree that her son Arthur and his wife Caroline nee ELLIOT were mostly likely cousins as noted in an earlier post.
Regards,
Spades
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You most probably have this but just incase you don't his wife is also mentioned on
Findagrave
Also
Cemetery Registers Sidcup Kent
Caroline Elizabeth Poellnitz age 69
Died 29 Jan 1920
Burial 4 Feb 1920
Wife of Baron Arthur Poellnitz
Parish Foots Cray
Address 66,Station Road Sidcup Kent
Rosie
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Hi Rosie,
No, I don't, thank you very much.
a question, though: why does the entry say 'Parish Foot Cray'?
Isn't that a suburb in Sydney, Australia? Is the entry providing her place of birth?
Spades
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Foots Cray is a parish area of South East London
If you Google it you can see
I am sure his wife was born in India will check again
Rosie
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Caroline Elizabeth Elliot
Birth 14 April 1851
Tamil Nadu
Baptism 25 May 1851
Madras India
Father Walter Elliot
Mother Maria Dorothea
Rosie
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You can also find details for the parents of Caroline Elizabeth Elliot
Findagrave Southdean Churchyard Scottish Borders
Walter Elliot 1887
Maria Dorothea Hunter Blair 1890
There is quite a lot of information on her family
Sorry have never worked out how to copy and post ??? But maybe Mckha can help
Rosie
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Don't worry, that's wonderful, thank you ;D 8).
Spades
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Spades, Did you want the newspaper notices for the son, & mother? (Already given wife)
(I had been assuming your interest was solely with Arthur, but perhaps I was wrong?)
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Spades, Did you want the newspaper notices for the son, & mother? (Already given wife)
(I had been assuming your interest was solely with Arthur, but perhaps I was wrong?)
First post says looking for information on parents of Arthur and marriage information
That's why I posted information on the wife Caroline :)
Rosie
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Foots Cray is a parish area of South East London
If you Google it you can see
I am sure his wife was born in India will check again
Rosie
There's a Footscray in Melbourne, Vic.
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Foots Cray is a parish area of South East London
If you Google it you can see
I am sure his wife was born in India will check again
Rosie
There's a Footscray in Melbourne, Vic.
Yes I know :)
Rosie
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Spades, Did you want the newspaper notices for the son, & mother? (Already given wife)
(I had been assuming your interest was solely with Arthur, but perhaps I was wrong?)
Sorry, Mckha, I missed your post.
Yes, please. I'm working on a timeline for him so they will be helpful.
Regards,
Spades
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Newspaper & date should be attached to each clip
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Arthur in England in 1884.
I wonder if he paid a bribe in Fiji
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Mother
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Selling horses .presumably brought over from South America?
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1867
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Thanks very much for all of those clippings, Mckha.
They're filled in a few gaps.
Regarding your comment about the Fiji conviction, that is a possibility. I emailed the Fiji Times newspaper, established in 1869, to see if they might have reported on the case or the divorce. No response as yet.
Thanks again,
Spades
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Selling horses .presumably brought over from South America?
In one of his immigration records it mentioned he was a ranch owner ( retired )
Rosie
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Yes, I noted that too.
He did very well for himself.
Spades
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Yes, I noted that too.
He did very well for himself.
Spades
The family were certainly not short of a few bob ;D
Rosie
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Spades, in your first post you have mention of Jury Service in Australia in 1919. But if you scroll to the top of that piece, it is one of those pieces where they are recapping history. In this case reprinting something from 1879.
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Hi Mckha,
Yes, I realised that yesterday when I had another read of the article. I should have mentioned it here, sorry.
And you're just reminded me to check another article which appeared in a New Zealand paper about an international shooting competition which Arthur placed in during November 1873. I think it took place in Adelaide, South Australia and need to confirm this.
Lyttelton Times, 4 December 1873, Page 3
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01t7f/
Article first appeared in Melbourne's The Argus newspaper.
Yes, it did take place in Victoria, over a whole week from the look of it.
Spades
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The first record I've found of Arthur von POELLNITZ in New Zealand is an Armed Constabulary record dated 3 July 1874.
