|
Ruth Gillow (1878-1963) Born 14 February 1878 A quiet wedding was celebrated at the residence of the bride's parents, Queen Street, Westport, on Tuesday, 30th April, the contracting parties being Mr H. A. Young, Magistrate, of Pretoria, eldest son of Mr and Mrs R. A. Young, of Westport, and Miss Ruth Gillow; second daughter of Mr and Mrs Edmund Gillow, of Westport, The Rev. T. R. Dart was the officiating minister. The happy couple take their departure for South Africa from Wellington on the 17th inst. Source: The Grey River Argus, 4 May 1907. After H A Young's death in 1950 Ruth moved into the Christchurch household of RA & Maisie Young. Source, Westport News, 14 August 1963
Edmund Gillow (1837-1931)
Picture right, taken when Edmund Gillow was 90 years of age. The text in blue is from the Gillow family papers that Edmund Gillow had in his possession around 1928. Edmund has written on pages 25 & 26 a short history of his movements and life. His words have been fully transcribed, and in order, below. Margaret Austin when describing seeing the huge length of south facing stone wall near the Church of St. Nicholas when she visited - followed by other recollections of her grandfather. "Soon as I saw these big stone walls I could hear my grandfather; he said to me the ‘fruit was so lovely’, no fruit used to taste like home fruit because it was all ripened against these walls. "Early education at Mrs Watson's Canterbury, 1844 to 1846. At first this school was in the precincts of the Cathedral, southside; afterwards at a terrace, St Sepulture's (exact spelling unclear)." "At King's School 1846 to 1852, Rev. George Wallace, Headmaster. The playground was the Green Court in the precincts, Northside." The 1851 Cenus shows Edmund at Kings School, with his brother Alfred. "In London 1852-56 pupil, in service, of Henry Simpson and Co, Pimlico, In Edinburgh University 1856-1857." "Self and brother (George Gillow) left Plymouth on Sunday January 31st 1858 on the ship Nourmahal (846 Tons, this trip with 164 passengers), Capt Lewis Cowell Brayley of Liverpool. Reached Port Chalmers 4th May. Stayed in Dunedin until July 7th. I went to Sydney." This is confirmed in the Shipping News in the 15 May 1858 edition of the Otago Witness. The following newspaper clipping is undated but appears in the Gillow family papers on the page after Edmund's 1931 Obit and appears set in the same type and has the same column width. "Thence to Rockhampton, returning to Dunedin June 1859. By the end of the month we had taken possession of a property which Brother had purchased at Mararoa, Southland (NZ)."
In 1860 (then aged 23) he was, according to 'History of Northern Southland', page 55, a run holder at 'The Plains' near lake Manapouri. This is called 'Mararoa' in the 1950s 'Biography of NZ' and in the reference to George Gillow below, a run he shared with his brother George. This run consisted of 25,000 acres and in 1860 the Gillow brothers had 960 sheep. In 1862 there is further mention of the Gillow brothers reluctance to lend their boat to surveyors (page 14). [Of George Gillow at Mararoa] "He carried on there until April 1866 when Brother went to Nelson; I stayed with him until November 1867." "Thence to Riverton where I settled at Westwood early in 1868. Later, they moved to the 'Narrows' in Riverton. According to 'History of Northern Southland', Edmund did not spend much time on the run and lived in Riverton and later became a member of the Southland Provincial Council. Through the social aspects related to his Council work is probably how he came to meet Mary Hilder Kingswell. According to the 1950s 'Biography of NZ', he represented Longwood on the Southland Provincial Council in 1864, and Aparia for 1869-70. In December 1870 it is published that he resigned as a Justice of the Peace and was living at Westwood, near Riverton. He, and his brother George, appear as objectors to being removed from the 'List of Voters for the Electoral District of Wallace' in May 1870. The reason for removal was that they had 'parted with qualification' (ie, sold their land in the Wallace electoral district) which was for:
In 1870 (then aged 33) he married in Invercargill, Mary Hilder Kingswell (aged 18). According to her granddaughter, Margaret Austin, Mary did not much like life on the farm and wanted to live in town. Which might account for their move to Dunedin in 1873. "Married 17 February 1870, Moved to Dunedin 1st May 1873." Below: the view from Roslyn Hill to Dunedin, cicra 1880s
He appears in the "Return of the Freeholders of New Zealand" 1882 as a "civil engineer" Roslyn. Holding property of 411 acres with a value of £1,535 in the County of Wallace and: "Moved again to Westport June 1888." Below: Left to Right, Mary Hilda Gillow (sitting), Hilda Gillow (Standing), Ruth Gillow (Sitting), George Gillow (standing), and Edmund Gillow (sitting). Westport, NZ, 7 February 1904.
