 
The Petersens

From Norway to Croydon Bush

Smashwords Edition  
Copyright 2015 Justin Cahill

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Please send all inquiries to Justin Cahill at  
PO Box 108, Lindfield, 2070  
New South Wales, Australia

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Cover: Peter and Annie Petersen, taken before their son, Henry, left for World War I with the Ninth Contingent, in November 1916 (original photograph by courtesy of Terrance Casey).

Introduction

This is a memoir of Peter and Annie Petersen, the parents of Annie Laura Nicholson, my great-grandmother. They were among the first settlers of Croydon Bush, a farming district near Gore in Southland. But settling there was only the last in a series of episodes their families had gone through before arriving in that remote and beautiful place.

The Petersens are the most interesting branch of our family tree, but also the most enigmatic. The family history is full of tales of Sydney convicts, Māori princesses and Norwegian whalers who jumped ship, based on half-remembered stories and a few supporting documents. They are all told more fully in my book, _A New Life in Our History_.

As there were women named 'Annie' in four generations of the family, sometimes it's hard to follow who's who. There was Annie Laurie, who became Annie Edwards. Then there was her daughter, who became Annie Petersen. Then came her daughter, who became Annie Laura Nicholson. Lastly there was her daughter, who became Annie Dickey. To avoid confusion, when it is not clear which Annie is mentioned I have included her maiden name in brackets. I have referred to my great-grandmother, Annie Nicholson, as 'Laura', as that is how she was known. I have also provided a family tree so that you can keep track of everyone.

I am grateful to those who kindly helped me along the way by sharing their memories and lending me family photographs and papers. They include my grandmother, the late Doris Biggar (Nicholson), my great-aunt, the late Annie Dickey, my great-uncle Lewis Nicholson, my great-aunt Isabel Cunningham and their cousins the late Peter Alexander Petersen, Mary Palmer, the late Violet and Bessie Lynch, Rose Hawke, Gordon Hewlett and Terence and Dennis Casey. I am indebted to Jill Mitchell for her paper about the Edwards family, _Where did she come from ???_ ', the 'she' being Annie Edwards (Laurie). I am also indebted to John Williams for his paper on Annie Edwards (Laurie), _Who are Annie Laurie's Parents ?_ I am also grateful to Nancy Nicholson, Russell Biggar, Graeme Biggar, my mother Kathleen Cahill (Biggar), the late Margaret van Sprang, April Fisher, Brenda Donovan, Auriette Gilmour, Ann Cooper, Maria Aiau, Anne Golding, Lynette Graham and Dale Nicholson for information and material.

Des Mataga kindly provided me with copies of the letters of Annie Edwards (Laurie) and family photographs collected by the late Dulcie Booker. Information on the Edwards, Perry and Baggott families was kindly provided by Jill Karetai, Nola Edmonds, Nerida Been, Bruce Perry, the late Stewart Smith, Anna Gratton, Lorraine McDonald and Murray Kelly. The late Paula Dickie, author of _A History of Croydon Bush_ provided me with material from her files. Bruce Cavanagh of the Gore Historical Museum provided material from the Museum's collections. The staff at the New Zealand Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the Dunedin Regional Office of Archives New Zealand were unfailingly helpful and efficient.

I was fortunate to meet Mary Plank, Peter and Annie's last surviving daughter, in February 2001. Mary was 97 then and passed on some of the oral history of the Edwards and Petersen families. I am also grateful to Bruce Mitchell, who lives next to the land once held by the Petersen family at Croydon Bush and gave me a guided tour in 2007.

I went to the Petersen family reunion at Bluff in 2007 and often still often think of the amazing Bluff oysters, mussels and paua patties served up for lunch ! As there is another reunion this year, I offer this memoir of our pioneering ancestors. It is a work in progress, a living document that can be added to and corrected. I've detailed the sources used in the endnotes. There are, inevitably, mistakes and omissions in any history and I would be very happy to hear from anyone who wishes to provide additional material or correct errors. If anyone wants further copies of this book or of the family photographs used in it, just contact me at the above addresses.

Justin Cahill, Lindfield

16 February 2015

Stop Press

Thanks to research by members of the Norway Heritage website ( _www.norwayheritage.com_ ), I think we can now say the Peter Petersen mystery has been solved. I am especially grateful to Vivi Bekk for her research and providing me with copies of original Norwegian documents and her translations of them.

24 February 2015

I

Mothers are often anxious about their daughters. The worries of Mrs Bennett, mother of five daughters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, reflect what they go through. "The business of her life" Austen tells us "was to get her daughters married...".

While Annie Edwards (Laurie) could relate to Mrs Bennet, being deeply religious she took a more philosophic attitude to life. Even so, Annie was starting to worry. By 1880 she was the proud mother of four daughters. Elizabeth, her eldest girl, was 17. Mary, the next eldest, was only a year behind. But what kind of husbands would they get ?

That November Annie wrote to her cousin, Polly Gibbons, confiding her worries. Annie weighed up her daughters' strengths. Mary, she wrote, was "...a clever girl she can do all manner of wool work...and cook..." As for Elizabeth, "...[she] is more for the dairy."

Annie understood that some parents took it upon themselves to find their daughters a "...good match...". But Annie and her husband, William, preferred to "...let them choose for themselves...". Even so, any future husbands had to measure up to certain standards. "...I think a girl should [find] a good working man..." Annie explained to Polly. "[I]f...a girl can get a true gentleman she is lucky but nine out of ten make very bad husbands for girls for when the cash runs short they...do not know where to turn themselves [or] what to do...".

Elizabeth and Mary had no trouble attracting suitors. Elizabeth was being courted by Edward Henry Gibbs and Mary by Archie Ingram Baggott. Annie and Edward observed both men closely before giving their daughters permission to marry. Annie told Polly that "...it took a little time for us to make up our minds; it took some time to see that the young [men] were good workers and honest boys; and they have proved themselves all that...".

Elizabeth and Edward Gibbs were married in about 1879 and moved to Big Bay, on the west coast of the South Island. Mary Edwards and Archie Baggott were married in 1880. Annie shared her relief when sending Polly a piece of Mary's wedding cake. "I have been busy with getting my poor girl away" Annie wrote "... it is a great relief to get them married and off your mind; they both [Elizabeth and Mary] have good husbands; that is one good thing they are not rich but very respectable young men and good workers...".

Another, not-so-young man would soon come under Annie and William's scrutiny.

II

Peter Herman Petersen is one of the more enigmatic figures in our family history. Originally from Norway, he was quite short, had thick blonde hair, fair skin, striking blue eyes and was of "...a retiring disposition...". He was born sometime between about 1851 and 1857 to Peter or Daniel Petersen and Jeannie Johnston. Where they lived and how they made a living are uncertain. Peter described his father as a fisherman. Others say his parents were music teachers, that his father taught the cello and violin and his mother the piano. The family are said to have lived Kristiana, now Oslo. There may be something in this, as Peter was a talented musician. Mary Plank, his daughter, recalled that he played the violin "like a professional." He was also a good singer and performed at local functions.

Peter, family tradition has it, worked as a whaler. Bruce Mitchell recalls his mother, May, saying Peter had a sailor's walk, rolling from side to side as if he was still on a ship. In the late 1870s, he decided to leave Norway. Why he left is unknown. A family story has it that he left an unhappy marriage, although that seems doubtful.

Whether he came straight to New Zealand and why he decided to settle there is also unknown. He arrived in about 1878. According to conflicting family traditions, he either jumped ship or was the ship's master and signed off legally. Where he arrived in unknown - Bluff, Oamaru and Dunedin have all been nominated. Even his obituary was vague, noting he had "... come to this district [Croydon Bush] some 40 years ago pursuing occupations connected with the land. He had previously followed the sea". Peter eventually made his way south towards Gore.

III

I can probably now say Peter Herman Petersen was one of the more enigmatic figures in our family history. We knew so little about him that I doubted we'd be able to trace his family in Norway. I'd finished drafting this book when, as an afterthought, I posted what we knew about Peter on the Norway Heritage website. Within a day, the curtain came up on his early life like the mist rising from a Norwegian fjord.

It is virtually certain that our Peter Herman Petersen was Peder Herman Pedersen, the son of Peder Daniel Tobiassen and Janniken Jansdatter from Lunde farm, Vanse in Farsund, on the southern tip of Norway. At this time, Vanse was a whaling town. Peder Daniel Tobiassen was a fisherman. He and Janniken had eight children between 1835 and 1851. They included Martine, Tobias, Caroline, Hanna, Petrine, Johanne and Anna. Peter, the youngest, was born on 22 August 1851.

Peter became a sailor, going to sea on 18 March 1870. His early voyages were to London, Holland and Sweden. He left Norway in mid-1879 and lost contact with his family. At least one of his sisters had already left Norway by this time. Martine married Johannes Johannssen, a carpenter from Oslo, and moved to Texas in about 1872. Caroline, his elder sister, married Edvard Strøm and moved to Drammen, where Edvard set up a printing business in Tordenskioldsgate Street.

Janniken, their mother, died in 1874. By the time their father died in 1883, Peter had been absent for many years and his address was unknown. A notice was put in the newspaper trying to find him and Martine, noting Peter's last known whereabouts was New Zealand three and a half years ago.

IV

By the time Peter Petersen arrived in New Zealand, William and Annie Edwards' family were near the end of a series of moves that had brought them to Southland.

Annie and William had met in the North Island in the 1850s. William was born sometime between 1823 and 1826 at North Tamerton, a tiny village in Cornwall, England. He was the son of John Edwards, a farmer. While little else is known about him, most farmers in these times didn't earn much money. As his later life shows, William was a hard worker. He was doubtlessly interested in improving his lot in life. New Zealand offered him the prospect of better wages and owning his own land.

In February 1840, the British Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi with some of the Māori chiefs of New Zealand. The new governor, William Hobson, established a capital city for the new colony at Waitemata, a harbour on the west coast, which he named Auckland. As the new capital was short of tradesmen and labourers, Hobson requested the Colonial Office to direct some of the emigrants destined for New Zealand to Auckland.

It sent three ships in response. First to arrive were the Duchess of Argyle and Jane Gifford in October 1842, carrying about 500 settlers. The third was the Westminster. It was owned by Duncan Dunbar & Sons, a London shipping company contracted by the British Government's Colonial Land and Emigration Commission to carry stores and about 225 emigrants from London and Plymouth to the new capital. The Westminster's steerage passengers included William Edwards, a 19 year old labourer.

The _Westminster_ sailed from Plymouth on 4 December 1842. The voyage was uneventful, with C. William Gordon, the ship's surgeon reporting to the Land and Emigration Commission that " _The voyage altogether has been a favourable one. I had very little disease and none of an infectious nature"_.

By the time the _Westminster_ arrived on 31 March 1843, Auckland's population was between about 2500 and 2800. Conditions in the infant settlement were not encouraging. The government had run out of money and was deeply in debt. There was nothing left to spend on public works, the usual source of employment for newly arrived emigrants. Emigrants who could not find employment were forced to wait until Governor Robert Fitzroy, Hobson's successor, offered them work building Auckland's main roads in December 1844. They were paid 1 shilling sixpence per day, not much more than they would have earned at home.

Whether William Edwards of North Tamerton was the same person as the William Edwards who arrived on the _Westminster_ is probable, but not certain. After William's death in 1912, it was recorded that he had lived in New Zealand for 69 years, giving an arrival date of about 1843. But there is no document links him to the _Westminster_.

How and where William lived for the next sixteen years is unknown. Clara McCormack, one of his granddaughters, recalled that William ran a ships chandlery at Onehunga, which later burnt down. He may have gone to the United States - there have been vague mentions of him being in Manhattan. He could have joined the gold rush to San Francisco in 1849, as there were direct shipping links between Kawhia and California. William's later career suggests he most likely worked as a labourer, timber-cutter or bullock driver. All these skills were in demand to cut and haul the timber required for the new capital.

V

Annie's story was more complicated. Astley Laurie, her father, was the son of a convict, John Laurie. John was born in about 1780, probably in London, and may have been of French descent. We have no details of his parents, but they ensured he received some education as he could read and write. John was a perfume marker by trade, but it doesn't seem to have worked out. He was cconvicted of larceny in 1804 and transported to Sydney on the Fortune in 1806.

As there were few literate people in Sydney then, John was assigned to work for Richard Atkins as his clerk. Richard was the colony's Deputy Judge Advocate, a role which combined the functions of chief justice, attorney general, solicitor general and director of public prosecutions. Richard and his wife, Elizabeth, had an adopted daughter, Sarah Bockerah.

Sarah's origins are uncertain. She was the daughter of Ann Bockerah, who appears to have been the wife of Solomon Bockerah, a convict transported to Sydney on the Scarborough, one of the ships of the Second Fleet, in 1790. When Solomon died in 1791, Ann went to live with Richard Atkins. The timing of these events makes it unclear whether Solomon or Richard was Sarah's father. Whatever happened, Richard and Elizabeth adopted Sarah. John Laurie and Sarah struck up a relationship and Sarah had Astley in about 1809.

John was eventually pardoned and rose to become a wealthy merchant. Astley worked for him for a while, then ran his own business, the Black Dog hotel in Sydney. But Astley got into strife. In 1828, he was sentenced to death for his involvement in forging a will. From this point, our evidence for what became of Astley is circumstantial. There is enough, I think, to show what happened. But I wouldn't want to bet the house on it.

It seems that after narrowly escaping arrest and being hung, Astley eventually made his way to Kawhia, a port south of Auckland. There, it appears, Astey was adopted by one of the local Ngāti Mahtua chiefs, Te Kihirini Te Kanawa. At this time, the Ngāti Mahuta were anxious to buy guns to defend themselves from the other tribes. Astley's job was to secure guns for the tribe from Sydney traders. The tribe paid for them with flax, then in high demand for use in ships sails and ropes. To seal the arrangement, Te Kirihini Te Kanawa provided Astley with some land at Maketu in Kawhia and allowed him to marry his niece, Te Rangiata. Annie was born to them in about 1840. Sadly, Annie's mother died in childbirth.

When Astley died or disappeared soon afterwards, Annie was adopted by Astley's brother, John Jnr, who had come to Kawhia with his family in 1839. While Annie is said to have had a moko tattooed on her chin, photographs of her do not show one.

VI

As this part of our family history is controversial, I'm often asked what evidence there is for this tangled tale. Unfortunately, government registration of births and deaths did not start until 1848 and marriages until 1854. So, as I said earlier, the evidence is circumstantial and I wouldn't bet the house on it. But there is some solid primary material from official records.

The first and most important document is a letter Astley's brother, John Jnr, wrote to the government in 1858 applying for title to the land he was living on at Maketu in Kawhia. John Jnr attached to his letter a copy of a note relating to this land written in Māori apparently signed by Te Kihirini Te Kanawa. The note declared, in essence: "Listen Māori people and all the Pakeha about the allowing of two acres of my land to Laurie – the land was Mite's before he sold it to Laurie." In his letter, John Jnr went on to describe this 'Mite' as "...Mr John Smith (now deceased) a relative of mine...". John Jnr only had one male relative who was deceased by 1858 this time - Astley.

So we can show Astley was probably at Kawhia. But what about his marriage to Te Rangiata ? Proving that requires a leap of faith, but only a small one. It turns on whether this 'Mite' was the same person as a man known to historians as 'Tamete', which is Māori for 'Smith'. This Tamete was one of the men brought over from Sydney to Kawhia by John Rodolphus Kent, the famous mariner and trader, to work at his trading posts at Kawhia. In his evidence before the Māori Land Court in 1886, Wiremu Te Wheoro, the eminent Māori statesman and a relative of Te Kanawa, noted that Tamete was settled at Maketu. He went on to say:"Te Rangiata, niece of Te Kanawa, was given to Tamete. After these marriages, a trade in flax was established to secure firearms. Flax was prepared in large quantities all over the district and taken to Kawhia for sale."

