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New Zealand Society of Genealogists
Feilding Branch Newsletter
October 2020
www.feildinggenealogy.org.nz
Branch email: Feilding@genealogy.org.nz
Convenor: Ian Wightman, Secretary: Trish White
Treasurer & Computer Group: Kay O’Brien
Librarian & Newsletter Editor: Janet Doyle
Meetings are held in the Feilding Library 7.30-9.30pm February to November:
Branch Meeting 3rd Tuesday of each month;
Research & Computer Group 4th Tuesday of each month.
Enter through the front door of the library.
On Wednesday mornings between 10am–noon our members provide assistance at
the Feilding Library for people needing help with their research.
This newsletter is written for the Branch Committee by the Editor.
Next Branch Meeting 20 October 2020
Tuesday 7.30pm Feilding Library, Stafford Street, Feilding. After the usual Branch notices and answers
to any queries raised there will be a Power Point presentation and talk on researching your house
highlighting some of the original houses in Feilding - their history of construction, ownership, etc. So
please come along and be enlightened about our local history. Remember to bring 50c incase there is a
raffle. Come a few minutes early and have a look at the books in our Library cupboard, or experiment
with the super-duper microfiche reader machine.
Next Research & Computer Group 27 October 2020
The Feilding Library is open on Tuesday nights, so come earlier than 7.30pm if you like. Chromebook
computers will be available to log into the library online resources. There will be a sharing of stories
around the table at some point in the evening. If you are having technical issues someone may be able
to suggest ways to fix them.
Convenor's Blog
New Zealand is once again at Covid Level 1 conditions, meaning gatherings up to 100 are permitted and
social distancing and tracing still recommended. I missed the Lower North Island Genealogy
representatives meeting held on Saturday 26 September in Levin, however, Trish White and Kay O’Brien
attended as delegates from the Feilding Branch. When the minutes are received a summary of the
meeting will be presented. For our Tuesday 15 September 2020 meeting we reactivated the subject that
was scheduled for last April – stories from World War Two. Everyone participated, including a visitor and
a variety of interesting stories unfolded. The general consensus from “our” generation was that
participants in the war were reluctant to talk about their experiences to their offspring. (See meeting
report) The executive is still looking for volunteers to give a little of their time and experience to provide
research assistance in the Library heritage room for two hours on Wednesday mornings. The more
volunteers we have the less time on duty for everyone. See myself or Trish if you are available and
willing to help.
I have researched a PA system with microphone to enable some of our guest speakers to be better heard.
The unit is small, portable, battery operated and comes with a wireless microphone. It can also be used
as an auxiliary speaker for computers enhancing the computer’s small speaker output. Your executive
will make a decision on whether to purchase or not in the near future. Ian Wightman Convenor
1 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020
Report on the September meetings
Branch Meeting 15 September 2020.
The meeting theme centred around WW2. This was to be the
April meeting topic but due to ‘circumstances beyond our
control’ was delayed. Everyone had stories to tell as we were all
cognizant with our parents’ generation that were actively
involved in the 1940s. Many reported that parents who served
away from New Zealand did not readily talk of their wartime
experiences.
R brought along two volumes of ‘Images of War’ that were a
series of magazines that documented the global war. R’s Dad
had a journal from when he was training in the NZ Air Force
as an armourer. His Dad eventually went to the Pacific
Islands and had some stories relating the American forces
with whom they jointly served.
K’s Dad was in the Home Guard and never saw action
overseas.
B’s Father was a gunner in the artillery and served in the
Middle East. He was a smoker and the family legend was his
life was saved by his tobacco tin, neatly stowed in the top
John HOOPER and Doris RIGBY who
pocket of his shirt. When this was hit, the bullet stopped. married in England in their uniforms on
Some argument remains today about which pretty cousin’s 29 October 1944.
photo was also packed in the tobacco tin; as B’s Dad would
joke it was the photo and not the tin that saved his life.
N grew up in South Africa and remembered war being declared while the family were away on
holiday. The attitude at the time was to distance South Africa from other Commonwealth countries
so the government did not actively seek recruitment and there was no compulsory enrolment. N’s
family decided to move to New Zealand as his Dad was a citizen by birth. N remembered the lifeboat
drill on board ship and a few incidents with his siblings. His Dad’s medical condition precluded his
joining the New Zealand armed forces when the family did return.
J’s parents met during the war as she was a WAAF and he was a navigator. Joining the RAF his Dad
trained in Canada and was assigned duty with the 206 Squadron that flew B17 on coastal command.
