Richard Ansell Hayter ca 1825 Berkshire

[Lucy2]

John PERCY ... died at Hastings (North Island) NZ, on 1 May 1896, aged 67 years.

A number of newspapers carried briefly-worded tributes to him (none mentioning wife or children though).

Happily the following paper published a quite comprehensive obituary.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

"Hastings Standard" (Hawkes Bay) - 2 May 1896 - page 2

... John PERCY - born Alnwick, Northumberland - 67 years - trained at Battersea College - one of six (school masters ?) sent to the Colony by the National School Association  ... arrived in 1851 :
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[Lucy2]

John PERCY ... baptism records (2 of) @ familysearch 

Born: 5 August 1828  /  Baptised :  29 August 1828
Burgher - Northumberland
Parents:    John PERCY and Ann TAYLOR
 

[Lucy2]

John PERCY ... died at Hastings (North Island) NZ, on 1 May 1896, aged 67 years.

> link to Hastings Cemetery database.   

http://cemeterybase.hdc.govt.nz

It says alongside of John's listing that a headstone photo is available ... click on the link though, and it returns "No image available".   ["The "photo available"  thing, is a bit of a problem with this database - I've found previously that only a handful ever return an image. Grrr. ]

A number of other PERCY's are buried at this cemetery - one named as "Hannah Isabella" d. 1901, who was also a "school teacher".   I don't think she is related.   Seems to have been a spinster - don't have her age (yet), but she was survived by her mother (and a sister, who was executor of her will).

[Lucy2]

Hannah TAYLOR ...  (m. John PERCY - 11 September 1850 - St Mary's, Battersea, Surrey)

Hannah was described as a "minor" on the marriage cert.

Possibly this is her baptism ?

St. Mary's, Battersea -- Baptism : 21 November 1830

Hannah TAYLOR
Born:  18 October 1830
Parents:  Sarah and  George TAYLOR (gardener) , Battersea.

[josey]

What a glorious amount of information to log on to!! Thank you so much Lucy2, I am convinced you have the right Percys & also feel your suggestion of them only being cabin sharers may be also correct. How sad for Hannah to lose all her children. At one point only a week or so into the voyage she says she would prefer to starve in England than be on the ship!!

I found a marriage bond for John & Hannah; it stated that her father George was dead & that her mother Sarah was unmarried (presumably not remarried) so took responsibility for Hannah as she was an minor.

I need to work out who William is [called Bill sometimes in the diary & obviously an adult as he occasionally smokes a cigar or pipe  ].

Thank you again for your research & insight. I will pm you.

[josey]

Lucy2, you earlier gave this website which has been very useful:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzbound/ih.htm
I have read it again & gives a 12 Oct 1900 obituary from The Star for a William Smart
At an early age he was articled to Messrs Cubitt and Co., the famous builders, and under them had the supervision of a portion of the building of the new Covent Garden Theatre in the forties. He afterwards emigrated to New Zealand with his brother, the late Mr John Franklin Smart, arriving in Lyttelton in the ship Isabella Hercus, on March 1, 1851.
However, there are NO Smarts listed in the passenger list....AND John Franklin Smart was the husband of Hannah Ellen Hayter [Richard's sister]. They married in 1847 & I have only found them in 1861 [childless in Brighton], 1881 & 1891 [in Bristol] in the censuses - they usefully always used their middle initial. I have them as having a son William baptised in Stepney in Nov 1849 who died young though no death or burial found yet [BUT could he have been the baby or child in the diary?] & no further issue. AND could the William, John & Hannah mentioned in the diary actually all be Smarts? With John & Hannah returning to England with Henrietta [and Edwin] sometime before 1861?

These are only thoughts, but is strange there are no Smarts on the list but also that John Percy has no wife either predeceased or mentioned in his obituary.

I can't get into NZ bmds at the moment to see if there is an infant/child Smart death between 1851 & 1861 nor are there passenger lists for incoming ships to the UK 1851 - 1861. 

I think I ought to try to see the original film of the passenger list to check for any mis-transcription. Richard writes about the suicide of a young woman called Franklinham whose name is noted as
Flreckingham on the passenger list. I cannot find her death on British nationals died Overseas, but I know this list, like the military bmds, is likely to be incomplete.

[Lucy2]

Hi Josey

Thanks for your PM, which I will respond to shortly ... and also will endeavour to assist on the thread, with some of the newer queries you have.
Still somewhat hampered by having the NZBDM site not operational (hopefully it will be back up and running by tomorrow).

"No SMART's on 1851 passenger list".     Mmm ... I do wonder if the STUART people (William and John) are in fact the SMART brothers     I can see how bad writing might have seen the name transcribed as "Stuart".  (More letters of course in "Stuart" but both names end in "...ART". ) ??

And you do have verification (from William SMART's obit) that he arrived per the "Isabella Hercus" with his brother John.
I tend to think that the groups listed in the Cabin and Forecabin, were all persons who paid their own fares to the Colony.  The "Isabella Hercus" was amongst the first six ships which brought the earliest emigrants to the province of Canterbury (a new venture for the Canterbury Association).  To help offset the cost to the provincial government, passengers who were prepared to pay full fares, also sailed on these ships.   [ I can see that Archives New Zealand in Christchurch, hold quite a lot of files in relation to this 1851 voyage ... but it may well only contain info on "the emigrants" (i.e. those persons whose fares were paid in full or part by the provincial government.)  Anyway I'll get back to you about this once I've had a closer look at the file references. ]

The "Bill" referred to in Richard's diary, might of course be William SMART ??

Have a lot more info to add here - it's getting late - so will post further tomorrow.

   ~  Lu

[Lucy2]

... just noticed when posting that link for the "Isabella Hercus", that there was a listing for a "William HAYTER" also 

Before finding that link, I'd earlier come across a newspaper article >
"Lyttelton Times" - 15 March 1851 - Otago >  which gave just the names of a "Mr HAYTER and Miss HAYTER" who were amongst the cabin and forecabin passengers aboard that vessel. 

Took another look at the list published in above dated newspaper.    Haven't compared it with the full passenger list, (there seems to be a few names missing?? ) but the following persons were some who were mentioned :

Mrs and Mrs STUART
Mr HAYTER
Miss HAYTER
Mr John PERCY

[So, STUART (again) ... one Mr HAYTER (William is missing) ... and no mention of a Mrs. PERCY ]

[Lucy2]

...John Franklin Smart was the husband of Hannah Ellen Hayter [Richard's sister].  I have them as having a son William baptised in Stepney in Nov 1849 who died young though no death or burial found yet [BUT could he have been the baby or child in the diary?]

Just my thoughts   ... but by the sound of what Richard wrote about the doomed child, it seems that had it been the child of JF and Hannah SMART, then he might have also mentioned that it was his nephew (or niece) ?