As Maketu is not a large place, it seems likely Tamete and Mite were the same man, who also known a Smith. We can make the final jump and show there was a man living at Maketu known as Smith-Laurie. Ann Swan, who lived at Kawhia between 1840 and about 1843, told the Māori Land Court over 45 years later that "...Smith Laurie a European lived at Maketu...".

Lastly, in 1841, there was an exchange between John Smith and a trader Francis Leathart in the New Zealand Gazette. On 2 October, Francis Leathart placed a notice declaring: "£50 Reward. The above reward will be given to any person or persons who shall apprehend and lodge in one of her Majesty's gaols, a person named John Smith, alias Walter Laurie, who has taken £500 of my money. He is an escaped convict from New South Wales, and has lived at Kafia during the last 8 years."

On 18 November, an indignant John Smith wrote to the New Zealand Gazette's Editor from Akaora: "Sir, - Having just received a file of your papers, I have just read with extreme astonishment an advertisement signed "F.Leathart." inserted in several numbers, wherein a reward is offered for my apprehension. I am accused of having taken £500 of that person's money, and am denounced as an escaped convict. I cannot but regret that you should have been so imposed upon, and (unwittingly I am sure) made the medium for the circulation of unfounded falsehoods. The whole advertisement is a most malicious calumny, propagated for the vilest purposes, and I must request that you will have the goodness to represent it as much at the earliest opportunity. With respect to Mr Leathart, I have placed the matter in the hands of my legal adviser, and on the establishment of the proper court, shall seek that redress the law affords me."

That is pretty much the last anyone heard of the man who may have been Astley Laurie. Either way, Astley wasn't the only one of our ancestors to occasionally vanish from history.

VII

About 15 years after he arrived in Auckland, William Edwards re-surfaced at Kawhia. Where he had been all this time is unclear. William Henry ('Harry') Perry, one of his grandsons, later wrote that William "...landed in Auckland in 1858 with the then huge sum of 500 pounds, with which he entered the Kauri timber industry and the transporting of logs to the different pit sawing centres on the Manukau harbour, the waters of which were the transport medium."

William described himself as a 'trader.' He met Annie Laurie, according to family tradition, on a fishing boat. By this time Annie had grown into an attractive young woman. She had a tall, slender figure, high cheeks, fair skin and clear, blue eyes. They were married at Kawhia in July 1859. The wedding was conducted by the Rev. Cort Henry Schnackenberg, who ran the Wesleyan mission station at Lemon Point, Kawhia. John Laurie and his daughter, Polly Gibbons, attended the ceremony. William was 39, Annie was 19.

Family scuttlebutt has it that William swapped Annie for a cow. This is unlikely. The Māori did not have system where the husband paid his wife's family a 'bride price' or dowry. Annie had two families looking out for her: the Lauries and her mother's relatives. Both were probably anxious to ensure this middle-aged Pākehā could afford to support her and it would have taken more than a cow to convince them he was a suitable son-in-law. Whatever happened, William and Annie stayed together for the next 53 years.

Shortly after Annie and William's wedding, conflict flared up between the Māori and Pākehā over the government's purchase of Māori land at Waitara in Taranaki. As tensions rose, William and Annie Edwards moved to Aotea, about five kilometres north of Kawhia, where William worked as farm labourer. Their first son, William Astley, probably named after his father and maternal grandfather, was born there in April 1861. But the family did not remain there for long.

VIII

In early 1861 Edward Peters, a farm worker, found traces of gold near Woolshed Creek, a tributary of the Tuapeka River near Tokomairiro, now known as Milton, in Otago. Then road workers found gold in the Upper Lindis Gorge. By May, about 300 to 400 prospectors had arrived there. But when winter set in and mining became harder, they abandoned it.

During April and May that year, Thomas Gabriel Read, a veteran of the Californian and Victorian goldfields, prospected along the Tuapeka and Waitahuna Rivers. He found rich gold deposits in several creeks and gullies near the Tuapeka River. Read wrote about his discovery to Otago's Provincial Council. Read's letter was passed onto the local newspaper, the Otago Witness, which published it in June 1861. Three weeks later, it printed detailed directions to the sites of Read's discoveries. A small 'rush' of farmers, shepherds and labourers from nearby Tokomiriro headed for the spot. When the extent and quality of the gold uncovered became known, a rush started from Dunedin. By 27 July 1861 about 2000 prospectors were working the new field, by then known as 'Gabriels Gully.'

That same month Read announced he had discovered a second deposit at Waitahuna. While the new field was rushed by about 500 prospectors, many declared it a 'duffer'. Some persisted. Over the next two months it became obvious that Waitahuna was the real thing and it was promptly rushed again. About 200 prospectors were working the field on 1 September 1861. Numbers shot up fast. About "...4000 were at work and mostly doing well" on 30 September 1861. There were between 5000 and 7000 there by November 1861.

William Edwards packed up his young family and headed for the diggings. They rode down the east coast of the South Island on a team of bullocks. One night, as they crossed the Waimakariri River north of Christchurch, the infant William Astley fell in, but was quickly rescued.

William worked at both Gabriels Gully and Tuapeka. Conditions at both fields were primitive. Once the ground was cleared to expose the pay dirt, it was quickly reduced to a muddy expanse riddled with shafts and covered in piles of tailings. Gabriels, the local town, was a collection of rough tents and huts. Provisions were expensive.

It is unlikely William found much gold, as he was soon looking around the farms and sawmills for work. The family settled in Dunedin where William and Annie's first daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1863. Shortly afterwards they moved to Tokomairiro.

Harry Perry recalled "[w]ith the discovery of gold in Otago at Gabriels Gully he sold up and settled at Tokomairiro and went into the wagon business. With a team of eight bullocks and a wagon he left Dunedin with a four ton load of flour and in the Manuka Gorge he lost his bullocks with Tutu poisoning. He sold the flour for a fabulous sum and the wagon was bought by a rival wagoner by the name of Cotton.

He had by this time changed his mind about bullocks and decided on horses as his medium of power and greater speed so he set sail for Tasmania and purchased eight horses at forty pounds and shipped them to Port Chalmers where they were swum ashore and all arrived safely in Dunedin. A new four ton wagon was built with wide wheels for bad roads also a braking system to help control heavy loads on the steep hills...

The easy gold eventually ran out and quartz mining began with a public company called OPQ [Otago Pioneer Quartz] company with a fair amount of success and also hydraulic sluicing to a greater depth began and also ground sluicing and dredges were built on the Waipori river. With all this activity there was great transport activity and Bill Edwards...developed into a big cartage contractor with two eight horse teams carting steel pipes twenty ft. long ranging in dia. From 20 in. to 6in. and also steam tube boilers to power the dredges weighing 12 tons and requiring a 16 horse team to haul them over the rough and hilly roads from Lawrence [to] the then railhead to Waipori township 12 miles away...".

The Edwards stayed at Tokomairiro for about seven years and had five children there: Mary in 1864, Fredrick in 1867, John in 1869, Louisa in 1871 and Annie on 8 July 1873. At the time Louisa and Annie were born, William was working as a bullock driver and a sawyer.

IX

The family left Tokomairiro shortly after Annie was born. They spent the next seven years on the move and camped wherever William could find work as a labourer or in sawmills, such as those around Woodlands, north-west of Invercargill. The family continued to grow. George was born at Kaiapoi, just north of Christchurch, in 1874. William then found work as a sawyer at Akatore, near Tokomairiro, in 1875. He bought a 115 acre farm there: "[t]he whole is fenced, about 25 Acres laid down in English grasses, and 50 Acres covered with sound, heavy timber." Herbert Henry was born there in 1877.

The family stayed at Akatore until late 1877. Their next move was to Longbush, about 10 km north west of Invercargill, where they lived from 1878 to 1881. Annie and William's son, Archibald, was born in 1879. William worked as a labourer. But the pay was low. At this time, New Zealand's development was financed by overseas loans. When the City of Glasgow Bank, a major lender, collapsed it brought investment in New Zealand to an abrupt end. The banks restricted credit and unemployment rose. New Zealand's economy stagnated until 1895, a period now known as the 'Long Depression'.

The downturn affected the Edwards family. In a letter from Longbush to her cousin Polly, Annie wrote "Southland is very dull just now and wages... [are] down here farmers want to cut men down to 6 shillings a day and hands of the mills are only getting 9 shillings were they could get 11 and 12 shillings a day at one time; here bullock drivers get from 10 to 11 pounds a month yard men get from 12 to 14 pounds a month but the work is very dull and everything is dear."

X

Then, in the early 1880s, William heard about a new opportunity at Croydon Bush on the Waimea Plains near Gore. The New Zealand Agricultural Company was opening up some of its land there for settlement. The Company had big plans for the district. It hoped to attract people to the district by establishing village settlements complete with schools and churches. It offered to train the new settlers as farmers, graziers or estate agents so they could make a living in their new home. To ensure its settlers could send their produce to market cheaply enough to compete with other districts, the Company's directors also financed the construction of a railway between Gore and Lumsden, known as the Waimea Plains Line.

The Edwards and a number of other families, including the Biggars and Nicholsons, applied for farms of there. They took up sections in the same part of Croydon Bush, a rough square bounded by Strauchon Road, Reaby Road, the north boundary of section 134 and Croydon Bush.

The Edwards family arrived first, moving onto section 782 in March 1881. Their section was about eleven acres in area, with a small creek running through it. A month later George and Annie Biggar and their family moved onto part of section 135, which lay next to the Edwards' section. John and Maria Nicholson arrived in 1890. John Nicholson took up a Crown lease over section 902, a large section of 49 acres that lay west of the Edwards' land. Access to section 902 was provided by a one-lane gravel track that branched off Reaby Road (the road to Gore) known as 'Nicholson Road'.

XI

On taking up their farms, Croydon's new residents started from scratch. The land was completely undeveloped, being "... _a sea of red tussock_..." and manuka scrub infested with rabbits. Water was carried from the nearest creek. There was no electricity and no general store. Gore, located about 10 km to the south east, consisted of three hotels, two general stores and several blacksmiths, a butcher, baker and chemist. The butcher and baker called at Croydon once a week. The rest came from the land. George Biggar recalled that _"Croydon Bush in those days was teeming with pigeons, kakas, Maori Hens and other native birds... The bush also abounded in wild honey, and we used to rob the trees to provide the larder with very welcome honey"_. Wild pigs were also common.

Many of the local children also ate the dark red berries collected from the native fushia trees growing on the edges of the bush. Doris Biggar recalled fishing for yabbies in Whisky Creek. Ducks were available during the shooting season and there were eels and trout in the Mataura River. Seasonal delicacies, such as whitebait, oysters from Bluff and toheroa were provided by networks of relatives and friends. There were also muttonbirds, which were delivered in flax baskets. They were boiled up in their own fat. They were a tasty, but messy meal. Doris recalled " _while you were eating them, the grease would run down your chin_."

Sometimes it was difficult to travel between Gore and Croydon. The road was unsealed. Bullock carts carrying timber from the Croydon saw mill to Gore railway station often churned it up into an impassable series of deep, muddy holes. Thomas Nicholson, one of John Nicholson's sons, later recalled that the mud was so deep the roads "... _would bog a duck_."

The new settlers' first priorities were to build homes, dig gardens and plant orchards. The Edwards set up a camp near the creek that flowed through their land. They set aside a large area near the creek for crops and a garden. Their house had an earthen floor, a large fireplace and was surrounded by pungas. They also built three huts. Maggie, their twelfth child, was born at Gore in 1885.

The Biggars built a small house near the road and planted a row of Australian blue gums nearby. George used two obelisk-shaped timber posts to make a front gate - one of them is still there. The Nicholsons built a house and shed near the top of Nicholson Road beside a small creek and planted a large orchard near the house. They later built a large garden and three huts on section 787.

XII

Some doubted whether people could make a living at Croydon. A correspondent to the _Southern Standard_ , a local newspaper, observed in 1889 that _"... about a dozen families have settled in the bush, and gained a living we scarcely know how; certainly it is neither an easy nor affluent one. A little farming, a little dairying and a little wood-cutting – this threefold occupation keeps body and soul together"_.

Obviously, these families were engaged in what amounts to subsistence agriculture. But this was not unusual. This kind of farming was the colony's 'principal occupation' by the early 1890s. The growing market for wool, diary products and frozen meat (most of which was exported to England) gave rural New Zealand a period of economic prosperity that lasted from the mid-1890s until the early 1920s. The work was hard. But these favourable conditions meant it was possible to achieve the basic aim of moving to the new settlement- to make enough to raise and educate a family (often quite a large family) in reasonable comfort.

William Edwards worked as a timber-cutter (or 'bushman') and spent much of his time cutting and maintaining a series of tracks that led to good stands of timber. Where the track was muddy, William would 'corduroy' it by laying down a series of logs in the mud to form a crossing. Annie Edwards (Laurie) supplemented the family's income by growing fruit and vegetables. She sold her produce in Gore after carrying it there on foot, a return trip of about 20 km.

The New Zealand Agricultural Company employed many of its settlers to plough land, bring in crops, build and maintain fences and to dip and shear its sheep and for lambing. George Biggar took a job as a wagon driver with the Company. He often drove the Company's supplies to Gore railway station. John Nicholson worked as a farmer and shearing contractor.

Rabbits may have been a thorn in the side of the New Zealand Agricultural Company. But there were many people in both New Zealand and Britain willing to pay for fresh rabbit meat, providing Croydon's settlers with another source of income. The demand was so great that the Gore Meat Preserving Company Ltd built a rabbit canning factory at Croydon Siding in 1890. The rabbits were disembowelled by the rabbiters, who put them into sacks. Tickets detailing the name of the rabbiter and the number of rabbits in the sack were attached to the sack. When the sacks arrived at the factory, these details were entered into the Company's books and amounts credited to the rabbiters.

The rabbits were sorted, skinned and boiled and tinned. The tins were painted with a bright violet lacquer, which prevented them from rusting, packed into boxes made from white pine and shipped off to other parts of New Zealand and Great Britain. The rabbit skins were also sold (the factory had a drying room with the capacity for about 100,000 skins). Once dried and classed, the skins were baled up and sent to London. Whatever remained of the rabbits was sold to farmers for manure.

The Company accepted rabbits trapped from all over the district, including Milton and Winton. The rabbiters were paid monthly, with some making good money during rabbit plagues. At the peak of the factory's production in 1896, it employed about 40 men and about 5000 to 6000 rabbits were processed daily producing about 1100 cases of tinned rabbit meat.

As the technology for freezing meat improved in the early 1900s, demand for tinned rabbit declined. When a freezing works was opened at Mataura, the factory at Croydon Siding could not remain competitive and the Gore Meat Preserving Company went into liquidation. Although the factory at Croydon Siding closed, wooden crates full of disembowelled local rabbits were sent to the freezing works at Mataura from Croydon railway siding on the morning train until the 1940s.

Another source of employment became available when William Dryden and John Riordan opened a sawmill on the land south of the Edwards and Biggars' farms in 1888. William Edward's experience as a sawyer, bushman and bullock-driver secured him a job at the new mill. Once the timber was milled, it was carried to the main road on carts or the tramline that ran through the Edwards's section. It was taken to Gore on bullock wagons, which were often responsible for the poor state of the road between Croydon and Gore.

XIII

Making a living at Croydon Bush was often exhausting and occasionally lonely work. Annie and William Edwards missed their extended family in the North Island. In a letter from Croydon Bush to Matilda ('Polly') Gibbons in about 1883, Annie wrote " _William sends his love to you...he says Polly don't forget us...I say...we would be forgotten altogether if she did; God has said love one another; give my love to our dear Mother tell her I still love her the same although I am getting grey; dear Edward has been very unwell lately but has got quite strong again; and I have not been very well myself but I feel much better than I have been for some time thank God for all his good towards his creations..._ ".