Stationed in the Outer Hebrides, then Azores and finally Gloustershire where he was to meet his wife.
Here he was an trainee instructor and served alongside Francis Chichester at the Flying Training
School. One story, when flying out of the Outer Hebrides, December 1942, the B17 sighted a
Norwegian oil tanker that had foundered and broken in two. Reporting this back a rescue ship was
sent out and able to help recover the ship and
much of its cargo. J had been contacted by a
military author who researched this incident. J
also has his father’s flight log book.
M had photos of her Dad’s army unit based at
Trentham. As a trainee optometrist in civilian
life her Dad was seconded to the optometric
unit which had a truck fitted out as a field
vehicle. As too young to enrol when the war
began, he never served overseas. Post war he
was to be a territorial army Major and in the
1950s and 1960s went away to the annual army
training exercise.
G’s Dad was called up and joined the Second Sgt Hopley beside Field Hospital Optometry Unit,
Trentham, 1943.
Echelon. Her parents married before he left for
2 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020
overseas. He journeyed via Fremantle and was in Italy at Casino. Behind the front, their base came
under heavy firing and he was ordered to be a stretcher bearer to evacuate the wounded. Caught in
crossfire he was wounded in the leg and one ear. G’s Mum said the man she married was not the
same as the man who returned; war altered him. G’s Dad said he admired the Italians and their
country and talked about returning one day.
M’s Dad was too young but his older brothers went to war. No one in the family shared war stories.
It was never talked about.
D’s father too did not get overseas. Pre-war he was a cabinetmaker and a skilled worker in
Wellington. With his carpentry skills he was engaged building aircraft hangers at both Ohakea and
Woodbourne. From there he progressed to be a tutor in cabinetmaking and joinery, skills that he
transposed post war to be a teacher and also night school tutor. His younger brother-in-law was at
Crete and ended up a POW.
T comes from the UK and both her parents joined the navy in 1942. She has their service records.
Her Father was a pilot for landing craft. Serving on ‘Empire Gauntlet’ he took part in the D-Day
landing ferrying American troops to Utah Beach. There are letters he wrote back home that are
edited with parts cut out. They married in 1944 just shortly before he was posted to the Pacific Fleet
and was away for nearly a year.
I’s Dad was too young for WW1 and too old for WW2. On a Waikato dairy farm he supported the war
effort serving in the Home Guard. There are various family tales about schemes the local farmers
concocted to hinder the enemy if they invaded. Most of the bridges had large logs that were to be
rolled across to stop traffic.
It was an interesting evening and everyone had a ‘war story’ to relate. A visitor for the evening was
invited to add his story. He told of his father and two brothers who were all on the family farm. These
two were active in different theatres of war and both had stories to relate.
The evening finished with the children of this generation considering that life changed considerably for
their parents and their generation. The RSA was a place where the menfolk could go and socialize with
fellows who had similar experiences. Most Dads talked very little about their war service years. The
comradery they experienced flowed over into post war civilian life. Cooperating for community events
and fundraising all drew on their experience of the 1940s. Marilyn Wightman
Research & Computer Group 25 August 2020:
The chromebooks were out and open to the Ancestry or Family Search websites. The only sound at
times was the click clack of typing fingers. There were two visitors who also made use of the research
facility. I found an 1849 marriage in Catterline, Scotland on Ancestry and was able to track the original
register on Family Search. After some difficulty trying to save the record to a USB stick the Librarian
discovered that the USB port on the side of the Chromebook was not recognising the stick and taking it
out and plugging it into another port solved the problem. Remember that!! Janet
NZSG
Have you wondered lately whether you should join the NZSG again? The New Zealand Genealogist
magazine October edition has a double page spread about the Services and Benefits for NZSG
members. Have a look at the magazine on the open shelves in the Feilding Library Heritage Room to
help you make a decision.
Sadly NZSG member #1 Lucy Carlile Marshall passed away on Tuesday 6 October aged 90. “As the
founding member of the society, Lucy will always hold a treasured place in both NZSG history, and
our members’ hearts and thoughts. Her ‘simple action’ in writing to a Henderson newspaper in 1967
inviting a response from others interested in researching family history led to the establishment of
NZSG. Lucy was born 1930 in Wellington, the only child of Eric ARDREY and Kathleen née LAWRY.
