Hi, We have done more extensive search about the Ling family.
He was born in England, and was one of 6 boys by the look of it. She married to someone written up in Ancestry as Patts, but have doubts about the rightness of that. Edward and Elizabeth obviously came to N.Z. as husband and wife, and settled in Gisborne as that. They got married in Wanganui -probably because no one would find out that they had not been married to each other before. She stated on the marriage certificate that she had been married but had had no contact with her husband since 1873. We found out that her first husband died in 1905, so she really committed bigamy. They never had any children. I have been in touch with a relative over there who has been trying to do the family tree, and stated that she could not find anything about him after the 1871 Census. She wants to take responsibility for the headstone, but has been made redundant and is not old enough to get a pension, so is financially strapped. Interesting, and probably others in the same boat.