The hardships shared by Croydon's residents forged a strong community spirit. These ties were reinforced when local families intermarried. Louisa Edwards, Annie and William Edwards' third daughter, married their neighbour, Walter James Perry.

Walter arrived in New Zealand on board the _Arawhata_ in 1880. He had worked as a labourer and bushman in Mataura and Gore before taking up section 779 at the Croydon Bush Village Settlement. Louisa met Walter while doing housework for him. They were married at the Edwards family home in March 1890.

XIV

Peter Petersen turned up during the early 1890s. He married Annie, the fourth daughter of Annie and William Edwards. Annie had left school in 1886 to go into domestic service. Annie stood about five feet eleven inches tall, towering over Peter, who was quite short. They eventually had eight children, one son and seven daughters. Peter taught them a few words of Norwegian and some Norwegian songs - Mary Plank sang part of one of them to me when I saw her in 2001.

The Petersens took up section 901, a 68 acre block which sprawled immediately north of the Nicholson's land. It is marked by Petersens Hill, a grassy rise shaped liked an upturned saucer that was also known as 'the Burnt Hill'. Access to the Petersen's land was provided by a gravel track (originally known as Petersens Road and later re-named Pope Road) which led off Reaby Road, the road to Gore.

The Petersens built their home, a stable and shed on the southern part of their land. Peter's daughter, Mary, recalled he was a keen gardener and planted an orchard near the house. Dale Nicholson recalls some of the Petersen's walnut and plum trees were still standing in the mid-1950s. The land surrounding the house and orchard was also cultivated. Peter planted a row of macrocarpa trees behind the house. On a clear day, from the top of the road, you can see Bluff Hill and Stewart Island. The native bush nearby and eucalypts growing along Pope Road are home to Tuis, Bellbirds and Native Pigeons. Mary Plank recalled they would go out and feed the birds, including the local Fantails: " _they'd come tight up to you_."

Peter Petersen worked as a farmer, bushman, labourer and sometime gold prospector. He also worked as a rabbit trapper (or to use the local phrases, he was a 'rabbiter'). Annie Petersen was a midwife and worked in the Croydon and Waimumu districts. It was a demanding job. Mary, her daughter, recalled _"[t]hey used to get her in the middle of the night. They would call for her when anyone was sick"_. On many nights, Annie would climb onto her sulky, a horse-drawn cart, and head off into the dark.

By 1907, they had eight children to support. Annie Laurie, named after her grandmother, was first and known as Laura. Next came Martha Jane, then Henry Herman, Violet Rebecca ('Bec'), Lucy, Mary Amelia, May and Kathryn ('Kate') Elizabeth. Laura, who had started at Croydon Bush School in March 1896, left school to help her mother at home in 1904.

XV

Many Croydon residents worked to improve the settlement's facilities. William Edwards and George Biggar, for example, were actively involved in local affairs. The settlers' first efforts focussed on convincing the government to open a local school. There was no shortage of pupils. William and Annie Edwards had six school-aged children. George and Ann Biggar eventually had nine. John and Maria brought John's five children with them. Annie and Peter Petersen would eventually have eight. The campaign was successful, with Croydon Bush School opening in December 1883.

Annie Edwards and her sister Louisa had been among the first pupils. The school was keenly supported by the community, with William Edwards, Peter Petersen, George Biggar and John Nicholson (and his sons John Alexander and Thomas) all serving on the school committee at various times.

The School became Croydon Bush's social centre for the next thirty years, until the Croydon Hall was built in 1913. The annual concert to raise money for student prizes and school equipment became a fixture in the local calendar. After the concert, the room was cleared for a dance. William Edwards and Peter Petersen often helped provide the music at these events. William, for example, accompanied the singers at a concert and dance held to raise money to buy an organ for the school.

The monotony of constant and physical labour was also broken by picnics in the bush or dances. Annie Petersen (Edwards) helped organise the 1913 Croydon School picnic, with her daughters Laura and May doing well in the races. At the Croydon Picnic in January 1896, Annie Petersen (Edwards) came second in the married ladies race. She came third in the senior married ladies race at the 1909 picnic, with her daughter Laura coming second in the young married ladies race. Lucy did well at sports at the 1914 Croydon School picnic.

Weddings also provided the settlers with an opportunity to get together, with details of those who attended and their gifts being carefully recorded in the local newspapers. The wedding of Jemima Dickson (the sister of William Dickson, who held section 786) and Sydney Cooke in 1901, for example, was attended by members of the Edwards, Biggar, Nicholson, Petersen and Grant families. Various gifts were presented by Annie Edwards, Ann Biggar, Annie Petersen and Catherine ('Kate') Nicholson, including crystal and silver salt dishes, a moustache cup and saucer, a crystal butter dish, crystal jugs and silverware, silk handkerchiefs and table linen. William Edwards, who often performed at social events, helped provide the music. Peter Petersen often sang at local functions.

As there was no street lighting, getting home from these functions could be challenging. One afternoon, Laura and a relative "... _walked to a dance at Waimumu. On the return trip they stumbled to near the Croydon school but it got so dark that they decided to wait in the playshed until it was light enough to set off home_."

Law and order was often left to the settlers. Most of them could take care of themselves; many of them were armed. When unwelcome 'swaggies' came by her house looking for jobs, Annie Petersen (Edwards) took no chances and would pull out a shotgun to warn them off.

Croydon had no health facilities. It was too small to have its own hospital and the nearest one was at Gore, about 10 km away. Children were usually born at home with a midwife, such as Annie Petersen (Edwards), or a district nurse assisting. If a midwife or district nurse was not available or the labour was complicated, a doctor would be called from Gore. Infant mortality was high, with over eight percent of children not surviving infancy (a situation that did not improve until the 1930s).

When one of Annie and Peter Petersen's daughters was born, she was so small the doctor didn't think she would live. He suggested they name her immediately. When they appeared stuck for a name, the doctor had a suggestion - _"Well, you've got to have a Mary in the family"_. Mary, who lived to be 98, became one of her father's favourites. As she was the only one who looked like him, having blond hair and blue eyes, he called her his 'wee Scandinavian'.

Peter is said to have gone back to Norway a couple of times to see his mother. But that seems unlikely as she died in 1874, several years before he left Norway. Further, the notice in the newspaper trying to find Peter after his father died in 1883 indicates he had not returned since he left. So if Peter ever returned to Norway, it must have been to visit someone else.

Incidentally, one of Peter's sisters had an artistic side: Mary Palmer recalls Lucy Petersen had some paintings Peter's sister had given him.

XVI

Local children participated in community life by singing or giving recitations at functions and public meetings. They were reported in great detail by the _Mataura Ensign_ and most of the Petersen children earned a mention in the paper. Laura and Martha were often called on to perform. Martha Petersen did particularly well at school, ranking well in the 1909 Education Board scholarship exams.

At the Croydon School break-up assembly in December 1906, Martha read the following address to Mame Biggar: " _Miss Biggar – Dear Teacher – We, your pupils, feel we cannot let this occasion of our break-up pass without expressing our thanks to you for the great interest you take in us, your pupils. Not only do you work so hard with us in school, but you do not spare yourself in helping us in any matter that pertains to our good, and the good of the community, whether in Sunday school or Band of Hope. Our Band of Hope holds the much coveted banner for highest marks, got at the last District Band of Hope competitions, and this in a great degree is owing to your excellent teaching and training. We ask you now, dear teacher, to accept this Christmas-box as a small token of our love and good wishes towards you_." At the farewell party for TJ Gilfedder, a relieving teacher, Laura read an address and helped present him with a gold-mounted greenstone pendant and gold scarf pin. Lucy gave a recitation at the 1911 Croydon School concert and Martha performed at the 1913 concert.

The Croydon Temperance Society and Band of Hope Union, a prohibition movement, were also active in the district. Laura gave a recitation at its monthly meeting at Croydon in April 1897 and Martha gave one in May 1905. The Union held annual competitions for reciting, reading, essay writing, singing and pianoforte solos. In 1904, Martha Petersen came third in the Union's division 1 (under 10 years) reciting and reading competition, held at Gore Town Hall. Martha and Laura both sang at the Union's September 1907 meeting and Martha won a prize in its 1906 essay writing competition, the topic being 'The Duty of Kindness to Animals.' Henry, Violet, Martha and Lucy all gave recitations at local meetings of the League of Service. Martha sang at the farewell party for her uncle, Archibald Edwards, at Croydon Hall in 1913. He was going to Milton to set up a business.

XVII

George Biggar's skill as a bushman and interest in natural history brought him to the attention of Alexander McKay, the Government Geologist. When the government instructed McKay to survey the new goldfields near the West Coast sounds to determine their extent and value, he requested George to join the expedition. George sailed from Invercargill to Preservation Inlet, where he met up with McKay and F W Linck (McKay's assistant geologist). The party started their survey in late January 1896.

George later recalled " _[w]e examined all the country from Big River in the south-west, thence west to West Cape, up Chalky Inlet, and north to Mount Solitary, overlooking Doubtful Sound and Lake Manapouri. This country was very rough, and it was only possible to examine the ground on which we walked, the country being covered with inhospitable bush and everything having to be carried on one's back_ ".

George wrote a vivid account of the trip packed with detailed descriptions of the region's scenery, natural history, their often dramatic experiences and the people they encountered. At Te Whara Beach, where they met four prospectors. George noted two of them _"...were working on the beach between tides and were doing fairly well"_. They included Peter Petersen, George's neighbour from Croydon Bush.

Peter had been at Port Preservation since 1894. He'd had a bit of excitement by the time George turned up, but not to his immediate benefit. Peter had a fishing boat, which he was operating at Wilsons River with the help of his brother-in-law Walter Perry. In January 1894, Peter was approached by William McCormick. He had learned that a rich seam of gold-bearing quartz had been discovered at the _Morning Star_ mine at Port Preservation. McCormick and four of his mates realised that if they got to Invercargill, the nearest city, and bought up all the _Morning Star_ shares they could before the news broke, they'd make a tidy profit.

There was just one thing - the only ship travelling between Port Preservation and Invercargill was the steamer _S.S. Invercargill_. If McCormick was going to beat the steamer he needed to find another ship. He found Peter and asked him how much he'd charge to take him to Invercargill. Peter asked him what he was prepared to give. McCormick offered the princely sum of £20 if he got there before the _SS Invercargill_. While Peter later claimed McCormick had also agreed to pay him £5 if the attempt failed, McCormick later denied this Peter agreed. Twenty pounds seemed reasonable to him as "... _the distance from Wilson River to Invercargill was close on 100 miles, over an extremely dangerous course, and the amount asked... was by no means an extravagant sum for the risk undertaken_."

McCormick was not well enough to make the trip, he sent a man called Benson in his place. They put out to sea, but got "... _no further than Puysegur Point...and had to return owing to a light head wind and a strong sea running_." After being out all night, they returned. " _A few days later the weather improved, and another start was made_." This time, McCormick was well enough to travel. He lay _"...down in the bow of the boat so as not to be seen_." Walter Perry refused to come along "... _as he considered the trip too dangerous a one_." The _"... journey_ [was] _safely accomplished in two days and one night_."

McCormick could have made a small fortune. At the time he got to Invercargill, _Morning Star_ shares were going for between 6 pence and 1 shilling each. After the new broke, they shot up to over 10 shillings each. But Peter never saw the £20 McCormick had agreed to pay him. McCormick had agreed to pay once they got back to Preservation Inlet and also agreed to pay Peter the cost of sending his boat back on the _SS Invercargill_. But when Peter asked for his money, McCormick replied that "... _things had not turned out as he had expected_." and gave Peter a cheque for £2.

Unhappy at being short changed, Peter sued McCormick for £18. The matter came before Magistrate Hawkins at Gore in September 1897. McCormick claimed he'd agreed to pay Peter £2 for the voyage to Invercargill and to pay his expenses. When he arrived, McCormick bought up £150 worth of _Morning Star_ shares. He paid Peter £2 and Peter asked to be paid the balance of £3 in _Morning Star_ shares. McCormick agreed and gave Peter £1/10/- in goods and value as an advance on 14 _Morning Star_ shares. Unfortunately, the Morning Star discovery "... _proved merely a flash in the pan. Shares came down until unsaleable, and could not be given away_." So Peter did not take up the shares. Instead, McCormick claimed, Peter borrowed £2 from him "... _to send to his wife_." McCormick also bought Peter a new harpoon and line and sharpened two of his saws. This, McCormick claimed left Peter in _his_ debt.

After considering the evidence of conversations had three years ago, Magistrate Hawkins declared that while he was not particularly satisfied by the evidence of either Peter or McCormick, he placed more weigh on Peter's. Given that McCormick admitted he'd agreed to give Peter 14 Morning Star shares at a time they were valued at between 10 and 12 shillings, Hawkins concluded it more likely he'd agreed to pay Peter £20, not £5. He awarded Peter £18 plus his costs for bringing the case.

Although George Biggar was convinced that " _...from the indications which I saw that in years to come this country will be found to be rich in minerals_ ", the anticipated El Dorado has not yet materialised.

XVIII

One by one the Petersen children married and left Croydon Bush. Laura married Thomas Nicholson, one of John Nicholson's sons. They had gone to Croydon Bush School together. Laura, my mother recalls, had clear, blue eyes and a gentle, patient nature. She towered over Thomas, as her mother had over Peter Petersen. Laura was about five foot nine and stood ramrod straight, even in old age. Thomas was about five foot two inches. After leaving school, Thomas worked on his father's farm at Croydon. He and Laura were married at the Petersen family home in March 1910.

Kate married John Casey, who had a wool and sheepskin business in Gore. Casey was originally married to Minnie Whitty of Dunedin. They had six children, before Minnie died. Casey purchased the Croydon homestead block in 1917. He also took up section 782 (previously held by the Edwards family) in 1925. He and Kate had twelve children. After they divorced, Kate married Tom Burgess in 1950.

Martha married Alexander Clark Vincent, a fisherman from Bluff, at Invercargill in May 1915. They moved to Bluff. Henry married Alexander's sister, Margaret Vincent, in 1920. They moved to Bluff too. Bec married Thomas Hewlett Jnr, who took up section 904, in 1919. They later moved to Chertsey. Mary married Gordon Long, then Jim Plank and also moved to Bluff. May married Thomas Mitchell at Gore in 1928 and moved to Tuturau, then Ota Creek. Lucy married James Naismith and moved to Port Chalmers.

While the family scattered, there is a photograph of the seven sisters gathered together. No-one is certain what the event was. Some say it was for Laura's golden wedding anniversary in 1960. Others say it was for a family funeral.

XIX

In May 1910, the _Mataura Ensign_ remarked on the longevity of William Edwards in terms of the number of British sovereigns he had outlived: _"[i]t was given to very few to live under [the] reigns of six sovereigns, but this is the record of Mr William Edwards of Croydon Bush. He has lived under the reigns of George III, George IV, William IV, Victoria, Edward VII and George V"_.

By this time William and Annie Edwards had retired and transferred section 782 to their son, Archibald. But William was still active in local affairs. In September 1912 he attended a public meeting to discuss the proposed Gore to Hedgehope railway. William died in December 1912 aged 89. Annie went to live with her daughter Maggie Parker in Timaru.

William did not, contrary to one family tradition, cut his leg open and bleed to death in the bush: that happened to William Astley, his eldest son. Instead he was felled by bronchitis and heart failure. Strong-minded and not one to back away from a fight, William was a tough man who valued hard work. Yet he had a caring side and kept a paternal eye on his children and grandchildren.