She married Lindsay Marshall in 1951, lived three years at Ruataniwha, Central Hawkes Bay, before
moving to Auckland. Lucy was President of NZSG Oct 1967-Feb 1970; Vice-President Feb.1970-1971;
Editor of the Newsletter and The New Zealand Genealogist 1967-1986. She was made a Life Member
3 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020
of the Society in 1978 and in June 1989 was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for Community
Service in the Queen's Birthday Honours.” [NZSG e-KIT 138 October 9, 2020]
88 members logged in to the online AGM and the quorum was met with 78 proxies. Mary Shadbolt
NZSG Board Chairperson is going to recommend that future AGMs be held online as it provides all
members the opportunity to participate and is cost-effective. [NZ Genealogist Oct 2020 page 177]
Research Service volunteer Peter Krafft is trialling online mentoring sessions for members who
cannot visit the Family Research Centre Library in person. Watch out for further details.
I was interested to see that William SOUTHEE and Elizabeth (Betsy) DAYSH were used as an example
in the NZSG Research Service article in the NZ Genealogist. Betsy’s sister Esther married David James
MABEY, son of my Charlie Mabey’s brother Job. Janet
Feilding & Districts Community Archive
This year is turning out to be a ‘school year’. There has been an influx of records from the educational
field arriving at the Archive, and school records can be a handy source of information regarding family
history. A registration for a new pupil starting school contains a lot of information. For a start the
pupil’s name and date of birth can be a confirmation of a person’s age. The child being enrolled was
taken to the school by a parent who also supplied further information regarding the occupation of the
wage earner. If the family had moved from another area then the last school the child attended was
included. Transversely, if the family was on the move again and leaving they had to list an intention and
destination. Sometimes it states the child was no longer young, maybe Standard four, and leaving
schooling behind and off to find employment. When searching family stories school records can help
solve mysteries. Of the school registers that have come
into the Archive this and previous years most are now
being digitized to make searching easier. The van load
brought in by the current committee of the local high
school’s OPA (photo at right) has undergone its first
order sort. Putting the 40 boxes into categories of
meeting minutes, financial records, and
correspondence is a start before looking next at events,
newspaper cuttings, historical documents and
photographs; then begins the time consuming
conservation work of stabilizing, putting into
chronological order, and placing in acid-free enclosures
so data-entry work can take place. https://www.feildingarchive.nz/ Marilyn Wightman, Archivist, FDCA
Coach House Museum
Have you seen the new wall of shops in the foyer at the Museum? It makes quite a striking feature of
the entrance. So as it is Halloween this month I will tell you the
gory details of The Barber Pole.
The history of the barber pole is intertwined with the history of
barbers and their bloodletting practices. Patients would tightly
grasp a rod or staff tightly so their veins would show, and the
barbers would cut open their arms and bleed them until they
fainted. Later, when leech therapy became popular (they allowed
for more controlled bleeding), leeches were applied directly to the
vein areas. After the procedure, the barbers "washed" the
bandages which were hung outside on a pole to dry, and to
advertise the therapeutic specialities offered in the barbershop. Flapping in the wind, the long strips of
bandages would twist around the pole in the spiral pattern we now associate with barbers.
https://beyondthename.weebly.com/medical-madness.html
4 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020
St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Guyton Street, Whanganui
Is anyone interested in going to a talk at this church on Saturday 24 October? Janet Smith is going and
could take others in her car. The event opens at 10am with a talk by Donald Trott in the Brechin Lounge
in the Hall; refreshments to follow. There is an Historical photo display viewable from 10am-3pm.
Entry is by a donation at the door.
Heads Road Cemetery Whanganui
On Sunday 4 October Janet and Janet headed up to Wanganui to take a
tour of the Heads Road Cemetery, or Old Wanganui Cemetery, or
General Cemetery, the name changed over the years. Gloria was there
too so Feilding NZSG was well represented. We walked around the
Cemetery for 2 hours, stopping in convenient spots to hear the history
of the Cemetery or the story of the people buried there. It was more
about the cemetery history than the people which was a little
disappointing but still a worthwhile outing. One grave we stopped at
was that of John Tiffen Stewart. “In January 1864 Stewart took charge
of the Wellington and Manawatu districts with headquarters at Foxton.