This shooting competition narrows his travel window to between November 1873 and July 1874.
Spades
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Hi everyone.
Thank you for all the information and ideas you contributed which allowed me to build a detailed timeline of Arthur's life, although his place and date of death still eludes me.
Below is my brief biography based on your research which I thought you might be interested in. I have omitted mention of the alleged Fiji conviction and divorce because I firmly believe that the Manawatu Standard was guilty of reporting unsubstantiated and scurrilous gossip. In any case, the Fiji Times has not replied to my request for further information.
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Biography of Baron Arthur James John Robert McKenzie POELLNITZ (circa 1847- after 1926)
A member of the Bavarian nobility trained as a cavalryman and holding the rank of Lieutenant in the Cuirassiers, Arthur von POELLNITZ was by definition an upper-class gentleman, an expert horseman and an excellent shot with a carbine (a short-barrelled rifle carried by cavalrymen). He would have been a polite, well-mannered and confident member of the upper class. He was curious and adventurous, at the age of twenty-one embarking alone on a voyage to the South Pacific on his own personal Grand Tour. He moved frequently, always seeking new sights and experiences. He was very competitive, applying his skills as a rifleman in both Australia and New Zealand and winning the Cavalry Carbine Belt in New Zealand in 1875.
Arthur struggled financially. He incurred debts and was slow to repay loans from colleagues while a member of New Zealand’s Armed Constabulary Force. If he was receiving a regular remittance from his family he was not skilled at budgeting so occasionally lived beyond his means. Following his discharge he appeared in Magistrate’s Court on three occasions, twice for non-payment of debts and once accused of embezzlement of the Christchurch Acclimatisation Society while its curator. In the latter case he was held on remand and then was extremely fortunate to escape conviction by a legal technicality, but his personal reputation was left in tatters.
This last incident triggered Arthur’s rapid departure to Australia where he quickly went on to Hobart Town, Tasmania. Within the year he was back in Melbourne but then moved to South Deniliquin, New South Wales for a period, perhaps working as a hotel billiard player, before gaining employment with South Australia police as a Mounted Constable. In December 1881 he was transferred from South Australia police to the Northern Territory police, based at Palmerston, now the city of Darwin, and he remained there until about 1883. Arthur did not return to his family, now living in England, until 1884, a period of sixteen years. His father had died in 1879.
Arthur’s next appearance was in Buenos Aires, Argentina at his marriage to Caroline Elizabeth Elliot. She was aged 36 and he 40, and it was the first marriage for both. Their only child, Herman Walter, was born there in January 1891. During his time in Argentina Arthur developed a successful horse stud business. The family remained in Argentina until about 1905 although Arthur made at least three trips back to England, presumably on business.
By 1905 Arthur and his wife and son were living in Blandford, Dorset. Six years later, in 1911, Arthur and his wife Caroline were living in Sidcup, Kent, with two servants, a cook and a maid. Arthur was a retired ranch owner. The census sheet for the household records that Caroline was born in Masulipatam, India.
The next five years were difficult for Arthur. In 1915 his mother Eleanore died at Farnham aged 100. In 1918 his son Herman was killed in a car accident in Bagdad while on active service. And his wife Caroline died at their residence in Sidcup in 1920.
In 1921 Arthur was living in Kensington with one of his sisters. By May 1923 Arthur was back in Bavaria, living with his friends Baron and Baroness Puthon.
Arthur was still alive in December 1926, living in Salzburg. This is the last record I have of him.
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Regards,
Spades
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Very good. Thank you for posting. I like to see the finished thing.
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Thanks McKha :) :)
Spades
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Very nice ..nice to see the finished result just a pity no records been found of him after 1926
Rosie
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Hi Rosie,
I've just found this collection but I'll need to go to a library to search it. I'm not optimistic as I thought a record would already have been found.
Germany Deaths and Burials, 1582-1958
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1494474
Addendum: I can't find a UK death between 1926 and 1947, so Germany is the likely alternative, if records are still extant, of course.
Regards,
Spades