While the local newspaper recorded that William "... _possessed a fund of information about the pioneering days in this country_..." parts of his story remain a mystery. He may have preferred it that way. But it hasn't stopped people talking about him. William, some say, was a rich man. There may be some truth to this. In January 1893, the _Southern Standard_ ran a story that " _William Edwards, a hard-working Croydon bushman, has become heir to a fortune of £7000, bequeathed by an uncle in America_." Today, that amount is worth somewhere between £606,000 and £2,720,000. What happened to the money ?

Mary Plank recalled that William was a good friend of John MacGibbon, a prominent Gore businessman. MacGibbon owned a general store and associated offices in Gore, known as MacGibbon's Corner. He had also served as Mayor. William apparently gave some important papers to MacGibbon to look after, and they were stored in MacGibbon's office. But when MacGibbon's Corner burnt down in 1900, William's documents were destroyed. Another story has it that William was rich, but died without telling everyone about his money. There are vague rumours of " _money in chancery_." The New Zealand branch of the family, it is said, found out too late and got nothing.

What are we to make of these rumours ? In 1903, the local newspapers reported that William and Annie Edwards were living in a run-down wooden hut with a thatched roof. Yet William could afford to travel to South Australia to visit the Baggotts and his grave is marked by a large slab of expensive-looking black granite. When Annie Edwards died six years after Edward, her Estate contained no tangible property – her only asset was an " _[i]nterest in her Father's estate_ " worth £83/5/1. Was it a legacy left by Astley Laurie, who had disappeared when Annie was a child ? Or was it from John Laurie Jnr, the closest thing she had to a father ? This, as with much else about William and Annie Edwards, remains a mystery.

XX

On 3 August 1914 German forces invaded Belgium and Luxemburg. Britain, having guaranteed Belgium's neutrality, sent Germany an ultimatum demanding that it withdraw. When the ultimatum expired unanswered on 4 August 1914, Britain declared war.

The war was the culmination of about thirty years of political, economic and military rivalry between Europe's emerging and declining powers. Germany, newly united and industrialised, wanted the wealth and prestige that came with having an empire. Britain, worried that Germany's growing navy would threaten its command of the seaways, aligned itself with France and Russia. Germany, fearing it was encircled, allied itself with Austria-Hungary. Slav nationalists were determined to free their people from Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman rule. Russia had promised to defend them.

Ripples from these tensions spread far. In 1907, Martha Petersen won a prize in the Navy League's essay competition. The League's purpose was to encourage the colonies to build navies to assist Britain should war break out. The League's essay competitions were intended to encourage the study of British naval history and so encourage patriotism and interest in the Navy as "... _the forefront of [our] defence... It would thus assist in forming a taste for the sea amongst the people_ " - even as far inland as Gore and Croydon Bush. It would be fascinating to see what Martha thought.

This volatile mix of accumulated suspicions, resentments and tensions imploded when Gavrilo Princip a Serbian nationalist assassinated Grand Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungry and his wife Sophie at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. Austria-Hungry, with Germany's backing, declared war of Serbia. Russia mobilised its troops to warn them off. Germany mobilised in response, invading Belgium to reach France, hoping to knock France out of the war before turning east against Russia.

The outbreak of war sparked a fresh outburst of Imperial patriotism in New Zealand and Australia. Many were anxious to demonstrate their loyalty to the Mother Country or keen for overseas adventure. Thousands rushed to join up. But its impact was unprecedented. It dragged on over four brutal years, destroying millions of lives. It touched the Edwards, Nicholsons and Petersens at Croydon Bush, the Perrys and the Baggotts in South Australia.

Men from all these families joined the New Zealand and Australian forces. At least nine of William and Annie Edwards' grandsons enlisted. They included four sons of Walter James and Louisa Perry: Harry, Jim, Stan and Charles. There was also Henry Edward and Frederick William Gibbs, the sons of Elizabeth Ann (Edwards) and Edward Henry Gibbs. Herbert Baggott and George Edwin Baggott, two of the sons of Mary and Archibald Baggott, served in the Australian Imperial Forces. Henry, Peter and Annie Petersen's only son, served. Four of John Nicholson's nephews enlisted. Two of these men, Stan Perry and Henry Gibbs were killed in action. Others were left permanently debilitated, including Henry Petersen.

XXI

Henry left New Zealand with the Nineteenth Contingent in November 1916. Standing 5 foot 11 inches tall with black hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion, Henry was working as a farmer for D. Cameron when he enlisted in July 1916. Shortly before he left Gore, the ten members of the family assembled at a local studio. Henry stands proudly in his uniform. Ann, his mother, looks downcast. He would survive - but only just.

Henry sailed from Wellington on 15 November 1916 and arrived at Devon on 29 January 1917. On 1 March, he was shipped to France and moved up to the Western Front. He was sent to hospital at St Omar on 28 April. While his service records do not say why, Henry was severely injured by the poison gas the Germans used, which left him permanently injured.

Henry was sent back to rejoin his battalion in the field on 23 June. Then, on 12 October 1917, he wounded in action and admitted to hospital with an injury to his left buttock. Two days later, he was shipped back to England and recovered at military hospitals at Walton, Codford, Hornchurch and Torquay.

On 9 August 1918, Henry was classified unfit by the Medical Board. He embarked on the _SS Remuera_ at Liverpool on 16 July, arrived in New Zealand on 22 October 1918 and discharged due to illness contracted on active service on 28 March 1919. " _He didn't speak about [the War] much_ " his son, Peter, recalled " _He would tell you things if you asked_."

Annie Edwards (Laurie) and her son Archie were indirect casualties of the War. In October 1918 the _Niagara_ sailed into Auckland Harbour from Vancouver and San Francisco. On board were William Massey (New Zealand's Prime Minister) and Joseph Ward (the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party), who were returning from a conference in Britain. A subsequent government inquiry found that there was "... _a strong presumption_..." that the _Niagara_ also carried people who were suffering from the Spanish 'Flu.

A contemporary rumour had it that as Massey and Ward wanted to get back to Wellington urgently to resume their duties, the _Niagara_ was not placed in quarantine. But this was not the case. The _Niagara_ was only one of many ships that arrived in New Zealand from Europe and North America in October 1918. Massey and Ward insisted on being treated with the same quarantine measures as the other passengers. The virus probably arrived earlier with returning troops - six people had died of the 'Flu in Auckland even before the _Niagara_ arrived.

The 'Flu spread throughout New Zealand. The Māori and the young and healthy were the worst affected. One of the main ways of avoiding illness was isolation. Mary Petersen (Plank) recalled her parents forbade the family from going past the front gate when the 'Flu broke out. Mary went out anyway, but she did not catch it.

As this horror unfolded, the 11 November armistice was declared. But there was little to celebrate. Annie and Archie were living with Maggie Parker in Timaru when they caught the 'Flu. Archie died on 20 November 1918 aged only 39. Annie followed after a two week illness on 28 November aged 78.

While travelling south from Kawhia to the goldfields of Otago and on to Croydon Bush, Annie drew strength from her strong Christian faith. "[ _W]e_ " Annie once wrote " _must ask for strength, from him...from him cometh all our help; for he as said [ask] and it shall be given...seek and ye shall find_...". Buried at Timaru cemetery, Annie patiently awaits her Redeemer.

XXII

In September 1922 Peter Petersen was crossing a paddock with his son Henry, when a bull chased them. Peter distracted the bull so Henry had a chance to get away. Peter managed to get up a nearby tree. He clung on as the bull circled the tree, roaring at him and pawing at the ground. Hours later, the bull lost interest and strode away. Peter climbed down the tree and went home to rest. He had suffered heart problems over the last two years. Either that night, or a few days later when he was carrying a fence post, Peter had a heart attack. He died on 11 September 1922.

Whether the stress of being chased by the bull or the exertion from carrying the post triggered the attack is not clear. Bruce Mitchell recalls he was stricken near the house and found leaning on a gate for support. Another account has it that Kate and Mary were helping him bring in the cows when he dropped dead. Yet another has it that Mary, his daughter, found him lying on the ground dead. He was buried at Gore cemetery. As Peter did not leave a will, Annie applied for letters of administration of his estate. John Nicholson and George Biggar stood as her sureties and the Supreme Court granted her application.

Annie Petersen married Robert Richardson in November 1924. Robert was the son of Abraham Richardson, who was originally from County Tyrone in Ireland. The Richardsons left there for New Norfolk in Tasmania, then moved to Kamahi, near Edendale, then Knapdale before settling at Happy Valley at Croydon. Robert was born in about 1864 and worked as a labourer. He took up section 766 at Croydon Siding in 1893, with his brother, Francis William, taking up section 762 that year.

Robert had been married previously to Mary Elizabeth Christina, the daughter of Andrew (Arnt) and Ellen (Eline) Terrison of Croydon. The Terrisons were originally from Norway (where the name is spelt 'Torrison') and settled at Chatton, near Gore, in 1878 and later took up land at Croydon. Their daughter Mary Elizabeth Christina was born at Gore in 1885 and married Robert Richardson there in November 1899. Mary and Robert had a daughter, Elleanor Elizabeth, in 1902.

Mary Palmer recalls Robert was " _a very nice, gentle man. I called him 'Grandad Bob'_ ". He too was shorter than Annie, standing about five foot two inches. Annie transferred the family farm (section 901) to Henry, her son, in 1926. Her children helped support her during her retirement, with Mary Plank recalling that she sent something to her mother every time she got paid.

In January 1933, Annie went to Bluff to visit Mary Plank, her daughter. Doris, her grand-daughter, recalled the day she left. " _I saw her off with Mum. She got into the gig or buggy and drove off to Gore to get the train to Bluff. She didn't come back_."

While at Bluff, Annie had a severe asthma attack. Mary had gone up the street and everyone else was at the races. Annie got a neighbour to call Dr RR Stewart. But Annie passed out, her heart failed and she died on 7 January 1933 aged only 59. Mary came home, only to be told by the doctor that her mother had died. The family brought her body back to Gore and buried her next to Peter.

Robert Richardson, widowed for a second time, survived her. He died in 1946 aged 82 and is buried with Mary, his first, wife, at Gore.

XXIII

Apart from Laura and Thomas Nicholson, what became of the rest of the Petersens is for others to tell.

Thomas worked as a shearer, rabbiter and timber-cutter. " _Thomas Nicholson was a good blade shearer and also he was very good at stoking oats_ " JF Grant Jnr of Croydon Bush recalled. He worked at Wantwood Station and at _Bushy Park_ , as had his father. " _There were eight-ten trappers on the area at this stage, but the men were all sacked after phosphorised poison was used on the property. This may have been just as well since the smell from the rotten rabbit carcasses became terrible. The rabbits were... [carted] to Croydon Siding but later to McConnell's in Mataura_." Doris, his daughter, recalled he used to go rabbit-shooting at Glendhu Forest near Bushy Park.

Thomas and Herbert ('Herby') Tresidder operated a threshing mill in the Waimumu district. Herby was the son of John and Ellen Tresidder. Originally from Penzance in Cornwall, they came out to Christchurch in 1875 on the _Blairgowrie_ \- which disappeared without a trace on the return trip. They took up the Glendhu estate in 1903, with their sons John, John James and Ernest eventually taking over. While Herby lived at the farm _"[h]e did not however have a share in the property, but travelled round the district with his threshing mill, and later chaff-cutter, contract working for the farmer on the flat_."

Once, he and Thomas were pulling out of a farm after threshing a crop when the mill sank in a creek bed up to its axle. " _They spent the night dragging it out_." He and the other mill workers often had to sleep on site. On one occasion, they had to sleep in a stable which also housed about 20 cows. The worker's beds among the sheaves of grain and were reasonably comfortable. But the cows munched on turnips most of the night and " _the stink would blind you_ ".

Thomas then worked in a cheese factory at Opotiki in the North Island for some years. He returned to Croydon Bush. In 1909, he took up the part of section 135 which adjoined Popes Road and neighboured the part of the same section held by George Biggar. He later expanded his holdings, taking up section 776 in 1920 and s.782, which was once held by William Edwards, in 1927. He briefly held George Biggar's section in 1945.

Laura and Thomas had thirteen children between 1910 and 1934: John, Thomas, William, Herman, Cyril, Doris, Lewis, James, Robert, Phyllis, Annie, Isabel and Mary. Laura's sister, Mary used to help her look after them. Mary enjoyed this as Laura had some boys, whereas Mary had six sisters and only one brother. Mary also looked after the local teacher's children whenever she went into Gore.

Like all farming families, they made do with what was around. Thomas recalled " _[n]o-one had much money_..." He was a very proud man and even though they were hard up, he refused to apply for the family benefit. The children slept in a chest of drawers made from kerosene tins. Lewis recalled sleeping with several of his brothers in the same bed and overing themselves with the table cloth for extra warmth in winter. Doris recalled they didn't celebrate birthdays and " _we just got a twist of liquorice for Christmas_ ". Nor did they have a family photograph taken. But Thomas did give Laura one much-loved item - a fur coat he had made out of rabbit or possum fur. Mary Plank admired it, saying " _Laura had a fur coat, I just had a cloth one_ ". The children made their own fun, with Doris recalling they had a swing under a large kowhai tree on the farm. Lewis recalls the children often spent time there.

Laura and Thomas had their share of worries and sorrows. Their son, Herman, born on Christmas Day 1916, died aged seven weeks. Three of their sons, Cyril (''Sid'), Bill and Lewis served in the War. Fortunately, they all come home in one piece. Tragically, both Sid and his son Douglas drowned on 30 January 1955. Douglas, aged 7, had gone swimming in a dredge hole near the bridge at Outram Glen, Dunedin. He "... _was paddling in the shallow water, when he fell into a deep dredge hole. Mr Nicholson, seeing his son is difficulties, jumped into the hole, but not being able to swim, he sank below the surface_."

Thomas was active in community life. His obituary notes he "... _assisted in the surveying of the Croydon Bush boundary from Whisky Creek to what was then called "Greasy Corner" for the early settlers....He was a man of many interests and was closely connected with activities in the Croydon Bush district. For many years he was a member of the Croydon Bush School Committee and acted as secretary for some time. In his earlier years he was a keen sportsman and was particularly fond of boxing. Horses were another of his interests. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church_." Lewis recalls he also enjoyed wrestling.

Thomas had a fund of reminiscences and tall stories. " _He recalled an incident one day when a bull charged down the road from about the Croydon picnic grounds. A man who happened to be there at the time, jumped clear at the last moment, and the bull disappeared off the road into the swamp. When they came to look for the animal all they could see were two hairs from its tail sticking up above the surface_." He also told the story "... _about the time he left three sheep in a turnip paddock where the crop was just terrific. In the morning he couldn't see the sheep anywhere, even though he walked quickly around the field. On his way out, still puzzled, he happened to knock the largest turnip with his stick, whereupon it fell open and out ran the sheep – they had eaten their way into its centre_."

By the time he was in his 60s, Thomas was not in good health and had a bad limp. They retired to Gore in around 1946, selling section 768 to their son Lewis. At first, they lived in Preston Street. Maria Aiau (Sinclair), one of their grand-daughters, stayed with them there for a while. Maria recalls: " _they were both great readers. Grandma always went to church on Sunday. She made all her own jams, preserves, pickles. They had a big coal range in the kitchen. She made beautiful girdle scones. She always had a lovely garden, it was one of her passions. Grandma was deaf, so they didn't talk much between themselves. They sat there reading while I was doing my homework – I could hear the clock ticking_." Maria took some photographs of them at the Lennox Street house with her box brownie.

Dale Nicholson, one of their grandsons recalled " _They would have been in their late 70s when Thomas' brother, the one-time harbour master in Wellington died. He owned a property on Oriental Parade. They came into some money and bought a very small electrical range which sat up on a table. They seldom used it. The also bought a tiny two-seater green couch that they brought back on the train from Christchurch_."

