Farquhar McLeod Part C

Karori Stream where several of the McLeod children were born

Farquhar and Jane had 9 children.The localities the babies were born in help trace the movements of the family. I have more information on some of these children but the detail is beyond the scope of this blog.

Descendants of Farquhar and Jane McLeod

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1-Farquhar McLeod

  born: 18 Oct 1839, Rumsdale, Halkirk, Caithness, Scotland

  died: 28 Feb 1926, Matamau, New Zealand

 + Jane Ogilvie Sutherland

  born: 8 Jun 1834, Berriedale, Caithness, Scotland

  died: 7 Nov 1904, Waikopiro, New Zealand

   2-Donald McLeod

     born: 14 Apr 1860, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 21 Apr 1939, Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand

    + Elizabeth Bradey

     born: 10 Jun 1868, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 11 Nov 1947, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand

   2-James McLeod

     born: 25 Jul 1861, Lyall's Bay, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 18 Oct 1932, Feilding, New Zealand

    + Annie Wilson

     born: 1868

     died: 8 Sep 1941

   2-Christina McLeod

     born: 30 Jul 1864, Lyall’s Bay, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 24 Mar 1945, Awapuni Hospital, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    + Sidney Flavall

     born: 1863, Wilton, Northamptonshire, England

     died: 16 Nov 1925, Eltham, New Zealand

   2-Margaret Hannah McLeod

     born: 19 Jun 1866, Karori Stream, Terawiti, Wellington

     died: 15 Jul 1931, Palmerston North Hospital, New Zealand

   2-Elizabeth McKay McLeod

     born: 27 Sep 1867, Terawiti, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 2 Sep 1942, Marton, New Zealand

    + George Edward Little

     born: 1859, London, England

     died: 18 Nov 1927, Wanganui Hospital, New Zealand

   2-Catherine McLeod

     born: 13 Jun 1869, Karori, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 16 Aug 1921, Matamau, New Zealand

   2-Mary Henrietta McLeod

     born: 2 May 1871, Karori Stream, Wellington, New Zealand

     died: 30 May 1943, Dannevirke Public Hospital, New Zealand

   2-John McLeod

     born: 21 Nov 1874, Wellington, New Zealand

     died:

   2-Jane Sutherland McLeod

     born: 18 Aug 1876, Feilding, New Zealand

     died: 27 Apr 1972, 59 Harewood Road, Christchurch

    + Albert Christian Diedrich Eggers

     born: 20 Nov 1882, Motueka, Nelson, New Zealand

     died: 26 Dec 1971, Sunnyside Hospital, Christchurch

Localities where children were born

Donald was born in Wellington, probably in Lyall’s Bay where I think Jane and Farquhar were staying either with or nearby Sandy and Elizabeth Sutherland their uncle and aunt.

James McLeod was born on 25 July 1861 in Lyall’s Bay, so my guess is that Jane stayed there for the birth of her second baby. But Farquhar states he is a shepherd, resident at Terawiti (aka Terawhiti). The timing of Farquhar’s move to his new job may indicate that he was caught up in a crisis, as the owner of the Terawhiti station James McMenamen, was drowned in Wellington on 1 August 1861.

On 24 September 1861 an advertisement appeared in the Wellington papers for an experienced shepherd at Terawhiti. I am not sure if this was the job that Farquhar got or if there was a shepherd in addition to him. Whatever way, his new boss was Hannah McMenamen the newly widowed mother of nine young children. Hannah’s mother had drowned in the same accident so Hannah was on her own and did an amazing job of running and developing the Terawhiti property and employing staff over many years.

Farquhar and Jane were at Karori Stream,Terawhiti Station for the next decade. Where the birth record says a child was born at Karori or Karori Stream that was the name of the settlement on the coast where the stream entered the ocean. It would be a scary place to deliver a child as if anything went wrong it would be almost impossible to get help. At least Hannah (who lived across the stream) at the homestead had nine babies of her own so perhaps she was able to give Jane some assistance.

Chris Maclean, 'Wellington places - The ‘Wild West’', 

Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

John McLeod was born in 1874 in Wellington and on his birth record Farquhar states he is a Station Manager at Evans Bay, Wellington, so he must have changed his job and the family moved.

Jane McLeod was born in August 1876 at Mount Taylor in Feilding where the family next moved to.

Terawhiti

The flat land at the left rear is the site of the old Terawhiti Station and Karori Stream is to the right of the picture. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/

Tongue_Point_and_Terawhiti_Station_wind_farm_from_Cook_Strait.jpg

Terawhiti is an area of steep rugged country on the south-west tip of the North Island near Wellington. I hate to think how inhospitable and inaccessible it was in the 1860s. Even today a warning at the entrance to the Terawhiti road access reads:

Known hazards in this area include:

Falling Rocks

Steep Cliffs/Falls

Large waves

Seals

Extreme weather conditions

Terawhiti was an important location for Maori long before it was farmed by European settlers.

With its rocky coast, strong winds and tidal rips it has been the sight of many shipwrecks making access difficult by boat.

The area has been farmed by European settlers since the 1840s. It was originally almost total bush. It is now the site of Wind Farms.

In 1853 an Irish immigrant, James McMenamen began purchasing blocks of land at Terawhiti. He soon owned 1800 acres and had a run licence for 3000 acres more. By 1856/57 McMenamen (known as ‘Terawhiti Jack’) appeared in the electoral roll as ‘Grazier Freehold’ and then ‘Freehold and Homestead’.

Hannah Wilkins was a dairy maid on Terawhiti. She married James in 1847. She had nine children in quick succession, the last in 1861.

On 3 August 1861 McMenamen and his mother-in-law drowned in the Wellington harbour.

Widowed Hannah stayed on with her large family and managed this isolated farm determinedly and successfully, retiring in her 70s. It was said she made everyone work hard and worked hard herself. She was hospitable and kept the homestead open on Sundays with often 20 sitting down to dinner.

Hannah's Terawhiti home

Hannah rode a horse round the coast to get to Island Bay when she went to Wellington to sell her butter so perhaps horse was a form of transport the McLeods had to use also.  

Terawhiti: The Story of our Capital City’s Largest Sheep Station Written and Edited by Catherine Morrison. Pub Arty Bees Books, Wellington 2003