Saturday, September 13, 2003
Name: John WELLS
Sex: M
Birth: 7 NOV 1841 in Calais, France 1
Death: 14 JAN 1925 in Woodstock, NZ
Burial: 16 JAN 1925 Hokitika Cemetery, NZ
Immigration: 1865 Hokitika, NZ
Event: Ship and Arrival 1865 Gothenberg
Occupation: Miner
Religion: Anglican
Event: Birth Address 1841 Rue Lafayette, Section G, number 370, Calais
Event: Married 26 SEP 1871 Hokitika, NZ
ADDR: Woodstock
New Zealand
Note:
John Wells was born at 10am on 7 Nov 1841 before Louis
Joseph Frougere, who representing the civil state in the
commune of the St Pierre de Calais, department Pas de Calais,
as delegated by the mayor, is presented Thomas Wells(40), lace
worker, residing in St Pierre de Calais, who presents a
male child, born at his residence at Rue Lafayette,
Section G, number 370, on the 7th of this month at 11pm.
He declares Sarah Creswell(29) to be the mother and
wishes to name the baby John. This declaration and
presentation made in the presence of Victor Desjardin(33)
and George King(25) who have read and signed this
statement, together with the father.
John was the only member of the Wells family in
Australia to leave home. The fact that 1000 miners
a week were leaving Victoria to go to the goldfields of
Westland and Otago in New Zealand persuaded John
to try his luck.
John took a steerage in the steamer "Gothenburg" arriving
in Hokitika on the west coast of New Zealand sometime in
1865. That is taken from death certificate-in New Zealand 60 years.
6 years later in 1871 John married Nora Letitia Furness,
eldest daughter of Robert and Eliza Furness formerly of
Hackney in England. They had also been goldmining in
Durham Lead and Castlemaine in Australia before coming
to New Zealand in 1867 on the "Rangitoto".
Nora had been orphaned as her parents had been killed by a tree in
a storm while running out of their store in 1868, and had taken up
residence as a foster child of the owner of the hotel.
John had probably been a regular at the hotel where Nora had been
earning her keep as a barmaid and they married in 1871 at the
Anglican Church in Hokitika. They married in 26 Sep 1871, he was 30
and she 17.
John built the family home in Woodstock on the banks of the
Grey river. It is probable that he had done fairly well at
mining as the house had been well built and is still standing
today and is owned by descendants.
The first child Nora was born in January 1872.
Robert followed next and did extremely well as a lawyer
until drink caught up with him. He died in a old folks home in
Westport in 1952.
Richard was accidentally strangled in the door of a chicken
coop in 1878, and brother John died fighting for his country
on the battlefields of France in 1917.
My grandfather Thomas was a goldminer and millhand who
died of a heart attack in Westland Hospital in 1955. While
his name was Thomas, he was always called Tony. Thomas married
Victoria Grace McMillan, daughter of Robert McMillan
of Motherwell, Scotland.
Sarah, James, William, and Richard all lived in the
West Coast until they died, with William often working
in the timber mills in Rimu and panning for gold with Thomas.
John died at home in 1925, of old age and was buried in the Wells
family plot at Hokitika Cemetery. Nora was to live until 1930, when
she passed away quietly at the home in Woodstock.
Father: Thomas WELLS b: 13 SEP 1799 in Nottingham
Mother: Sarah CRESWELL b: 1813 in Nottingham
Marriage 1 Nora Letitia FURNESS b: 4 SEP 1854 in Castlemaine, Australia
Married: 26 SEP 1871 in Hokitika, NZ 2
Children
Alice WELLS b: 12 JAN 1872 in Woodstock, NZ
Robert WELLS b: 9 JUN 1874 in Woodstock, NZ
Richard WELLS b: 24 NOV 1875 in Woodstock, NZ
John WELLS b: 5 OCT 1876 in Woodstock, NZ
Nora WELLS b: 8 JAN 1879 in Woodstock, NZ
Thomas WELLS b: 12 APR 1881 in Woodstock, NZ
Sarah Eliza WELLS b: 15 OCT 1883 in Woodstock, NZ
James Edmund WELLS b: 3 MAY 1886 in Woodstock, NZ
William Creswell WELLS b: 23 DEC 1889 in Woodstock, NZ
Richard Charles WELLS b: 19 MAR 1893 in Woodstock, NZ
Sources:
Title: French Civil Registry
Publication: Birth Certificate
Note: V Good
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Civil Registry
Page: 313\1841
Title: NZ Births Deaths and Marriages
Author: Registrar General
Publication: Document
Note: Excellent
Repository:
Note: PO Box 11115, Wellington, NZ
Call Number:
Media: Civil Registry
Page: NZ 1239\1871
¶ 3:38 PM
Sex: M
Birth: 7 NOV 1841 in Calais, France 1
Death: 14 JAN 1925 in Woodstock, NZ
Burial: 16 JAN 1925 Hokitika Cemetery, NZ
Immigration: 1865 Hokitika, NZ
Event: Ship and Arrival 1865 Gothenberg
Occupation: Miner
Religion: Anglican
Event: Birth Address 1841 Rue Lafayette, Section G, number 370, Calais
Event: Married 26 SEP 1871 Hokitika, NZ
ADDR: Woodstock
New Zealand
Note:
John Wells was born at 10am on 7 Nov 1841 before Louis
Joseph Frougere, who representing the civil state in the
commune of the St Pierre de Calais, department Pas de Calais,
as delegated by the mayor, is presented Thomas Wells(40), lace
worker, residing in St Pierre de Calais, who presents a
male child, born at his residence at Rue Lafayette,
Section G, number 370, on the 7th of this month at 11pm.