Laura and Thomas sold the house at Preston Street to buy a smaller place at 6 Lennox Street. There were frequent visits from the grandchildren. Thomas was anxious to keep them from getting into things. Russell Biggar, my uncle, recalled Thomas had some cabinets with glass ornaments and sea shells in them. No-one was allowed to touch them. If anyone went anywhere near them, Thomas would jump " _like a rat up a drainpipe_." When Margaret van Sprang (Nicholson) visited, he'd say " _don't go in the cupboard – there's rats in there_ !" One of his jobs was to set traps for them in the coal shed.

Kathy Cahill (Biggar), my mother, also has fond memory of her grandmother. Often, she would to drop into see her grandmother after school and stay with them during the school holidays. Mum recalls her grandmother was always immaculately dressed before leaving the house, even if she was just going to the butcher, and would take her out to get an ice-cream. She recalls Thomas loved soft jubes. When she dropped in to see them after school, he'd say " _where's_ _my jubes ?_ " But Mum was only about 10 and had didn't have any money on her. Mum took some photographs of her grandmother, along with her mother and some of her sisters during a family trip to visit her sister, Jean, at Mataura.

Anne Golding, their grand-daughter, also recalls visiting them with her mother and sisters. They would "... _take the smoky train to Gore_..." from Dunedin after Christmas. " _I remember Grandad...but mainly Grandma doing the talking. We used to all speak loudly to her, she was loving and we were all fond of her._ " Anne visited Laura before she went to Europe. " _She gave me some money that I spent on a fold-up umbrella purchased in Gore_."

Thomas and Laura were both independent and wanted to stay in their own home as long as possible. They were able to look after themselves with a bit of help from the family. Thomas died at Gore on 14 July 1966 aged 84.

Dale Nicholson recalls " _when I was around 17, I boarded with Grandma for a short time after Grandad passed on. In my room was the family Bible. One night I was looking though it and discovered five £50 notes which I duly passed onto Grandma. They had been hidden there by Grandad. Grandma was still chopping wood into her 80s. Her hands and legs would be covered in bruises from the flying wood. Uncle Bill would often come around in the winter nights. Him and Grandma would have many a talk with the firebox open and their feet up on the Orion cooking stove. Her routine from many years still carried on. Nothing was wasted. We would have roast mutton on Sunday. Cold meat Monday. Fried mutton on Tuesday and left-overs would be minced and made into shepherds pie on Wednesday_."

Laura moved to 9 Jacobs Street. She lived there with a friend for a while, but the friend passed away.

I have a few memories of my great-grandmother. We had a tartan picnic rug she gave my parents for a wedding present. We arrived in Gore from Wellington in late 1976. To me, then aged about 5, she looked like an older version of my Nana, Doris. Once, when we brought her some groceries, she was keen to see if we'd gotten some icing sugar so she could do some baking. We brought Melissa, my sister over, to see her - she was a tiny baby in a bassinet. So, on at least one occasion, we had four generations under the one roof. She liked gardening – and sherry. Patrick Cahill, my father used to join her for a glass occasionally.

Lynette Graham and her son Jason were visiting from Sydney in July 1977, when she came to see Laura. Anne Golding recalls " _Grandma had baked scones on the off-chance Lynette may visit...Grandma said she would be okay it were not for a dreadful headache_." The photo of Laura, Lynette and Jason taken then was probably the last one of her.

Laura died at home aged 87 on 8 July 1977. I remember when Mum got the call and wept. I was upset when I wasn't allowed to go to the funeral. Dad consoled me that she was in heaven looking after her garden. The cars passed our house at Crewe Street on the way to the cemetery.

While she left no diaries or letters, some of Laura's things survive. Her fur coat is with her grand-daughter, Diane Young. Graeme Biggar has one of her pot plants, a succulent which is still going strong. It has red flowers which appear late winter and continues flowering for months. We have one of her table clothes, decorated with pink and yellow flowers, and a pink glass bowl. I've somehow ended up with one of a broach that might have been hers. It's broken and just sits in a box. Now that I have a daughter, I must get it fixed and pass it on.

Lastly, there is a short film showing Laura. It was made by Russell Biggar, when he Lorraine and their three sons Dean, Jamie and Timothy came over from Queensland for Christmas in 1975. Mum and I came down from Wellington too, although I don't remember it. It shows Christmas Day at Doris and Valentine's house at Charlton. Laura is sitting outside with Doris, with Lorraine feeding Timothy in the foreground. I'm running around in the background.

XXIV

That's all I can tell you about the Petersens. Mary Plank, the last survivor, died at Invercargill on 4 November 2001 aged 98. " _I'm the last one left_ " she told me when I visited her that February. " _I'm not the youngest – but I'm the last_. _I think God's forgotten me !"_

Only one part of the family remains at Croydon Bush. The Mitchells live next to the Petersen family farm. There, you can still see two venerable survivors of the Petersen's orchard, two pear trees which still bear fruit. The row of macrocarpas behind their house did not survive – they were cut down in about 2002 and only the huge stumps remain. Other survivors include walnut and hazelnut trees on the Nicholson family farm – and the large kowhai tree the children used to swing under.

There are also the Hokonuis – the silent, but enduring witnesses to the hope and toil of the Petersens and other pioneers. If their many descendants want somewhere to reflect on where it all began, they have only to take the road to Croydon Bush and look out across the ever-lasting Hills.

Endnotes

I

For the quote from Jane Austen, see her Pride and Prejudice, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 1972 (first published in 1813).

The quotes from Annie Edwards (Laurie) are from her letter, sent from Longbush, to Matilda ('Polly') Gibbons (Laurie) dated 30 Nov 1880, Dulcie Booker Collection, letter 60. I have regularised Annie's spelling and punctuation to make her letters easier to read.

After Edwards Gibbs died, Elizabeth Ann Gibbs (Edwards) married David Farquharson Robert. She died on 10 Jan 1952 at Invercargill.

II

For Peter Petersen's obituary, see 'Mr Peter Petersen', _Mataura Ensign_ , 12 September 1922 transcribed in Dickie, P. _A History of Croydon Bush: From The Past To The Present (1856-1988)_ , Gore Publishing Company Ltd, Gore, 1988, p.100.

'A retiring disposition' seems to have been a stock phrase used by the _Mataura Ensign's_ obituary writers to indicate the deceased was a reserved and did not take a prominent part in public life. The obituary of William Terry, for example, notes that "... _being of a retiring disposition, he did not take a prominent part in public life_ ". Dickie, _History of Croydon Bush_ , p.126.

Peter Petersen's full name is given as 'Peter Herman Petersen' in the entry in the New Zealand Register of Births for his daughters Martha, Violet and Lucy and his son Henry. See birth of Henry Herman Petersen on 10 April 1897 at Croydon, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2119 of 1897.

The surname is often spelt 'Peterson'. See, for example, birth of Martha Jane Petersen on 28 Mar 1895 at Croydon, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2077 of 1895.

On Peter Petersen's parents, the entry in the Register of Marriages for Peter Petersen's marriage to Annie Edwards notes Peter was the son of Peter Peterson, a fisherman, and Jeannie Johnson. See marriage of Peter Petersen and Annie Edwards on 4 Jul 1894 at Gore, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no.2807 of 1894. The entry in the Register of Deaths for Peter Petersen's death notes his parents were Daniel Petersen and Jeannie Petersen (her maiden name was unknown) and gives Daniel's occupation as 'music teacher'. Some family members thought Peter was from Germany. See birth of Martha Jane Petersen on 28 Mar 1895, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2077 of 1895.

On Peter Petersen's date of birth, he entry in the Register of Marriages for Peter Petersen's marriage to Annie Edwards gives Peter's age as 39 indicating he was born in about 1855. See marriage of Peter Petersen and Annie Edwards on 4 Jul 1894 at Gore, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no.2807 of 1894. The entry in the Register of Deaths for Peter Petersen's death notes he died at the age of 71, indicating he was born in about 1851. See death of Peter Petersen on 11 Sept 1922 at Croydon, New Zealand Register of Deaths.

Peter's age is given as 38 in the entry in the Register of Births for Peter and Annie Petersen's daughter Martha Jane, indicating he was born in about 1857. See birth of Martha Jane on 28 Mar 1895, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2077 of 1895. Peter's age is given as 41 in the entry in the New Zealand Register of Births for Peter and Annie Petersen's son Henry, indicating he was born in about 1856. See birth of Henry Herman Petersen on 10 April 1897, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2119 of 1897. Peter's age is given as 47 in the entry in the Register of Births for Peter and Annie Petersen's daughter Mary Emilia Ann, indicating he was born in about 1856. See birth of Mary Emilia Ann on 10 Jul 1903, New Zealand Register of Births, no.3720 of 1903.

On Peter Petersen's background, see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.100. Personal communication with Mary Palmer, Mary Plank and Violet Lynch.

That Peter Petersen 'jumped ship' is part of family oral tradition, although some believe he 'signed off' legally. Personal communication with Mary Plank, Mary Palmer, Kathleen Cahill and Graeme Biggar.

After Peter died, Annie deposed that he "...had never been married prior to his marriage with me...". See the affidavit of Annie Petersen sworn 20 Oct 1922 in the file of her application to the Supreme Court of New Zealand for Letters of Administration, Archives of New Zealand, Dunedin Regional Office, ID R22052031, series 9067, accession D328, box 55 and item 144/22. I am grateful to Sharon Keith, Regional Administrative Assistant at the Dunedin Regional Officer for assisting me in obtaining a copy of this file.

The New Zealand Register of Deaths notes Peter Petersen had resided in New Zealand for 44 years, indicating he arrived in 1878. See death of Peter Petersen on 11 Sept 1922, New Zealand Register of Deaths. The time of his arrival is also indicated by his obituary, 'Mr Peter Petersen', Mataura Ensign 12 Sept 1922 transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.100. Dickie notes that "... according to records in 1918 he was described as a farmer and had been in New Zealand for 35 years...". This indicates Peter Petersen arrived in 1883. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.100.

III

See the birth of Peder Herman Pedersen, Register of Births, Vanse, 1846-1861, folio 57, no.92; Folktelling for Vanse, 1865 and 1900; probate records for Peder Daniel Tobiassen; Register of Young Sailors, p.50, no.276; death of Janniken Jansdatter on 18 Apr 1874, Register of Deaths, 1874, folio 436; and death of Peder Daniel Tobiassen on 15 Dec 1883, Register of Deaths, 1883, folio 452.

Birth of Caroline Marie on 20 Aug 1839, Register of Births, no.109 of 1839, folio 66. On her family, see the Folktelling for Drammen, 1885, 1900 and 1910.

The notice seeking Peter and Martine was published in the Norsk Kundgjørelsestidende, 26 Jan 1884, p.1. I am grateful to Vivi Bekk for translating it.

IV

On William Edwards' year of birth, the entry in the New Zealand Register of Marriages notes William was aged 33 in 1859, indicating he was born in about 1826. Marriage of Annie Laurie and William Edwards on 25 Jul 1859 at Kawhia, New Zealand Register of Marriages, 183 of 1859. The entry in the New Zealand Register of Deaths for William Edwards notes he died aged 89 in 1912, indicating he was born in about 1823. William Edwards' obituary notes he was born in Devonshire in 1823. William Edward's obituary in the Mataura Ensign dated 9 Dec 1912 extracted in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59.

Dickie notes he was baptised on 5 Oct 1823 at Cornwall. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59. The North Tamerton Parish Registers show that a William Edwards, the son of John and Elizabeth Edwards, was baptised at North Tamerton on 5 Oct 1823. John and Elizabeth had four other children at North Tamerton: John on 26 Oct 1828, Robert (1) on 26 May 1831, Robert (2) on 9 Aug 1833 and Jenny on 8 May 1836. It is likely, but not certain, that this was William's family.

On William Edwards' parents, the New Zealand Register of Deaths gives William's father's name as John and notes he was a farmer. The name of William Edward's mother is not given. See Death of William Edwards, New Zealand Register of Deaths, 8 Dec 1912, no.3098 of 1912. Annie and William Edwards named their eldest daughter Elizabeth, indicating William Edward's mother may have been named Elizabeth.

On William Edwards' place of birth, the entry in the New Zealand Register of Births for William Edwards' son, Herbert Henry Edwards, gives William Edward's birthplace as North Tamerton, Cornwall. See birth of Herbert Henry Edwards on 22 Jun 1877 at Akote, New Zealand Register of Births, no. 3866 of 1877.

The Gore Cemetery Burial Register notes William Edwards was "a native of Devonshire." William Edwards' obituary notes he was "...born at Devonshire in 1823 ...". William Edward's obituary in the Mataura Ensign dated 9 Dec 1912 extracted in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p. 59.

Jill Mitchell notes William Edwards was from Cornwall in her essay on the Laurie and Edwards families, 'Where Did She Come From ???'. The 'she' in question is Annie Edwards (Laurie).

On the date of William Edward's arrival, his obituary notes he "...came out to New Zealand at the age of 20 years. After a period in Auckland he came south to Otago to join the early gold rushes...". William Edward's obituary in the Mataura Ensign dated 9 Dec 1912 extracted in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59.

The entry in the New Zealand Register of Deaths for William Edwards mistakenly notes that he was born at Kawhia. It further notes he had been in New Zealand for 69 years, indicating he arrived in about 1843. See Death of William Edwards, New Zealand Register of Deaths, 8 Dec 1912, no.3098 of 1912.

The William Edwards who came to New Zealand on the Westminster arrived was aged 19, indicating he was born in about 1823-1824.

Stewart Smith notes William Edwards was a carpenter. "Bruce Perry told me that his father said that our ancestor was a carpenter". Stewart Smith's papers.

Barr notes the Westminster "...brought to Auckland a very good class of immigrants, mostly English...". Barr, J. The City of Auckland New Zealand, 1840-1920, Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd, Auckland, 1922, pp.47 and 55.

For the passenger list of the Westminster, see Denise and Peter's Auckland family history website, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ourstuff/Westminster.htm. On the voyage, see the report of C. William Gordon, Surgeon Superintendent, to the Colonial Secretary dated 10 Apr 1843.

On conditions in early Auckland, see Oliver, W and Williams, B (eds). The Oxford History of New Zealand (first edition) Oxford University Press, Wellington , 1981, pp.59 and 89. Also see Barr, City of Auckland, pp.53, 55-56 and 239.

The entry in the Death Registers for William Edwards' death notes he had been in New Zealand for 69 years, indicating he arrived in New Zealand in about 1843. See Death of William Edwards, New Zealand Register of Deaths, 8 Dec 1912, no.3098 of 1912.

Stewart Smith notes "Clara McCormack told me that Grandad Edwards had a ships chandlery store at Onehunga and that it was destroyed by fire." Stewart Smith's papers.

That William may have gone to the United States was mentioned by Mary Plank. In 1849 or 1850, a schooner loaded with apples, onions and potatoes left Kawhia for California, where the apples and onions were sold for $1 each. Bradbury, E (ed). Settlement and Development of the King Country, New Zealand, Auckland, 1923, p.33.

V

The background to the Bockerah and Laurie familes is detailed in my A New Life in Our History, available from Smashwords online at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/425151 (Part 1) and https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/431894 (Part II). Also see Jill Mitchell, 'Where Did She Come From ???' and John Williams' Who are Annie Laurie's Parents ? (7 Apr 2004). Personal communication with Violet Lynch, Bessie Lynch, Annie Dickey, Gordon Hewlett, Jill Karetai and Anne Cooper.

Stewart Smith notes that Clara McCormack told him in 1987 "...that Annie was the daughter of a Frenchman and a Maori mother, the mother dying in childbirth." Stewart Smith's papers. Henry Perry gives Annie Edwards' (Laurie) full name as 'Annie Jean Laurie' in some notes he made in about 1980 while living at the Ranfurly War Veterans Home, later transcribed by Stewart Smith.