During the next four years he surveyed the Maori land purchased by the
government in the Waitotara and Manawatu areas. He supervised the
subdivision of Palmerston North, Feilding, Halcombe and Rongotea,
giving all of them large town-squares. He also planned and saw the
completion of the Manawatu Gorge road.” [info copied from
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2s46/stewart-john-tiffin] The tour
was part of Whanganui Heritage Month and was hosted by Kyle Dalton
from Whanganui History and Heritage. Have a look at his Facebook
page @whanganuiresearch
Feilding Heritage photos
Having had some feedback that this site helped to confirm the identification of some photos in an NZSG
members collection I am including it again. https://www.feildingheritage.nz/collections
Copied from the notes on Using the Site: “You can browse the entire Feilding and District Heritage site
or use search terms to locate content relevant to your subject of interest. Click on a search result to see
an enlarged view and read a description. You can also download a copy, share the item via email,
Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, and contribute your own comments.”
“Feilding and District Heritage is a community repository. You can add your own photos, histories,
articles, and documents. Today’s stories are tomorrow’s heritage. Sharing what is important to you
now and what is happening in the Manawatū region in the present time will help capture our heritage
for future generations. If you need assistance contact library@mdc.govt.nz”
5 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020
Feilding Convent 1935
This photo was posted to a Facebook
page. It shows Standard 1 & 2 from
Feilding Convent School (St Joseph's) in
1935. The only name known is Patricia
Cleland who is far right in the middle
row. Someone else said Dad is in the
photo and the back row third from left
looks like Uncle Steve and nana in
middle row far left… Can anyone help?
One Hundred Years Ago - Bankrupt due to Influenza
Businesses are going under due to the influence of COVID-19 this year, but it is not a new thing as we
see in the history of Charles Leslie WELLS who lived in Feilding in the 1930s. Charles was born on 15
May 1895 in Whetstone, Leicestershire, England. In the 1901 Census he is with his parents Charles A.
and Betsy Ann Wells at 80 St Peters Road, Leicester. Charles Snr is supporting the family on his own
means. Charles Jnr came to New Zealand with his mother sometime around 1912.
In 1917 Charles married Frances Muriel TACKABERRY and in June 1918 he set up a Grocer’s Shop in
Morningside, Auckland which is close to Eden Park and Western Springs with £50, of which £25 was
borrowed from his mother. The business was successful until he and his wife contracted Influenza and
he had to close the shop for 2 weeks. A lot of the perishable stock was lost and the business never
recovered from that setback. He was declared bankrupt in April 1919 and became a farmer at
Tuhimata, Runciman. A daughter Dorothy Clifford WELLS was born on 6 November 1919 in Avondale.
At some point Charles moved to either Rangitikei or Manawatū and met Marina DAVIS and they formed
a relationship. Marina had immigrated to NZ on 13 December 1926 with her mother Mary and they
were living in Bulls in 1928. Marina gave birth to Leslie Wells at 8 Argyle Ave, Palmerston North in 1931.
In the 1935 Electoral Roll we see the family is living at 43 Manchester Street, Feilding with Charles using
the name Leslie Wells. He divorced Frances in 1938. Charles died on 1 Mar 1984 in Palmerston North
Hospital, and was cremated at Kelvin Grove. Leslie Wells Jnr died on 11 April 1993 in Feilding, and was
cremated at Kelvin Grove like his father. Leslie Jnr’s wife Ngaere Joan (née LEE) was cremated at
Hamilton Park Cemetery in 2019. Does anyone know what became of the ashes of this family?
Sources: Ancestry; Newspaper cutting from Papers Past Auckland Star 24 April 1919 page 7.
Buried three centuries before he lived
I searched for the burial of Owen GREEN in the Hauraki District Council Cemetery Search and discovered
Date of Death: 16/04/1989, Date of burial: 01/01/1753. I filled out the contact form reporting this
error but the reply was that the date was a default setting in a system that has now been updated, and
Gayleen the Customer Services Advisor arranged for that date to be removed to avoid any further
confusion. His name has been engraved on the Ngatea Memorial Wall as a memorial only, he is not
actually interred in Ngatea. Janet
6 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020Papers Past
In August last year the Canterbury Police Gazette (1863-1877), New Zealand Police Gazette (1877-1945),
and Otago Police Gazette (1861-1877) were added to the Magazines section on Papers Past. Don’t
forget to check that section when searching for information on your ancestors. You may even be lucky
enough to find a photo.
Facebook - FEILDING NZ NOW & THEN
This is a Private group with 2.6K members. Apply to join or I can invite you to the group. Recent
postings include:
“Eric “Rooster” Ross passed away at 3:44am NZ time. After a short term illness, he passed away
peacefully in his sleep. A well know figure in the Feilding community he will be sadly missed.”
