To New Zealand
On 9 October 1886 the Taylor family left Plymouth in southwest
England to emigrate to New Zealand. The family group included Catherine and James
with children Janet age 6, John George age 4, Christina age 2, and baby Margaret
Anne age 4 months. The ship they came on was very different to what the other McLeods
had travelled to New Zealand on. The SS Arawa was a steamer.
The steamship Awara between 1894 and 1900 |
The `Arawa' was built in 1884 by W Denny, Dumbarton, Scotland for the Shaw, Savill & Albion Company. She ran in the NZ-England service for a number of years. In 1900 she was purchased by the Elder, Dempster Company and renamed `Lake Megantic'. She was bought and sold under variety of different names until 1915 when she was sunk.
The steamship Awara in 1891 |
Source: Easter, Theophilus, 1832-1913. Steamship
Arawa. Ref:1/4-012547-F Alexander Turnull Library, Wellington, New Zealand
Otago Witness , Issue 1825, 12 November 1886, Page 18 |
North Otago Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6209, 22 November 1886, Page 2 |
Notes as recorded by Douglas Lamb
My mother was christened Janet but was always known as Jessie.
She was born at Latheron, Scotland on 27 September 1880 and sailed for New
Zealand with her parents and other family on the SS Arawa sometime in June
1886. I recall it was shortly after the Tarawera eruption June 10 1886 as word
had just reached them as they were about to sail and their friends and
relations were concerned about them going to a country so far away where they
would be blown up or killed by the Maoris. She was the oldest of a family of
three girls and one boy but I believe one infant died on the voyage and was
buried at sea. Her sisters were Wilamina, called Minnie, Christina called
Teenie, and brother John. They settled in Martinborough on arrival. Mum went to
school there and later worked in Ross’s store until marrying. She died in
Wellington on 18 February 1948 in her 68th year and is buried in Martinborough
Wilhamena
In 1889 Catherine had another baby daughter. Wilhamena Taylor
was born 18 March 1889 in Martinborough.
Descendants of Catherine McLeod
1-Catherine McLeod
born: 9 Mar 1846,
Rumsdale, Caithness, Scotland
died: 3 Feb 1930,
New Zealand
+ James Taylor
born: 11 Jun 1857,
Stempster, Latheron, Caithness, Scotland
died: 6 Apr 1920,
Martinborough, New Zealand
2-Catherine Taylor - Not confirmed possibly a niece
born: 1872,
Latheron, Caithness, Scotland
died:
2-John Taylor
born: 8 Sep
1878, Rangag, Estate of Forse, Caithness, Scotland
died: 29 Feb
1880, Rangag, Latheron, Caithness, Scotland
2-Janet Taylor
born: 28 Sep
1880, Latheron, Caithness, Scotland
died: 18 Feb
1948, Wellington, New Zealand
+ John Lamb
born: 25 Apr
1875, Ashburton, New Zealand
died: 17 May
1943, Martinborough, New Zealand
2-John George
Taylor
born: 25 May
1882, Stemster, Forse, Latheron, Scotland
died: 1938,
(Martinborough Cemetery, New Zealand)
+ Martha Hawthorne
Rickman
born: 1884
died: 1963,
(Martinborough Cemetery, New Zealand)
2-Christina
Catherine Taylor
born: 9 Nov
1884, Latheronwheel, Caithness, Scotland
died: 7 Mar
1927, Martinborough, New Zealand. Invalid
2-Margaret Ann
Taylor
born: 9 Jun
1886, Rangag, Estate of Forse, Caithness, Scotland
died: At sea
(probably)
2-Wilhamena Taylor
born: 18 Mar
1889, New Zealand
died: 9 Apr
1941, Martinborough, New Zealand
+ Edward Campbell
Jolly
born: 1886
died: 6 Aug 1925, Martinborough, New
Zealand
Notes from David McLeod
In the Martinborough Museum (no date given - but it must be years ago) David McLeod,
Harington Point Road, RD Dunedin notes the following:
Catherine McLeod and her husband James Taylor and family
were the next arrivals in 1886. They lived in a cottage opposite the
Presbyterian Church now occupied by Mr J Stewart.
James Taylor operated a carrying and agricultural
contracting business from stables immediately behind the residence. Taylor
eventually sold the business to James McCarthy and took over a farm at Dry
River. James son John was successful in obtaining a section in the Tablelands
settlement and he married Martha [sic Tulloch] Hawthorne Rickman and they
raised their family there at Spring Grove.
James and Catherine relinquished
their Dry River property and built a house in Daniel Street where they lived
until their deaths. This house was later owned by H L Griffiths.
One daughter Janet married John Lamb and after farming at
Longbush for some years retired to Daniel Street where they built their home
next door to the Tylers. This house was later owned by Mr & Mrs Campbell.
Another daughter of James & Catherine Taylor’s Wilhamena
married Edward Jolly who established a motor garage in what was the old town
hall, later moving to a new modern building in Kitchener Street. The garage was
taken over by L A Campbell following the death of Mr Jolly and the business is
still operated by the family connections under the name of L A Campbell Ltd.
The 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition Roll
When Governor Glasgow signed the Electoral Bill on 19 September
1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing nation in the world where
women had won the right to vote. The Bill was the outcome of years of meetings
in towns and cities across the country, with women often travelling
considerable distances to hear lectures and speeches, pass resolutions and sign
petitions. A number of petitions were presented to both Houses of Parliament
from the early 1880s till 1893.
In 1891 eight petitions containing more than 9000 signatures were
gathered, and in 1892 six petitions containing almost 20,000. These were the
culmination of many years work by the Women‘s Christian Temperance Movement and
prominent suffragist, Kate Sheppard, among others.
Despite the failures of these petitions, another was organised in
1893. It was described by Kate Sheppard as "a monster petition"
demanding the right for women to vote. Petition sheets, circulated throughout
New Zealand, were returned to Christchurch where Kate Sheppard pasted each
sheet end on end and rolled it around a section of a broom handle.
In the end, 13 petitions were submitted to the House of
Representatives in 1893. They contained the signatures of 31,872 women from
across the country and across the social spectrum. Twelve of the petitions have
not survived, but the "monster" that was pasted together did.
This contains 25,519 signatures, including some men
I
have found the signatures of Catherine Taylor and Jessie McLeod on the Martinborough
petition. Their names are close together. I wonder if they went at the same
time to sign. I am not sure if the
Jessie McLeod was Catherine's sister-in-law or Catherine's niece
On
the Feilding roll I have found Jane McLeod and Catherine McLeod giving their
address as The Palms Makino which we know was the home address of Farquhar and
Jane and the family. Sisters Catherine and Jane also look like they have gone together to
sign.
Dry River
Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXX, Issue 8407, 23 March 1906, Page 6 |
Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8836, 15 August 1907, Page 5 |
Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXX, Issue 146187, 1 March 1917 |
Death James |
Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 167, 10 April 1920, Page 1 (2) |
Taylor, James NZ Death 1920 Martinborough |
Probate James Taylor
Probate James Taylor page 1 |
Probate James Taylor page 2 |
Death Catherine
Catherine died 3 Feb 1930 aged 83
Taylor, Catherine NZDeath 1930 Martinborough |