The entry in the New Zealand Register of Marriages notes Annie Laurie was aged 19 when she married William Edwards at Kawhia on 25 Jul 1859. Marriage of Annie Laurie and William Edwards on 25 Jul 1859 at Kawhia, New Zealand Register of Marriages, 183 of 1859.

By the time Annie Edwards (Laurie) died in 1918, details of her parents had been forgotten, resulting in her entry in the Register of Deaths containing mistakes. It notes Annie was born in Auckland in about 1840, that her father's name was Robert Laurie, who was in 'general business' and that her mother's name was unknown. Death of Annie Edwards, 28 Nov 1918, New Zealand Register of Deaths, 195 of 1918.

VI

On Te Kihirini Te Kanawa's allowing of his land to Mite, see the notice signed by Te Kanawa (spelt 'Te Kanawha') at Kawhia dated 1840 in the documents relating to John Laurie Jnr and Samuel Joseph's land claim at Kawhia. New Zealand National Archives, Archives of the Old Land Claims Commission, Old Land Claim no.1314A.

The translation I have give is adapted from one prepared by a Māori elder for Nola Edmonds. It is: "Listen you Māori people it was the Pakeha who gave my land to Laurie, two acres (Mite had the land before it was given to Laurie)." I also relied on another translation prepared by Dr Peter Cleave for Des Mataga. It states: "Listen Māori people and all the Pakeha [about] the release [or allowing] of my land to Rauri [Laurie] to two acres (the land was Smith's previously having been sold by him to Laurie)."

In his covering letter, John Laurie Jnr wrote: "[t]he land in question was formerly purchased from Te Kanawha by Mr John Smith (now deceased) a relative of mine in about the year 1834, and was resold by Mr S to me for the sum of £40 stg. – the conveyance and also the original deed were given to me in the year 1839 – the former I have mislaid, and the deed was accidentally destroyed by fire, however I still hold from Te Kanawa (Te Kihingi) a well-known chief, the deed of which the enclosed is a copy." Letter from John Laurie Jnr to Francis Dillon Bell dated 30 Nov 1858, New Zealand National Archives, Old Land Claim no.1314A.

Te Wheoro, in his evidence to the Māori Land Cout, noted "[t]hese Europeans were severally attached to chiefs as traders, especially for firearms. Captain Kent was with Potatu, Cowell [was] with Kiwi... Kanawa had Tamete. These European were all located at Kawhia; Cowell was stationed at Pouewe by Kiwi, Capt Kent was placed [at] Te Heahea with Te Rangitiera and Tamete at Maketu. The daughter (Tiria) of Te Wherowhero was given in marriage to Capt Kent. Te Heihei... Te Rangiata, niece of Te Kanawa, was given to Tamete. After these marriages, a trade in flax was established to secure firearms. Flax was prepared in large quantities all over the district and taken to Kawhia for sale." Evidence of Te Wheoro before the Māori Land Court on 28 Aug 1886, Otorohanga Minute Book No.1, pp.208-209.

Ann Swan noted "...the settlement belonged to N Mahuta, they were only squatting there. Smith Laurie a European lived at Maketu... ". Evidence of Ann Swan before the Māori Land Court on 26 Feb 1889, Māori Land Court Minute Book, p.322. Swan also noted that 'Smith Laurie' lived at Kawhia. Māori Land Court Minute Book, p.325.

Ann Swan further noted that "...we worked at Parengatai, growing kumeras & while engaged in that we lived at Maketu. There was a European living there named Laurie, he was put there by Te Kikiriui..." Evidence of Ann Swan before the Māori Land Court on 27 Feb 1889, Māori Land Court Minute Book, p.332.

On the exchange between John Smith and Francis Leathart, see the New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, 2 Oct 1841, p.4. The notice was reprinted on 6 and 9 Oct 1841. Also see New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, 24 Nov 1841, p.2.

VII

On William Edward's time at Kawhia, see William Henry ('Harry') Perry's notes, Jill Mitchell, Where Did She Come From ??? and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59.

Marriage of Annie Laurie and William Edwards at Kawhia on 15 Jul 1859, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no.183 of 1859. The entry gives William's occupation as 'trader'.

Stewart Smith notes Clara McCormack "...in conversation with Mrs P Officer described Annie as being very tall, fair skinned, blue eyes and slender..." Stewart Smith, 'Annie Laurie'. In another document Stewart Smith notes "Notes made by Mrs. PA Officer date unknown but probably the mid 1980's. Description of Granny Edwards. Very Blue eyes, high cheek bones, fair skinned, fair hair, tall and slender. Was a midwife lived in a house surrounded by Pungas, had an earthen floor and very larger fireplace. On the death of William she lived with her daughter Margaret until her death." Stewart Smith's papers.

Another family story has it that Annie Laurie was "... in with the gun runners and lost her place in the tribe. William Edwards put her in a wagon, pulled over the cover and took her off to Southland...." Personal communication, the late Annie Dickey.

Mary Palmer recalls being told by her aunt, Kate Petersen, that Annie Edwards (Laurie) was born in Edinburgh and came out to New Zealand as a servant girl. Personal communication, Mary Palmer.

Birth of William Astley (spelt 'Astle' in the Register) Edwards on 1 April 1861 at Aotea, New Zealand Register of Births, no.65 of 1861. The entry gives William's occupation as 'agricultural labourer'. William Astely Edwards was not born at Awaroa in 1860, as noted in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59. He married Mary Cogger. They lived in Gore and Queenstown. He died at Frankton in August 1902. Jill Mitchell, Where Did She Come From ???.

William Astley Edwards is the second example of the conspicuous re-use of the name 'Astley' by the Lauries. The first was John James Astley Laurie, one of John Jnr and Louisa's sons. There were two others. They were Astley David Laurie (the son of John Laurie Jnr and Louisa) and William James Astley Parker was the son of Margaret Parker (Edwards) and Samuel Parker. He died aged two months on 25 Apr 1908 and was buried at Gore. William Edwards was later buried in the same plot.

VIII

On the Otago Goldrush, see 'Gabriels Gully Otago Goldfield Park', brochure published by the Department of Conservation, Dunedin, Feb 1993. Also see Otago Witness 6 Jul 1861, p.4 and Hearn, T. 'Thomas Gabriel Read (1824-1826 ? - 1894), Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, http://www.dnzb.govt.nz (updated to 11 Feb 2002).

There were 1200 prospectors there by 20 July 1861 and 2000 by 27 July 1861. 'Gabriels Gully Otago Goldfield Park' brochure. Skinner, E. Waitahuna Memoirs, Reed, Wellington, 1947, p.24.

William Edward's obituary notes that "[a]fter a period in Auckland he came south to Otago to join the early gold rushes, operating on the Waitahuna and Tuapeka fields." See William Edward's obituary in the Mataura Ensign dated 9 Dec 1912 transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59.

On William Edward's time on the goldfields, see William Henry ('Harry') Perry's notes. The site of Waipori was covered by the flooding of Lake Mahinerangi in 1924. Some remnants of OPQ's operations survive along the Waipori-Lawrence Road. There is the OPQ mine, the first underground quartz mine in Otago. A stamper battery, races, reservoirs and aqueducts are still in place at Pioneer Stream Reserve. Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust, Otago Goldfields Heritage Trail, Cromwell (undated booklet, post-1999) p.7.

Birth of Louisa Edwards on 15 Apr 1871 at Tokomairiro, New Zealand Register of Births, no.1408 of 1871. The entry gives William's occupation as 'bullock driver'.

Birth of Annie Edwards at Big Bush, Tokomairiro on 8 Jul 1873, New Zealand Register of Births, no.1473 of 1873. The entry gives William's occupation as 'sawyer'.

IX

On the Edward's family's time at Akatore, near Tokomairiro, see the Bruce Herald, 2 Nov 1875, p.4. The family were living at Akatore by April 1875, as William was a signatory of a letter to the Tokomairiro Road Board from the settlers in the Akatore district complaining of the state of the roads and asking it to co-operate with the Akatore Road Board to fix it: "Some of your Committee know what a very bad place it is in winter time, being impassable for man or beast." Bruce Herald, 20 Apr 1875, p.6.

Birth of Herbert Henry Edwards on 22 Jun 1877 at Akatote, New Zealand Register of Births, no.3866 of 1877. The entry gives William Edward's occupation as 'sawyer'. Mitchell, Where Did She Come From ???.

That the Edwards family were at Woodlands for a while is noted in the obituary of William Edwards from the Mataura Ensign dated 9 Dec 1912 transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59. The family moved to Longbush in about 1878 - Louisa and Annie Edwards both went to Longbush School at about that time. Also see Jill Mitchell, Where Did She Come From ??? and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.59-61.

The details of Annie and William Edwards children born between William Astley in 1861 and Maggie in 1885 are as follows:

1. Elizabeth Ann was born at Dunedin in 1863. See Birth of Elizabeth Ann Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.563 of 1863. Elizabeth married Edward Gibbs, then David Robert.

2. Mary Jane was born at Tokomairiro in 1864. See Birth of Mary Jane Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.788 of 1864.

3. Fredrick was born at Tokomairiro on 11 Jun 1867. See Birth of Fredrick Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.1203 of 1867. He married Martha Garden, the daughter of Felix Garden and Ellen Hayles of Woodland at Invercargill on 12 Jan 1892. See Marriage of Fredrick Edwards and Martha Garden, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no.859 of 1892. The entry gives William Edward's occupation as 'labourer'.

4. John Edwards was born at Tokomairiro on 17 Jun 1869. See Birth of John Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.1313 of 1869.

5. Louisa Edwards was born at Tokomairiro on 15 Apr 1871. See Birth of Louisa Edwards on 15 Apr 1871 at Tokomairiro, New Zealand Register of Births, no.1408 of 1871.

6. Annie was born at Big Bush, Tokomairiro on 8 Jul 1873. William gave his occupation as 'sawyer' when her birth was registered. See birth of Annie Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.1473 of 1873.

7. George Robert was born at Kaiapoi on 1 Apr 1874. See Birth of George Robert Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.732 of 1874.

8. Herbert Henry born at Akatore on 22 Jun 1877. See birth of Herbert Henry Edwards, New Zealand Register of Births, no.3866 of 1877.

9. Archibald was born on 29 Aug 1879 at Long Bush. William gave his occupation as 'labourer' and noted he was born in Plymouth, England, when registering Archibald's birth. New Zealand Register of Births, no.358 of 1879.

On the Long Depression, see Oliver and Williams, Oxford History of New Zealand, pp.71 and 75.

The quotes from Annie Edwards (Laurie) are from her letter to Polly Gibbons dated 30 Nov 1880.

X

The New Zealand Agricultural Company's objectives are set out in clauses 1 (a), (c), (e) and (f) of its Memorandum of Association. Anon, Memorandum of Association of the New Zealand Agricultural Company Limited (ML PAM87/674). See Kerr, New Zealand Agricultural Company, pp.11-12, 59 and 62-63.

The Waimea Plains Line opened on 31 July 1880. Kerr, J. The New Zealand Agricultural Company 1878-1906, BA thesis, University of Otago, 1974, pp.27-29, 31 and 33.

On the Edward's family's arrival at Croydon Bush, see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.58. William Edwards' obituary notes he took up residence at Croydon Bush in March 1881. See 'Mr William Edwards', Mataura Ensign, 9 Dec 1912, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.59.

The Biggar family arrived at Croydon Bush in Apr 1881. See George Biggar's description of the area held by the New Zealand Agricultural Company in his address to the Gore and Surrounding Districts Early Settlers' Association entitled 'The Good Old Days Again' on 24 May 1928 published in the Records of the Gore and Surrounding Districts Early Settlers' Association, vol. 4, Feb 1933, p.31.Also see George Biggar's obituary, 'Mr George Biggar' Mataura Ensign 23 Jun 1931. The obituary of Ann Biggar (Harland) notes they were the first settlers to take up an allotment from the New Zealand Agricultural Company at Croydon Bush. See the Mataura Ensign, 19 Jan 1910, p.2. But it appears the Edwards family were the first to occupy their section.

Details of the Edwards, Biggar, Nicolson and Petersen families' holdings are given in Deposited Plan 3917 'Plan of Sections 900 to 905 inclusive Block LXIX Hokonui District Southland Country' drawn by James Blaikie in Feb 1910. I am grateful to David Griffin of Land Information New Zealand at Invercargill for providing me with a copy of this plan. Dickie notes the Crown lease over section 902 was granted to John Nicholson for a further 66 years from 1910 at a rent of £3 per annum. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp. 49, 98 and 178.

XI

See the description of Croydon Bush given by JF Grant in 'Mr JF Grant – Ninety Years Young' in the Mataura Ensign, 4 Nov 1971, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.234.

Gore was either the second (after Reefton) or the third town in New Zealand (after Reefton and Wellington) to have electric street lighting. The diary of James Boyne notes (in red ink) on 21 Jul 1894 "At 5:30 pm, the Electric Light was lit for the first time...". The diary is held at the Gore Historical Museum, Hokonui Heritage Centre. The electric lighting consisted on two 3000 candle power arc lamps in Main Street. Beattie, H. A History of Gore and Surrounding Districts 1862-1962, The Gore Centennial Committee, Gore Publishing Co Ltd, Gore, 1962, p.61. Information provided by the Gore Historical Museum, Hokonui Heritage Centre.

Gore was first supplied with electricity from Monawai in 1925. Croydon was supplied from 1926. Personal communication with Valentine Biggar, my grandfather.

The quote from George Biggar is from his 'The Good Old Days Again', p.32. Dolamore, A. The Croydon Settlement: An Address Given by A.L Dolamore to the Early Settler's Association at Gore on 9 Sept 1958, p.2. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.47 and 186. On the state of the land at Croydon and visits by the butcher and baker, see the comments of James Grant, M. Wilson, Grace McLeod and Jessie McLeod in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.236-237 and 239-240. Also see 'Mr JF Grant – Ninety Years Young' in the Mataura Ensign, 4 Nov 1971, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.237.

On Croydon Bush's wildlife, see George Biggar's 'The Good Old Days Again', p.39. Kaka are now extinct in the Gore-Croydon Bush District and very rare in Southland and Otago. The closest place to Croydon Bush I have observed them is near the Department of Conservation Hut at Routeburn Falls.

Alex Dickie notes that main fish in the Mataura were eels and small trout. Dickie, History of Croydon Siding, pp.131-132. My grandparents, Doris and Valentine Biggar, mt grandparents, recalled eating fushia berries. Bruce Perry recalls Charles Perry (his father) telling that he ate the fushia berries.

The state of the road between Gore and Croydon was a constant source of complaint. George Biggar noted that it was "...literally impassable." Biggar, 'The Good Old Days Again', p.38. Also see the articles in the Mataura Ensign, 6 Nov 1883 and Mataura Ensign, 13 Nov 1883 and the Southern Standard, 17 Sept 1889, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.34-35 and 37. Also see the reminiscences of James Grant and J. Davidson in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.234 and 235. Beattie, History of Gore, p.79.

The quote from Thomas Nicholson is from Barry, L. In the Lee of the Hokonuis – A History of the Waimumu – Te Tipua Districts, Invercargill, 1966, p.367.

The tramline to the sawmill ran through the Edwards' section. See the extracts from the paper written by George McKenzie of Gore transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush. McKenzie notes "William Edwards had a section and a camp in the bush above the mill on the creek out of site of the bush." Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.44. He also noted "William Edwards had a camp in the bush above the mill on the creek." Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.58.

Dickie notes that the tramline to the sawmill ran through section 782 and that there were at least two huts with gardens between them with some cultivated land. Dickie also notes that a survey map dated 1892 shows the there were huts on the Edwards' section and had a cultivated area near the tramway. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp. 58 and 178.