“Whatever happened to old Barefoot Billy?”
A group photograph from the St Joseph's Convent School Golden Jubilee Reunion, Feilding, May 1956.
Feilding Agricultural High School First XI Cricket Team 1949 photo
“RIP Mrs Bishop nearly everyone that went to Lytton St School in the 60s ,70s ,80s. knew Mrs Bishop
sadly she has passed away suddenly on Friday 14-08-2020 in Auckland”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Feildingnowthen
Websites
https://beyondthename.weebly.com/site-index.html a collection of information dedicated to all of
the wonderful Family Historians Past and Present, who have given their time, knowledge and
experience, freely to Family History Centres all over the World.
https://lynnswaffles.com/?s=03 Old photos, family history and genealogy, some Australian material.
Lynn is a Collector of Old Photos, and loves finding treasures at Fairs, Fleamarkets & Car Boot sales.
You can also follow her on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lynnswaffles/
http://www.feilding.co.nz/history Feilding & District Promotion page on the history of Feilding.
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-BuiMana-t1-body-d5.html “Old Manawatu, or The Wild
Days of the West”. Digitised text edition of this book by T. Lindsay Buick originally published in
Palmerston North by Buick & Young, 1903.
https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Documents/Provisional-list-NZ-victims-of-1918-Flu-Pandemic-
Ancestry.pdf 1918 Flu Pandemic victims - Feilding list could be useful sometime
2020 Mina McKenzie Memorial Lecture
2 November 2020 at Te Rangahau Curiosity Centre, Te Manawa - ‘Exhibiting Samoa-New Zealand
Relations from 1923 to 2007’ by Dr Safua Akeli Amaama, Head of History and Pacific Cultures, Te Papa.
Coffee/tea from 6.30 pm; lecture begins at 7 pm. This talk presents Samoa-New Zealand relations
through displays, and the broader events of mobility that converged ideas, objects and peoples.
Events
5 – 23 October 2020 - A Family Affair of Fibre Art exhibition: work by Esther Nitschke MBE and her
talented family. Feilding and Districts Art Society
17 October 2020 - General Election, along with the End of Life Choice and cannabis referendums.
October 2020 - a new history of Palmerston North City at the Centre, due to be launched.
29-30-31 October - Thursday Friday Saturday - Feilding and Districts Steam Rail Society - Ride the
Halloween Spooky Train in 1940s carriages pulled by a 65 yr old diesel locomotive up and down the
7 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020Feilding Railyard at night. Kid friendly trains from 6pm to 8pm, it gets spookier from 8pm. Adult
Ticket - $6, Child Ticket - $3 https://www.facebook.com/events/372211670602538
1 November 2020. Sunday - Caccia Birch House 125th Jubilee Celebration. 130 Te Awe Awe Street
Palmerston North. Free garden party! Starting at 1pm with a re-opening of the refurbished Coach
House Archive Display and speeches followed by musicians, dancers and performers entertaining the
guests! Food and drinks will also be available to purchase, or weather permitting, bring your own
picnic! https://www.facebook.com/events/1443978975793493
7-8 November 2020. Manawatū A & P Show - only the Horse sections of the show (Showing, Show
Jumping, Show Hunter, Donkeys, Pleasure and Mounted Games) and the YFC District Final event will
go ahead this year due to the uncertainties around Covid 19.
Rootstech connect 25-27 February 2021. The world’s largest family history event is back in 2021 as a
FREE three-day online event, featuring inspiring speakers, dozens of classes in multiple languages,
and interactions with presenters, exhibitors, and other attendees like never before. It’s a truly
global celebration of family and connection. Register Now! https://www.rootstech.org/?lang=eng
19-21 March 2021 Quilt Show at Coach House Museum
Easter 2-5 April 2021 - Feilding High School centenary celebration.
18 April 2021. Sunday. - Coach House Museum Old Skills Day.
Do you have anyone in
your tree that lived to
be over 100 years old?
Write about them and
email to me for the next
newsletter please
“The craving for a personal identity continues to be strongly felt…. to
be able to discover the most ancient and intimate secrets of our
existence is just a further proof that we are wonderfully and
personally fashioned”. Lucy Carlile Marshall (1930 - 2020)
Janet Doyle, Editor
www.feildinggenealogy.org.nz
Contact can be made through the Branch email Feilding@genealogy.org.nz - cleared by Secretary Trish.
8 NZSG - Feilding Branch, Newsletter October 2020You can also read
