Hester Family (COMPLETED)

[cmclayton]

Hi everyone, hoping that someone has the following people in their family tree and can help me with family members.

My great grandmother Emma Amelia Hester arrived in New Zealand in 1875 aboard the Dallam Tower, and married James Henry Clayton later that same year.  I have recently found that Emma had an aunt Maria Elizabeth Hester and an uncle Thomas Hester already in New Zealand.

Maria Elizabeth Hester married John Louis Balestice have found one child Emily Maria Balestice born England married Charles Coombs 1868 Lyttelton (there is a Charles Coombs also on the passenger list of the Dallam Tower could be the same man).  Have found a death notice of a child to these two also Charles 4th son of Charles and Emily.  So are looking for more children.

Thomas Hester married Mary Ann Speechley have found six children
1/ Thomas Robert Samuel Hester married Kate Monk 1878 Napier - two children Thomas Hester married Alice Popple and Audrey Clayton Hester married William Friend Robson
2/ Elizabeth Ann Maria Hester married James Dale Watson 1881 - child Ida Hester Watson married Frederick Charles Menzies
3/ Lucy Emily Hester married Rowland Lindsay 1878 Lyttelton
4/ Sarah Balestice Hester died aged three years
5/ John Louis Hester married Mary Anne Dunn 1895 Kaitaia - child Gordon Lisle Hester married Ruby Mary Wilmott Hansen  (Please Note that I have found a very kind sole who has helped me with Gordon Lisle Hesters descendants)
6/ Sarah Speechley Hester married Emanual Julius Holst 1904 Lyttelton - two children Thelma Elizabeth Holst married Harvey Francis Page and Norman Holst married Irene Mary Wells

So here's hoping that someone can relate to the above names.
Thanks heaps Christine M Clayton
   

[cmclayton]

One day someone will read this post and be able to connect to my Hester family, in the meantime the jigsaw puzzle is fitting together.

Regards Christine

[Kea]

Hi Christine,

From the Christchurch parish records at the Christchurch Library I found the following:

Marriage: Charles Coombs and Maria Emily Balestice, 12 Mar 1868, Holy Trinity Church, Lyttelton. Witness John Lewis Balestice, painter, Lyttelton.

Children:

1. Charles Coombs, baptised 21 Dec 1868. Father's occupation: leather seller. Sponsor JL Balestice.
Charles died aged 2 months and was buried 19 Feb 1869.

2. John Henry Coombs, baptised 12 Jan 1870

3. Ernest William Coombs, baptised 12 Dec 1871.
Ernest died aged 7 weeks and was buried 2 Feb 1872

4. Charles Coombs, babtised 23 May 1873.
Charles died aged 7 1/2 months, buried 7 Jan 1874.

Charles snr's wife Emily Maria died aged 27 and was buried 17 July 1876.
Charles remarried Marian Emma Morton 19 Jan 1877.

Child of Charles and Marian Emma:
Marian Henrietta Coombs baptised 5 April 1878

Cheers,
Stephanie

[cmclayton]

Thank you Kea, you are an angel, 

Going to the Christchurch Library is on my wish list, just happen
to be born, work and married in the wrong island for my family tree.

Thanks heaps Christine

[cmclayton]

Hi everyone

Have found some new names for my Hester tree, that might fit with someone's family

5/ John Louis Hester married Mary Anne Dunn 1895 Kaitaia - child Gordon Lisle Hester married Ruby Mary Wilmott Hansen  (Please Note that I have found a very kind sole who has helped me with Gordon Lisle Hesters descendants).

New - John Louis Hester and Mary Anne Dunn also had the following children

Marjory Enid Hester born 1897 New Zealand. 
Olga Winifred Hester born 1899 New Zealand married William James Palmer
Gordon Lisle Hester as mentioned above and
Dorothy Mary Hester born 1901 New Zealand married Eric Lister Dryer

Thanks heaps Christine

[Kiwi Bloke]

John Louis Hester, who lived in Kaitaia was my Great Grandfather.  I have a family tree here and it will include his line.  He built quite a fine house in Kaitaia.  It's still standing today in what was the site of the old Kaitaia mission house where the Treaty of Waitangi had it's second signing as it travelled around the country. 

Regarding Thomas Hester, he seems to have been a storekeeper and undertaker in Oxford Street, Lyttelton in 1866 until at least 1875.  He died at that location August 10, 1878.  Two services were held, one at the Forrester's Hall where he was a member and one at the Wesleyan schoolroom, (see Paperspast).

Among his children was Alfred Munt Hester who married Annie Elizabeth Ayers on 6 August, 1896 at the house of George Ayers, another Lyttelton lodge member. Thomas Hester and Mary Anne Hester nee Speechley were shown as the parents.

I know my grandmother wanted to call her daughter Mary Anne too, after Mary Anne Dunn, her mother.  But her surname was Dyer so that would have  spelled M.A.D. She knew her mother was teased at school and she thought her daughter Mary, my aunt, would be too so she found another middle name for her.

I can't find any reference to the ship Thomas Hester arrived on, but a "Mr Hester" arrived on the "Viscount Canning" at Auckland on 21 June, 1865.

[Kiwi Bloke]

Just another note, Marjory Enid Hester married William (Bill) Dyer and Dorothy Hester married Eric Dyer.  So the 2 brothers married the 2 sisters.  Bill Dyer was working for John Louis Hester on his farm and that's how he met Enid. 

The Hester family must have originally lived somewhere near London and John Louis and Alf, who stayed in Christchurch, used to get legal letters from there about property. 

John Louis Hester went to Kaitaia.  He brought the first sheep and the locals lined up on the streets to see these strange animals arrive.  He settled near St. Saviour's Church, which is still standing, but his first home got burnt down, so he purchased the old mission site and built the new house around 1905-1910.  The 4 children, Enid, Olga, Lisle and Dorothy each wanted their own rooms, so it's quite a big place. 

Great Grandfather was a creak shot and he won an impressive shooting cup in 1899 and again in 1901 and he needed to win it 3 years in a row to keep it.  But all agreed that no-one could come near him, so they let him keep it after 2 years. It dissappeared when I was young, unfortunately, but I'm pretty sure it was won in Kaitaia.

[Kiwi Bloke]

Here's that family tree I mentioned: 

Thomas Hester (age 25) and wife Mary Ann, (28) arrived at Lyttelton on the ship Sir Edward Paget, July 2, 1856, with Thomas Jr (2) and Elizabeth (infant). They were from Pimlico, London.

One of their sons John Louis Hester was born 2.8.1864 and d. 1941.  In 1895 he married Mary Ann Dunn, (b. 1870, d. 1952).

John and Mary Hester's children were:

Enid Marjory Hester, b. 1.10.1897, d. 29.5.1984, (my grandmother; I was one of her pallbearers at St. Saviour's Anglican church, Kaitaia on that day).  Their children were John Ellis Dyer, Allan Ross Dyer and Mary Florence Dyer. 

Olga Winifred Hester, b. 1899, d. 19??. In 1918 she married William James Palmer, (b. 1896, d. 1937).   Their children were Joan Winnifred Palmer, John Rex Palmer and Patricia Olga Palmer.

Gordon Lisle Hester, b. 1900, d. 1937.  In 1929 he married Ruby Mary Wilmott Hansen. Their children were June Speechley Wilmott Lisle (who married Brian Carter) and Beryl Winsome Lisle

The following generations are also on this summary. 

[Kiwi Bloke]

And.... Dorothy Mary Hester, b. 5.8.1901 and d. 6.10.1968.

As Lisle had 2 daughters, June and Beryl, and no sons, that was the end of this Kaitaia line of Hester surnames.