Deposited Plan 2659 'Plan of Croydon Bush Village, Hokonui District' drawn by James Blaikie in November 1891 shows there were three huts on the Edwards land and an extensive cultivated area. Stewart Smith notes PA Officer recorded that the Edwards family had a house with an earthen floor and very larger fireplace and surrounded by pungas. Stewart Smith's papers.

Birth of Maggie Edwards on 10 February 1885, New Zealand Register of Births, no. 2155 of 1885. Maggie was not born at Croydon Bush as noted in Mitchell, Where Did She Come From ??? and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.61. Maggie married Samuel James Parker. They moved to Timaru. Maggie died there on 9 Jun 1959 and is buried at Timaru Cemetery, the same cemetery as Annie Edwards (Laurie), her mother, and Archie, her brother.

See the photo of the Biggar house from the collection of Annie Egerton published in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.vii. Personal communication, Valentine Biggar and visits to Croydon Bush in 1995, 2001, 2003 and 2005.

XII

The quote about life at Croydon Bush is from the Southern Standard 17 Sept 1889, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.37. Also see the comments of George McKenzie "[h]ow these people made a living and brought up a family was a mystery", transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.44.

The New Zealand Electoral Roll provides details of the occupations followed by William Edwards, George Biggar, John Nicholson and Peter Petersen. The 1882-1884 Electoral Roll for the Hokonui District gives George Biggar's occupation as 'contractor'. It also lists a William (a labourer) and gives his address as Gore. The 1896 Electoral Roll for the Mataura District gives George Biggar's occupation as 'contractor' and John Nicholson's as 'labourer'. It also lists a William Edwards, a bushman, and gives his address as Gore. It also lists a Peter Petersen, a rabbiter, and gives his address as Mataura. The 1899 Electoral Roll for the Mataura District gives George Biggar's occupation as 'contractor and John Nicholson's as 'labourer'. It also lists a William Edwards, a bushman, and gives his address as Gore. It lists two Peter Petersens, a bushman at Croydon and a rabbiter at Mataura.

On New Zealand's economy from the mid-1890s to early 1920s, see Oliver and Williams, Oxford History of New Zealand, pp.81 and 226.

The process of 'corduroying' is described in Dunderdale, Book of the Bush, p.33. The Southern Standard noted that during a public meeting to discuss the protection of the tracks cut through the bush by the bushmen, "Edwards said that on any tracks he "corduroyed," he would stop any person using them." Southern Standard of 21 Oct 1899, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.19.

Dickie notes the Edwards' land was cultivated near the tramway which ran between their land and the Biggars'. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.178. Deposited Plan 2659 'Plan of Croydon Bush Village, Hokonui District' drawn by James Blaikie in November 1891 shows an extensive cultivated area on the Edwards' land. On Annie Edwards (Laurie) see Jill Mitchell, Where Did She Come From ???.

On the New Zealand Agricultural Company employing settlers, see Kerr's New Zealand Agricultural Company, pp.21-22.

George Biggar started working for the Company when he moved to Croydon in Apr 1881. See Biggar, 'The Good Old Days Again', pp.31 and 33. Also see George Biggar's obituary, 'Mr George Biggar' Mataura Ensign 23 Jun 1931.

On John Nicholson's occupations, see the extract from Lyall Barry's thesis on the Waimumu – Te Tipua District, 1960, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.68. One of John Nicholson's work-mates later recalled "[t]he only one who is alive and still going strong, as far as I know, is Mr John Nicolson (sic), of Anzac Street, West Gore. These men were working at Knapdale Station for the late Mr McNab and were a lot of fine, jolly fellows, full of fun and frolic." Records of the Gore and Surrounding Districts' Early Settlers' Association, vol.2, Feb 1933, p.58.

On Peter Petersen being a rabbiter, see the recollections of George Terry in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.159. Also see Birth of Martha Jane Petersen at Croydon on 28 Mar 1895, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2077 of 1895. See Thomas Henry Nicholson's recollections in Barry, Lee of the Hokonuis, p.367.

On the Gore Meat Preserving Company, see Beattie, History of Gore, pp.68, 89 and 112. Beattie notes a rabbit factory opened at Mataura in March 1892, but closed down soon afterwards. Beattie, History of Gore, p.130. "In 1896 Mr Cramer was rabbiting at Diamond Peak, and he daily carted 200 carcasses at 2d a pair to the Rabbit Factory at Croydon Siding...". Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.161. Also see Dickie, History of Croydon Siding, pp. 81-86 and 125 and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp. 186 and 237. Also see 'Mr JF Grant – Ninety Years Young' in the Mataura Ensign, 4 Nov 1971, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.236-237.

On William Edwards' occupations, see Mataura Ensign, 2 July 1888, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.15. Also see Beattie, History of Gore, p.79 and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.14 and 178. George Terry recalled "...there used to be a tramline down from Biggars to [the] old sawmill." Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.159.

XIII

The quote from Annie Edwards (Laurie) is from her letter, sent from Croydon Bush, to Polly Gibbons dated 14 Feb in about 1883, Dulcie Booker Collection, letter 40.

Walter James Perry was born at Bermondsey in London sometime between 1853 and 1860. He arrived on the Arawhata on 15 Nov 1880. Marriage of Louisa Edwards and Walter James Perry "[i]n the residence of Mr William Edwards Croydon" on 20 Mar 1890, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no. 774 of 1890. It notes William Edwards' occupation at this time was 'bushman.'

Louisa and Walter had 8 children, including William Henry ('Harry'). Stewart Smith's papers. Also see Perry, R. Who Was Walter James Perry ? and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.60 and 70.

XIV

Annie Edwards left Croydon Bush School in 1886 to go into domestic service. Annie Edwards married Peter Petersen in 1894. See Marriage of Annie Edwards and Peter Petersen at Gore on 4 July 1894, New Zealand Register of Marriages, 4 Jul 1894, no.2807 of 1894. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp. 60-61, 172 and 179-180. The eight children of Annie and Peter Petersen were:

1. Annie Laurie, known as Annie Laura or 'Laura'.

2. Martha Jane was born on 28 Mar 1895 at Croydon. Martha married Alexander Clark Vincent on 5 May 1915 at Invercargill and moved to Bluff. See Birth of Martha Jane Petersen at Croydon on 28 Mar 1895, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2077 of 1895. Martha died on 31 Dec 1978 at Barrow Street, Bluff. See New Zealand Register of Deaths.

3. Henry Herman was born in 1897 at Croydon (see New Zealand Register of Births, no. 2119 of 1897). He married Margaret Emily Latta Vincent, Alexander Clark Vincent's sister, in 1920 and moved to Bluff. He died on 9 Jan 1977 at Bluff.

4. Violet Rebecca ('Bec') was born on 21 Jul 1899 at Croydon. See New Zealand Register of Births, no.3289 of 1899. Violet married Thomas Hewlett Jnr on 24 May 1919 at the Petersen house at Coydon Bush. New Zealand Register of Marriages, no.1 of 1919. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.96 and 101.

5. Lucy was born on 5 May 1901 at Croydon Bush, see New Zealand Register of Births, no. 2271 of 1901.

6. Mary Amelia Ann was born on 10 Jul 1903, see Birth of Mary Emilia Ann on 10 Jul 1903, New Zealand Register of Births, no.3720 of 1903. Mary died on 11 Nov 2001 at Invercargill.

7. May was born in 1905, see New Zealand Register of Births of Births, no.5492 of 1905. May married Thomas Menzies Mitchell on 7 Sept 1928 at Gore.

8. Kathryn Elizabeth ('Kate') was born on 13 Oct 1907 at Gore, New Zealand Register of Births, no.5805 of 1907.

On the Petersens, also see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp. 64-66. Personal communication with Mary Palmer.

Dickie notes the Crown lease over section 901 was granted to Peter Petersen for a further 66 years from 1910 at £3 and 10 shillings per annum, Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.98. Pope Road, which runs from Reaby Road along the western boundary of section 901, was originally known as Petersen Road. Personal communication with Doris Biggar and Valentine Biggar and Paula Dickie. Also see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp. 60, 64, 100, 172 and 180.

For a plan of the Petersen's farm, see Deposited Plan 3917 'Plan of Sections 900 to 905 inclusive Block LXIX Hokonui District Southland Country' drawn by James Blaikie in Feb 1910. Personal communication with Mary Plank and Bruce Mitchell.

Birth of Martha Jane Peterson at Croydon on 28 Mar 1895, New Zealand Register of Births.

On Peter's occupation, see the New Zealand Register of Marriages gives it as 'bushman'. See Marriage of Peter Petersen and Annie Edwards on 4 Jul 1894, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no.2807 of 1894.

Peter Petersen's occupation is given as 'rabbiter' in the entry in the Register of Births for Peter Petersen and Annie Petersen's (Edwards) daughter Martha Petersen. See Birth of Martha Jane Petersen at Croydon on 28 Mar 1895, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2077 of 1895. His occupation is given as 'farmer' in the entry in the Register of Births for Peter Petersen and Annie Petersen's (Edwards) son Henry Herman. See Birth of Henry Herman Petersen on 10 Apr 1897 at Croydon, New Zealand Register of Births, no.2119 of 1897. His occupation is given as 'miner' in the entry in the Register of Births for Peter Petersen and Annie Petersen's (Edwards) daughter Mary Emilia Petersen. See Birth of Mary Emilia Ann Petersen at Croydon Bush on 10 Jul 1903, New Zealand Register of Births, no.3720 of 1903.

The entries in the New Zealand Register of Marriages recording the marriage of Annie Petersen and Thomas Henry Nicholson and in the New Zealand Register of Deaths recording the death of Peter Petersen both give Peter Petersen's occupation as 'labourer'. Marriage of Annie Petersen and Thomas Henry Nicholson at Croydon on 16 Mar 1910, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no. 1775 of 1910 and Death of Peter Petersen at Croydon on 11 Sept 1922, New Zealand Register of Deaths.

The electoral rolls for the Mataura District list two Peter Petersens. One was a bushman living at Croydon. The other was a rabbiter living at Mataura. Annie Petersen is listed in the 1896 roll as living at Croydon. But the only Peter Petersen list in 1896 is the rabbiter living at Mataura. See New Zealand Electoral Rolls, 1896 and 1899.

On Annie Petersen being a midwife, personal communications with Mary Plank and Bessie Lynch. Also see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.60.

On Laura leaving school, see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.64.

XV

The six children of William and Annie Edwards' who attended Croydon Bush School were: Louisa, Annie Laurie, George Robert, Herbert Henry, Archibald and Maggie. See Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.61 and 172-173.

The nine children of Ann and George Biggar who attended Croydon Bush School were: Mary, Catherine, John, George, Margaret, James, William, Valentine and Isabella. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.86, 89-90 and 91 and 93.

The five children of Mary and John Nicholson who attended Croydon Bush School were: Margaret, Catherine, Thomas Henry, James Alexander and Mary. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.172-173.

Annie and Peter Petersen's children also attended. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.64 and 100-102. Also see Admission Register, Croydon School Southland, Index, 1883-1925, NZ Society of Genealogists.

On Croydon Bush School, see Beattie, History of Gore, p.88 and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.177-179.

Louisa Perry (Edwards) left Croydon Bush School in May 1886 as she was "Wanted At Home" probably to assist her mother, Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.60 and 180. Annie Petersen (Edwards) left Croydon Bush School in 1886, as she had "Gone into Service". Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.60 and 180. See Annie Richardson's obituary in the Mataura Ensign of 19 Jan 1933, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.100. Stewart Smith's papers, Beattie, History of Gore, p.88 and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.60, 172 and 179-180.

On the Croydon Bush School committee, see the article in the Mataura Ensign of 26 Apr 1895, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.186-187 and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.175-176, 180 and 233. Beattie, History of Gore, p.90.

On Croydon Bush School's use for social functions, see the article in the Southern Standard of 19 Feb 1889, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.183. See the article in the Southern Standard of 18 Feb 1890 transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.184. See the article in the Mataura Ensign of 19 Feb 1895, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.39-40. William Edwards may have played the violin at the annual school social in December 1911. See the article in the Mataura Ensign of 22 Dec 1911, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.192-193.

On local picnics and dances, see Mataura Ensign, 31 Jan 1913, p.3; Mataura Ensign, 7 Jan 1896, p.3; Mataura Ensign, 2 Feb 1914, p.4 and Mataura Ensign, 6 Feb 1909, p.4. On local weddings see, for example, Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.36-39, 72 and 240.

On the wedding of Jemima Dickson and Sydney Cooke, see the article in the Southern Standard of 9 Aug 1901, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.140-141. William Edwards may have also helped supply the music for a concert at Croydon Bush School in Feb 1890. See the article in the Southern Standard of 18 Feb 1890, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.184. It notes "...Messrs Edwards...kindly supplied the music...".

William Edwards may have also accompanied the signers at a concert (also attended by George Biggar) to raise funds to buy an organ. See the article in the Mataura Ensign of 19 Feb 1895, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.39-40. It notes "...Mr Edwards contributed to the concert largely, by kindly accompanying the various signers." Personal communication with Mary Plank, Violet Lynch and Mary Palmer.

On Laura and her relative walking home, see Barry, In the Lee of the Hokonuis, p.367. Laura used to walk from Croydon Bush to dances at Waimumu Hall. Personal communication with Doris Biggar.

I was told of Annie Petersen's (Edwards) approach to swaggies by Bessie Lynch, who recalled it a story told to her by Mary Plank.

In the early 1890s more than 80 infants under 12 months old died for every 1000 live births. By the late 1930s only 32 out of every 1000 died. Oliver and Williams, Oxford History of New Zealand, p.252. Personal communication with Mary Plank

On Peter Petersen's trips to Norway, personal communication with Auriette Gilmour.

XVI

On Martha's exam results, see Mataura Ensign, 25 Jan 1909, p.4. For her address to Mae Biggar, see 'Croydon School', Mataura Ensign, 15 Dec 1906, p.4. For Laura's addrsss to TJ Gilfedder, see Mataura Ensign, 19 Nov 1903, p.2.

For Lucy's recitation and Martha's performance, see _Mataura Ensign_ , 5 Sept 1911, p.4 and _Mataura Ensign_ , 17 Oct 1913, p.4.

On the Croydon Temperance Society and Band of Hope Union, see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.36-37. Recollections of Margaret Wilson in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.240-241. 'Gore Public Picnic', Mataura Ensign, 7 Jan 1896, p.3. Mataura Ensign, 17 Apr 1897, p.2. Mataura Ensign, 23 May 1905, p.1.'Gore Competitions', Southland Times, 29 Dec 1904, p.4, Mataura Ensign, 25 Sept 1907, p.2 and Mataura Ensign, 27 Dec 1906, p.2.

For notes on Martha's other recitations, see Mataura Ensign, 28 Dec 1905, p.4 (the topic was 'making a good start'); Mataura Ensign, 28 Feb 1907, p.2 and Mataura Ensign, 26 Jul 1907, p.1.

For Henry, Violet, Martha and Lucy's recitations, see Mataura Ensign, 14 May 1908, p.2; Mataura Ensign, 6 Aug 1908, p.2; Mataura Ensign, 10 Sept 1909, p.2; Mataura Ensign and 18 Sept 1913, p.7.

On Archibald Edward's farewell, see Mataura Ensign, 7 Jul 1913, pp.1-2.

XVII

On the Port Preservation expedition, see Begg, A and Begg C. Port Preservation, Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd, Christchurch, 1973, p.257.

The quote from George Biggar is from his 'The Good Old Days Again', p.39. Also see McKay's report, although it does not mention George Biggar. McKay, A. 'Wilson River and Preservation Inlet Goldfield, Fiord Country, Otago', 4 Jul 1896 in Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand, vol.I, Wellington, 1896, C-11, pp.31-45.