In October 1903 he files for a patent on "a combined drawing board and easel, and T square for use in connection therewith." In the Grey River Argus, 12 Januay 1912, "Mr E. Gillow, who has been in the Westport Coal Company's service for 20 years and who has bean resident engineer for fourteen years, severed his connection with that company on December 31st. Mr Gillow's position has been taken up by Mr L. D. McGeorge. Mr Gillow will remain in Westport for six months. His departure will be very much regretted by every employee of the company and a wide circle of other friesds. "Left Westport September 14th 1912. [age 75] By this time Hilda and Ruth were both married & George (son of Edmund) left for England Oct 1909 and Mother and I moved about." Picture right, is of Edmund Gillow and his grandson Robert Austen Young - about 1911. In May 1924 his wife Mary dies. Around this time he is residing at 26 Featherston Terrace, Wellington (now called Newman Terrace) In the late 1920's Margaret Austin, his granddaughter, recalls visiting him in Wellington - "he's in fine health but a little deaf." His obit (such as it is) appeared in the Evening Post: Friday 11 September
1931, Below, the Karori grave of Edmund & Mary Hilda Gillow.
The following obit was published in the Evening Post (Wellington NZ), 12 September 1931 and again in the Otago Daily Times, 15 September 1931:
above: Left to Right, Bertha Gillow, Mary Hilda Gillow (nee Kingswell) and Colin Gillow - Dunedin NZ, about 1875. Children of Edmund & Mary Gillow: Apart from Edmund, Mary, Ruth & Hilda are interned at Karori Cemetery, {Area 06, Block A, Row 12, Plot 034}. George Gillow, brother of Edmund (18 July 1832 to 4 December 1912) An aspect of Edmund's brother George Gillow's life is mentioned in 'On the edge of the bush - Women in early Southland', 1999 by Sheila Natusch, page 64: "Typical of these itinerant families were the McKerchers. Donald
and Isabella had left Scotland in the Strathallan, arriving in
Dunedin with their six children in 1858. Donald having agreed to work
on Ligar's run at Riverton, he set off south on foot with the youngest
son, while Isabella took the rest of the family in the Star,
a five-week trip, in bad weather. Daughter Christina elected to stop off
at Bluff, with Miss Burns (met on the voyage) and her sister Mrs. Elles,
while the others began their long walk to Riverton, crossing the New River
by ferry. Since their beasts had to stay in quarantine, Mrs McKercher
stayed in a cottage at Flints Bush for nearly a year. Mr Gillow's station at Wangapeka is described in 1867 has having a cart road within five or six miles of it. His farm appears as a polling station for the 1873 election of a Superintendent for the province of Nelson. George Gillow appears as a 'owner or person in charge' of the Wangapeka station, Upper Motueka with 700 sheep, a flock infected with Scab - 1873. He appears in the "Return of the Freeholders of New Zealand" 1882 as a "sheep farmer " Nelson, holding property with a value of £1,000 in Nelson. He dies in Newtown, Wellington NZ, on 4 December 1912, he is survived by his wife Christina. Alfred Gillow (1835-1897) brother of Edmund Gillow - above In 1860 Alfred Gillow became the first Sandwich cricketer to play for Kent turning out for two of the five games the county played that season. Seven members of is family also turned out to play for Sandwich, including five brothers, between 1870 and 1900. They were a farming family from Woodnesborough who were also involved in the brewing industry. The 1851 Cenus shows Alfred at Kings School, with his brother Edmund. The 1861 Cenus