Brogdens Recuits to New Zealand - James Palmer

[3grkiwi]

     Brogdens' Recruits to New Zealand

Can anyone help with the following 2 problems....
(1) James Palmer came to NZ on the "Zealandia" as a Brogden Recruit in Dec/Jan 1872/73 (according to ref. "The Farthest Promised Land" by Rollo Arnold) probably landing at Bluff rather than Port Chalmers. Has anyone any info. confirming this or providing the FULL passenger list including Brogden's people on that ship.

(2) Also trying to track whether James Palmer's Wife, Dinah (Diana) Palmer, nee Brown,  came to NZ at the same time.  They were married in Beckley, Oxon. 27/9/1869.
Any help appreciated, Owen.

[spades]

Hi Owen,

I found passenger lists for both those years, but couldn't see a PALMER aboard either;

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Eourstuff/Zealandia1872.htm

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Eourstuff/Zealandia1873.htm

I've never heard of 'Brogdens' Recruits' so I'm intrigued. Was this a special emigration group, children, or military, perhaps?

Regards, riley

[spades]

Hi again,

After Googling I discovered that Brogdens Recruits were better known as 'Brogdens Navvies'. This was in effect an emigration scheme whose goal was to 'import' skilled workers to build a nation-wide railway system. One ship I've found was the Chile, which;

"...brought out, in the main, immigrants under the scheme operated by the contracting firm of John Brogden and Sons. Called Brogden's Navvies, they were brought out to New Zealand as part of a group of 2,172 English immigrants (1,298 able bodies men and their families) over a 9 month period from July 1872 to April 1873 to advance the development of a nation-wide railway system. All had been offered two years employment, guaranteed at the wages currently paid in New Zealand, on the firm's railway contracts in various parts of the colony. In addition to significantly increasing the population of the colony, Brogden's scheme served to greatly increase the interest in emigration to New Zealand, an interest ascribed '...the letters received from Mrssrs. Brogden's emigrants, which are now scattered throughout this country month by month'."
Source - The Farthest Promised Land by Rollo Arnold
              The Evening Post, June 19th 1873   
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/%7Eourstuff/Chile1872.htm

Could the PALMERS have arrived on another vessel carrying Brogden's Navvies?

riley

[3grkiwi]

Its possible that the Palmer's may have arrived in New Zealand on another ship but the extract below from The fartherest Promised Land by Rollo Arnold.  Pages 80 - 81 is my best source to date !

“While in Invercargill Holloway met some old acquaintances from Oxfordshire.  James Palmer, who he had recruited from Bletchington for Brogdens, told of wages averaging ten shillings a day, since he had arrived in New Zealand on the Zealandia on 4 January 1873. From Palmer, Holloway had some good news of William Terry, a union man from Kirlington, who had also come out on the Zealandia for Brogdens.”

Both James Palmer and his wife Dinah appreared in the 1871 Census records for Bletchington so I know that their departure for NZ was after this date.

An extract with reference to the 'Zealandia' from the Otago Daily Times 3 Jan 1873 states: -  “392 passengers, most landed at Bluff.  84 for Dunedin. "  I deduct from this that the Bogden Recruits did not appear on the passenger list of 58 as listed for the 28 Dec 1872 arrival at Bluff & 10 Jan 1873 at Port Chalmers.

[spades]

Hi Owen,

This site lists 16 of the Zealandia's 31 voyages to New Zealand.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ourstuff/PassListO-Z.htm

riley

[bee29]

Hi Owen

Archives has that voyage listed on Archway so maybe it would be worth emailing them

"Zealandia" (ship) - 4 October 1872 - 4 January 1873 [Use copy available in the reading room, Wellington]

http://archway.archives.govt.nz/CallSimpleSearch.do

Bronwen

[spades]

Hi Owen,

I found this site with some background information on Brogden, which mentions a fleet of 15 ships which took Brogdens Navvies to New Zealand. I'll have a look at the Zealandia's passenger list at Archives for you next week.

Do you happen to know the names of the vessels, and their ports of arrival?

Regards, riley

[3grkiwi]

Hi Riley,

I have a copy of "Brogden's Recruits by Gordon Sylvester" that featured in "The NZ Genealogist Jul/Aug 1996".  This lists 15 ships transporting Brogden's recruits to NZ arriving between 9 July 1872 and 5 April 1873.

I have not seen passenger lists for the Brogden's listed ships other than having tried to locate James & Dinah PALMER on the Zealandia's passenger list for the voyage landing at Bluff in Dec 1872 as listed in the furtherest Promised Land'.

I will appreciate your looking up the Zealandia's passenger list at the Archives next week.

Regards Owen

[spades]

Hi Owen,

I checked the Zealandia voyage but could find no mention of any passenger named PALMER. I chekced Sylvester's article "Brogden's Recruits" and Arnolds "The Fartherest Promised Land" as well. Sylvester seemed to suggest that Brogden's Recruits might not be differentiated in passenger lists, making identification difficult, and that some might not appear at all, which I find very frustrating.

Regards, riley