George Biggar wrote an account of the trip in his Diary of Trip to Preservation. The Diary was published using the pseudonym 'Weka' in the Mataura Ensign under the title 'With an Exploring Party - Resources of the South West' in four parts on 28 Jun 1896 (No. I), 4 Aug 1896 (No. II), 6 Aug 1896 (No. III) and 11 Aug 1896 (No. IV). George's Diary was also included as 'Appendix D' in Begg and Begg, Port Preservation, pp.342-360.

Biggar, Diary of Trip to Preservation, p.27. George Biggar noted Te Whara Beach "...was rushed about 2 years ago. But at the time of our visit there was only four men at work on this field. A party of nine men spent some months taking in a water race to work some ground on the terrace above the beach. It did not prove a paying spec and the party broke up. This Claim is at present in the hands of Mr John Wild and mate – many residents of Riversdale and Gore will remember this gentleman. The other two men were working on the beach between tides and were doing fairly well. One of these a Mr Peter Peterson – also being a resident of this district." This extract is also transcribed in Begg and Begg, Port Preservation, p.357.

The rush to Te Whara Beach started from Invercargill in March 1895. But early reports of a rich goldfield were exaggerated. There was no payable alluvial gold and the field was abandoned by most diggers by May 1895. A few remained and combined to form one party in early 1896 to work a five acre area. See Watt, J. Preservation Inlet, Invercargill, 1971, pp. 79-82.

A warning that reports of the gold to be found at Te Whara Bach were exaggerated written by an anonymous miner was printed in the Mataura Ensign on 19 Mar 1895, p.4. The departure of "... a large number of men..." for Te Wara Beach is noted in 'A Rush to Te Whara Beach', Otago Witness, 21 Mar 1895, p.18. A map showing the location of the mining claim at Te Whara Beach is held by the Hocken Library and reproduced in Watt, J. Preservation Inlet, Invercargill, 1971, p.58.

The S.S. Invercargill was built for the trade between Dunedin and Invercargill and launched in 1885. 'The S.S. Invercargill', Southland Times, 30 Oct 1885, p.3 and 6 Nov 1885, p.3.

On Peter's deal with William McCormick, see the evidence of William McCormick in 'A Gold Mining Romance, Petersen v McCormick', Mataura Ensign, 9 Sept 1897, p.5; the opening address of Peter Petersen's lawyer, Mr Neave, in 'A Gold Mining Romance, Petersen v McCormick', Mataura Ensign, 9 Sept 1897, p.5; the evidence of Peter Petersen in 'A Gold Mining Romance, Petersen v McCormick', Mataura Ensign, 9 Sept 1897, p.5; Walter Perry's evidence in 'A Gold Mining Romance, Petersen v McCormick', Mataura Ensign, 23 Sept 1897, p.5 and the opening address of William McCormick's lawyer, Mr Sinclair, in 'A Gold Mining Romance, Petersen v McCormick', Mataura Ensign, 9 Sept 1897, p.5.

For George Biggar's conclusions on the region, see his 'The Good Old Days Again', p.39.

XVIII

On the later lives of the Petersens, personal communication with Doris Biggar and Annie Dickey. Also see Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.65..

Marriage of Annie Laura (sic) Petersen and Thomas Henry Nicolson on 16 Mar 1910 at Croydon Bush, New Zealand Register of Marriages, no. D2 of 1910. The family lived on the Croydon homestead block until 1949, when they moved to Gore. Dickie, History of Croydon Siding, p.55 and 102-103. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.62-63 and 102. Personal communication, Terrence Casey.

Marriage of Martha Jane Petersen to Alexander Clark Vincent at Invercargill, 5 May 1915, NZ Register of Marriages, no.1 of 1915. Marriage of Violet Rebecca Petersen and Thomas Hewlett at the Petersen family house, 28 May 1919, NZ Register of Marriages, no.1 of 1919. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.96 and 100-102.

XIX

On William Edward's longevity, see 'An Interesting Item on Record', _Mataura Ensign_ 16 May 1910, transcribed in Dickie, _History of Croydon Bush_ , p.61.

Archibald Edwards held title to section 782 from 1908 to 1913, Dickie, _History of Croydon Bush_ , p.61.

On the public meeting about the Gore-Hedgehope railway, see the article in the _Mataura Ensign_ of 5 Sept 1912, transcribed in Dickie, _History of Croydon Bush_ , pp. 41-42 and Beattie, _History of Gore_ , p.71.

Death of William Edwards, _New Zealand Register of Deaths_ , 8 Dec 1912, no.3098 of 1912. See William Edward's obituary in the _Mataura Ensign_ dated 9 Dec 1912, transcribed in Dickie, _History of Croydon Bush_ , p.59. It was also printed in the _Otago Daily Times_ , 10 Dec 1912, p.6, the _Press_ , 10 Dec 1912, p.8 and the _Evening Post_ , 10 Dec 1912, p.7.

The full text is: "The death occurred yesterday of Mr William Edwards, a resident of Croydon Bush for the last 31 years, and a colonist for 69 years. Deceased, who was 89 years old, arrived in Auckland in 1843, and in the early 'sixties took part in the Otago goldfields rush. He subsequently came to the Gore district in 1881. He leaves a widow, four sons and four daughters."

William Edwards is buried in row 35, plot 14 at Gore Cemetery. He is buried with his grandson William James Astley Parker, the son of Maggie and Samuel James Parker, who died aged two months on 25 Apr 1908.

A family tradition has it that William Edwards cut his leg open in the bush and bleed to death. Personal communication with Doris Biggar and Valentine Biggar. But this happened to William Astley, William and Annie's eldest son in August 1902. He cut his foot while working as a farm hand at Sunnyside Station at Queenstown. The _Mataura Ensign_ noted " _[w]e regret having to record a very sad accident which occurred on Monday last and terminated fatally. Mr William Edwards, eldest son of Mr W. Edwards, an old settler of Croydon Bush, was cutting some timber in the Queenstown district last week when he unfortunately sent the axe into his foot. The injured man lay unattended through Tuesday until Wednesday forenoon, when he was discovered in a precarious state. He was removed to Frankton Hospital for medical attention, but he succumbed to his injury on Monday. The deceased was well-known in this district as an industrious and hard-working man. He leaves a widow and four children to mourn their loss_." I am grateful to Bruce Perry for providing me with a copy of this article.

The story William Edward's inheritance was picked up by at least four newspapers. _The Colonist_ , 24 Jan 1893, p.1, _Otago Witness_ , 26 Jan 1893, p.17, _Clutha Leader_ , 27 Jan 1893, p.6, and _Wanganui Herald_ , 28 Jan 1893, p.2.

Working out how much £7000 (I assume it was pounds sterling) from 1893 is worth now (2012) is not an exact science. It depends on whether you calculate its purchasing power using the retail prices index (which gives £606,000) or the average earnings index (which gives £2,720,000). Officer, L and Williamson, S. 'Purchasing Power of British Pounds from 1245 to Present', _Measuring Worth_ , 2011 at the _Measuring Worth_ website (accessed 14 May 2012). By contrast, the currency converter available on the National Archives website indicates £7000 in 1893 was worth £419,230 in 2005. _National Archives_ website (accessed 14 May 2012).

John MacGibbon (1849–1925) arrived in Southland as a child in 1859. His parents, John and Jane MacGibbon, took up the Otapiri Run in 1858, then moved to Mataura where they established an accommodation house and ferry service that crossed the Mataura River at Tuturau. They moved to Kelvingrove, near Ships Cone in the Hokonuis, in 1865. MacGibbon married Isabella Nairn and established a drapery and grocery business known as MacGibbon & Sons. It commenced business at the corner of Main and Mersey Streets at Gore in 1883, with the location becoming known as MacGibbon's Corner.

MacGibbon served as Mayor of Gore in 1886 and was the first Mayor of the amalgamated districts of Gore and Gordon in 1890-1891. He was the first President of the Gore and Surrounding Districts Early Settlers' Association. Biggar, 'The Good Old Days Again', p.34. MacGibbon's Corner was destroyed in a large fire that broke out in Moloney's hairdressing and billiard saloon in Mersey Street on 6 Sept 1900. It destroyed a historical part of the Gore business district between Mersey and Main Streets and a number of businesses, including the offices of two local solicitors, J Neave and W. Inder. _Mataura Ensign_ , 6 Sept 1900, p.2. Beattie, _History of Gore_ , pp.60, 81, 91, 95 and 123-125. Information provided by the Gore Historical Museum, Hokonui Heritage Centre.

John McGibbon's life is detailed in a family history written by his great-great grandson, MacGibbon, J. _Going Abroad_ , Ngaio Press, Wellington, 2001.

For a description of the Edwards' family home at Croydon Bush, see 'A question of custody: how some poor settlers live', _Southland Times_ , 29 Sept 1903, p.4.

On Annie Edward's (Laurie) estate, see Application by the Public Trustee to the Supreme Court of New Zealand at Wellington to administer the Estate of Annie Edwards, Widow, late of Timaru in the Provincial District of Canterbury, Archives New Zealand, dated 14 May 1919 and filed 15 May 1919 [AAOM 6029, box. 388, PP26507]. I am grateful to Stefanie Lash of Archives New Zealand for assistance in obtaining a copy of this application.

XX

On Martha's essay, see Mataura Ensign, 18 Dec 1907, p.2.

The literature on the World War I is vast. There is are detailed accounts of Europe's underlying tensions and conflicts in James Joll's Europe Since 1870, Penguin Books Ltd, Harmondsworth, third edition, 1983 and Robert Massie's Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the coming of the Great War, Pimlico, London, 1993. The centenary of the start of the War has been accompanied by two vivid accounts of the events that led to its outbreak: Max Hastings, Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, William Collins, London, 2013 and Margaret MacMillan, The War That Ended Peace, Profile Books Ltd, London, 2013.

Two documentary series provide a detailed overview of the War. The first, and most famous, is the BBC's The Great War, a 26 episode series first broadcast in 1964 and now available on youtube. The second is Hew Strachan's The First World War, a 10 episode series broadcast in 2004. The book of the series is Hew Strachan's The First World: A New Illustrated History, Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, London, 2003. A recent, singe volume history of the War is David Stevenson's 1914-1918 The History of the First World War, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 2004. While it is comprehensive, I found it hard going.

XXI

Private Henry Herman Petersen (no. 32717) served in D Company of the Otago Infantry Battalion. _Nominal Roll of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1914-1918 War_ , vol. II, roll 45, p.15 (ML microfilm). On the gases used by the Germans, see Wright, _Western Front_ , pp.100-101. The details of Henry's war are given in his Military History Sheet, available from Archives New Zealand on-line.

On Henry being reported wounded, see _The Otago Daily Times_ , 29 Oct 1917, p.2. Dickie, _History of Croydon Bush_ , p.102. Personal communication with Doris Biggar.

On Archibald Edward's death, see _Mataura Ensign_ , 14 Dec 1918, p.4. Death of Archibald Edwards, engineer, at Timaru on 20 Nov 1918, _New Zealand Register of Deaths_ , no.169 of 1918. It gives the cause of death as influenza (10 days) and broncho-pneumonia (7 days).

The entry in the New Zealand Register of Deaths notes Annie Laurie died at Avenue Road, Timaru from 'Influenzal Pneumonia – Exhaustion' lasting 14 days. Death of Annie Edwards on 28 Nov 1918, New Zealand Register of Deaths, no.195 of 1918. Annie is buried at Timaru in the general section, block C2, plot 171 (new row 28, new plot 171). There is no headstone. Archie is buried at Timaru in the general section, new row 30, new plot 339.

Death of Annie Edwards, New Zealand Register of Deaths, no. 4436 of 1918. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.59 and 61.

The quote from Annie Edwards (Laurie) is from her letter, sent from Croydon Bush, to Polly Gibbons, 14 Feb, in about 1883, Dulcie Booker Collection, letter 40.

The hearthstone of the Edwards' house at Croydon Bush was still in place in the 1950s. Bruce Perry saw it when Charles Perry, his father, took him to section 782 to show him where the Edwards family had lived. But when Bruce Perry returned in 2006, it was no longer there.

XXII

Death of Peter Petersen on 11 Sept 1922 at Croydon, New Zealand Register of Deaths, which notes he had suffered from chronic disease of the heart for two years. Also see 'Mr Peter Petersen' Mataura Ensign 12 Sept 1922, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.100. Peter Petersen was buried in plot 29, block 83 at Gore Cemetery.

On Annie Petersen's estate, see the file on her application to the Supreme Court of New Zealand for Letters of Administration, Archives of New Zealand, Dunedin Regional Office, ID R22052031, series 9067, accession D328, box 55 and item 144/22. I am grateful to Sharon Keith, Regional Administrative Assistant at the Dunedin Regional Officer for assisting me in obtaining a copy of this file.

On the Richardson and Terrison families, see Dickie, History of Croydon Siding, pp. 58 and 69-70 and Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.53, 55, 71 and 73-74 On the funeral of Abraham Richardson, see Mataura Ensign, 5 Oct 1897, p.2. One of his daughters died of the measles in July 1893, see Mataura Ensign 25 Jul 1893, p.2.

On the Terrison family, also see the information posted on Janet Edmond's family tree maker website at: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/e/d/m/Janet-Edmond/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1462.html. Birth of Elleanor Elizabth Richardson, NZ Register of Births, no. 19929 of 1902.

Annie Petersen (Edwards) and Robert Richardson were married on 10 Nov 1924 at Gore. Annie's death certificate notes she died of longstanding asthma (15 years) producing cardiac failure. Death of Annie Richardson at Bluff on 7 Jan 1933, New Zealand Register of Deaths, no.899 of 1933.

See Annie Richardson's obituary in the Mataura Ensign of 19 Jan 1933, transcribed in Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.100. Annie was buried next to Peter in plot 29, block 83 at Gore Cemetery. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.60, 98 and 100. Personal communication with Mary Plank and Annie Dickey.

Robert and Mary Richardson are buried in block 61, plot 19. There is no headstone.

XXIII

JF Grant Jnr's comments are from Barry, In the Lee of the Hokonuis, pp. 53 and 367.

On Herbert Tresidder, see Barry, In the Lee of the Hokonuis, p.24. Herbert seems to have been a jack of all trades. He later owned a fish shop at Mataura, then worked for Quilter as a cordial and confectionary maker. He later moved to Woodlands where he did contract milling and threshing. He then bought the Woodlands Hotel and converted it into a house.

On Thomas Nicholson's occupations and land holdings, see Barry, In the Lee of the Hokonuis, pp. 366-367. The Nicholsons acquired section 782, in Laura's name, in 1927. They sold it to their son Lewis in 1946. Thomas transferred part section 135 to Lewis is 1964. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, pp.64, 68, 80, 87 and 94.

Laura may have also worked as a cleaner at Croydon Bush School. Dickie notes a tender for school cleaning was received from her in May 1941, her source being the minute book of Croydon Bush School Committee. Dickie, History of Croydon Bush, p.176.

The quote from Thomas Nicholson about no-one having much money is from Barry, In the Lee of the Hokonuis, p.368.

The Nicholson Family Bible gives Herman's date of birth as 25 December 1916. He died on 20 Feb 1917, NZ Register of Deaths, no.1697 of 1917.

On the deaths of Cyril and Douglas Nicholson, see Mataura Ensign, 31 Jan 1955.

The summary of Thomas Nicholson's life and works is from 'Obituary, Mr T.H. Nicholson', Mataura Ensign, 26 Jul 1966, p.9. For his anecdotes, see Barry, In the Lee of the Hokonuis, pp.367 and 388.

Thomas is buried in block 80, plot 57 at Gore Cemetery. Laura Nicholson died at Gore aged 87 on 8 Jul 1977 and was buried next to Thomas in block 80, plot 58 at Gore Cemetery. Herman, Laura and Thomas's son who died an infant in 1917, is also buried in this plot.

XXIV

Mary Plank identified the pear trees as part of the family orchard. Personal communication, Bruce Mitchell.

oOo