shows Alfred Gillow, age 25 - farmer 320 acres. His wedding notice appears in The Times October 1863, "On the 27th inst. at St. Mary's Church, Sandwich, by the Rev G. W. Eicklemore, assisted by the Rev. E. N. Braddon, vicar of St. Mary's, Alfred Gillow, Esq., of St. Nicholas, Thanet, to Eliza Anna, only child of Richard Joynes Emmerson, Esq., of Sandwich, and granddaughter of Admiral Sir Edwd. Harvey, K.C.B., Walmer, Kent." The 1871 Cenus shows Alfred Gillow, age 35 - farmer 320 acres employing 13 men and 3 boys. He is also recorded as a Widow. In 1878, in the Sale by Auction column in The Times, he appears: "East Kent - Isle of Thanet, St. Nicholas-at-Wade. - Bartlett's Farm, a valuable Freehold Property, situate within easy distance of the favourite sea-side town of Margate and Ramsgate and of the Minster Station of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, having commodious farm-houses and other requisite agricultural buildings, six cottages for labourers, and 183a. 2r. 7p. of very productive arable and pasture land. Let on lease for 15 years from Michaelmas 1868, to Alfred Gillow, Esq., at the very moderate rental of {pounds}415 per annum." The 1881 Cenus shows Alfred Gillow, age 45 - farmer 320 acres employing 10 men and 2 boys. The address is shown in this cenus as The Manor House. He is also recorded as a Widow. In the 1891 Cenus shows Alfred Gillow age 55 - retired farmer residing at The Manor House. He is also recorded as a Widow. Right, Memorial stone to Alfred Gillow at St. Nicholas at Wade. Alfred's cricket scores are recorded at:
Alfred's daughter was:
Alice E Gillow Alice appears in the 1871 Census as living with her Grandparents: Richard Emmerson (b: abt 1813) and Eliza A Emmerson (b: abt 1817), in Thanet. Richard's occupation is listed as Solicitor.
Alice's son was:
John Gillow (1797-1866) The 1841 Census shows the family residing in St. Nicholas St, the record states: John Gillow, age 40 - occupation"Farmer" The 1851 Census shows: The 1861 Cenus shows: The listing of Ann Gillow is the only suggestion that there was a further child after Edmund. Children of John and Sarah Gillow: 1. Sarah Gillow (picture right) b: 12 August 1827 in Birchington, Kent, England. Married William Gillow on 13 February 1851 at St. Nicholas at Wade, and she died 24 April 1926. Below: Wall plaque at St. Nicholas at Wade.
Thomas Gillow (1756-1824) Children of Thomas and Elizabeth Gillow: 1. Thomas Gillow b: 16 Apr 1789 in St. Nicholas At Wade, Kent
England. Lived in Marshbrough. Died 1862. Had issue of: William (of Woodensborough), Richard, Thomas (of Buckland), and Frederick. Below: Wall plaque at St. Nicholas at Wade. Ok, before this time things get a little disjointed: According to 'England's topographer: or A new and complete history of the county of Kent' page 598: "The other two third parts of Ewell manor, which included the court lodge, were, in the reign of Elizabeth, the property of Mr. Edward Fagge, gent, of Faversham, who died in 16'18, leaving two daughters his coheirs. How this estate passed from them, we have not ascertained ; but, in the reign of Charles II. they were become the property of John Pennington, of Agmondesham, in Bucks; who, in the year 1691, suffered a recovery of the same. His trustees, under his will, then sold the property, in 1723, under a decree of chancery, to Mr. Thomas Gillow, of St. Nicholas, in Thanet, when it became vested in Mrs. Gillow, widow of his grandson, Stephen Gillow, of Cooksditch gate." page 611: of the Manor of Buckland "who sold his portion, in 1770, to Thomas Gillow, of St. Nicholas, in the Isle of Thanet. " |