He declares Sarah Creswell(29) to be the mother and
wishes to name the baby John. This declaration and
presentation made in the presence of Victor Desjardin(33)
and George King(25) who have read and signed this
statement, together with the father.
John was the only member of the Wells family in
Australia to leave home. The fact that 1000 miners
a week were leaving Victoria to go to the goldfields of
Westland and Otago in New Zealand persuaded John
to try his luck.
John took a steerage in the steamer "Gothenburg" arriving
in Hokitika on the west coast of New Zealand sometime in
1865. That is taken from death certificate-in New Zealand 60 years.
6 years later in 1871 John married Nora Letitia Furness,
eldest daughter of Robert and Eliza Furness formerly of
Hackney in England. They had also been goldmining in
Durham Lead and Castlemaine in Australia before coming
to New Zealand in 1867 on the "Rangitoto".
Nora had been orphaned as her parents had been killed by a tree in
a storm while running out of their store in 1868, and had taken up
residence as a foster child of the owner of the hotel.
John had probably been a regular at the hotel where Nora had been
earning her keep as a barmaid and they married in 1871 at the
Anglican Church in Hokitika. They married in 26 Sep 1871, he was 30
and she 17.
John built the family home in Woodstock on the banks of the
Grey river. It is probable that he had done fairly well at
mining as the house had been well built and is still standing
today and is owned by descendants.
The first child Nora was born in January 1872.
Robert followed next and did extremely well as a lawyer
until drink caught up with him. He died in a old folks home in
Westport in 1952.
Richard was accidentally strangled in the door of a chicken
coop in 1878, and brother John died fighting for his country
on the battlefields of France in 1917.
My grandfather Thomas was a goldminer and millhand who
died of a heart attack in Westland Hospital in 1955. While
his name was Thomas, he was always called Tony. Thomas married
Victoria Grace McMillan, daughter of Robert McMillan
of Motherwell, Scotland.
Sarah, James, William, and Richard all lived in the
West Coast until they died, with William often working
in the timber mills in Rimu and panning for gold with Thomas.
John died at home in 1925, of old age and was buried in the Wells
family plot at Hokitika Cemetery. Nora was to live until 1930, when
she passed away quietly at the home in Woodstock.
Father: Thomas WELLS b: 13 SEP 1799 in Nottingham
Mother: Sarah CRESWELL b: 1813 in Nottingham
Marriage 1 Nora Letitia FURNESS b: 4 SEP 1854 in Castlemaine, Australia
Married: 26 SEP 1871 in Hokitika, NZ 2
Children
Alice WELLS b: 12 JAN 1872 in Woodstock, NZ
Robert WELLS b: 9 JUN 1874 in Woodstock, NZ
Richard WELLS b: 24 NOV 1875 in Woodstock, NZ
John WELLS b: 5 OCT 1876 in Woodstock, NZ
Nora WELLS b: 8 JAN 1879 in Woodstock, NZ
Thomas WELLS b: 12 APR 1881 in Woodstock, NZ
Sarah Eliza WELLS b: 15 OCT 1883 in Woodstock, NZ
James Edmund WELLS b: 3 MAY 1886 in Woodstock, NZ
William Creswell WELLS b: 23 DEC 1889 in Woodstock, NZ
Richard Charles WELLS b: 19 MAR 1893 in Woodstock, NZ
Sources:
Title: French Civil Registry
Publication: Birth Certificate
Note: V Good
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Civil Registry
Page: 313\1841
Title: NZ Births Deaths and Marriages
Author: Registrar General
Publication: Document
Note: Excellent
Repository:
Note: PO Box 11115, Wellington, NZ
Call Number:
Media: Civil Registry
Page: NZ 1239\1871
¶ 3:38 PM
