Descendants of R.A and E. R. Young: Family Chart #1.
Last Updated July 2010.

Robert Austen Young Born, 9 September 1842, London, UK Married, 21 August 1873 Died, 27 September 1922, Auckland, NZ Elizabeth Reid Aiken Born, 1850, Nelson, NZ Married, 21 August 1873 Died, 1 June 1910	Henry Aiken Young Born, 5 June 1874, Greymouth, NZ Married, 30 April 1907, Westport, NZ Died, 3 December 1950
	Harben Robert Young Born, 5 May 1875 Married, around 1915 Died, around October 1955
	Joseph Chamberlain Young Born, 13 May 1877 Married 1st, 1903 Married 2nd, 1910 Died, 17 February 1961
	Emily Young Born, 29 October 1878 Married ,26 September 1902 Died, 1961
	George Young Born, 22 December 1880 Died, 3 June 1903
	Andrew Davidson Young Born, 13 September 1884 Died, 25 July 1958
	Howell Preston Young Born, 15 December 1885

Biographical Details:

Harben Robert Young "Uncle Bob" (1875-1955)
Born, 5 May 1875, Westport, NZ
Married, Lena Jay, around 1915
Died, around October 1955

Picture, right, maybe as early as 1910 but much more likely to be from the 1920s, Left to Right, Howell P. Young, Ivy Young, Harben R. Young, fourth person may be Lena Jay?. The full picture is reproduced below.

E G Young's Biography (dated July 1986)
Harben Robert Young (Uncle Bob) Born 5 May 1875, in Westport N.Z. Engineer & surveyor with company & gold mining interests. {missing text of about one sentence} … Westport Borough Council in 1923. Married Lena Jay at her fathers large home 'Salihunt' {spelling?} Cambridge about 1915. In the 1930s depression days he attempted to float public companies to produce electric power from Lake Manapouri and cement from the Cape Foulwind area. He did not succeed in raising the capital for either venture. He died in the UK ? date.

Above, Harben's signature in 1939.

Otago Witness, 7 December 1899, page 18
Mr Harben Young, of Greymouth, is superintending the boring of the Grey River Consolidated Dredging Company's ground. The work is expected to be finished next week.

Otago Witness, 25 January 1900, page 20
The secretary of the Grey River Consolidated Dredging Company has received a telegram from Mr Harben Young, mining engineer, who was in charge of the boring operations, to the effect that the bore put down in the deepest ground at the head of the lagoon where it is proposed to construct and float the pontoons bottomed at 20ft. Three shafts were sunk in other localities, with good prospects.

Otago Witness, 23 January 1901, page 15
Mr Harben R. Young, well-known at Queenstown as engineer of the Moonlight No. 2 Sluicing Company, and latterly in dredging circles in Dunedin, left for Johannesburg, S.A., on Monday, to join his brother, Mr (sic) S. C. Young. He has been offered, and has accepted, a position as assistant-engineer on the Imperial military railways, South Africa.

Grey River Argus, 24 March 1903, page 2
Under date Feb 5, the Transvaal Government Gazette notifies the appointment of Mr Henry Aitken Young as public prosecutor of the Wakkersstrom district. His brother, Mr Harben R Young, C E, is in charge of a 117 mile section of railway, now in course of construction, and another brother, Mr Joseph Chamberlain Young, who left New Zealand with the second contingent and subsequently became head clerk in the Military Railways Construction Department, is now Inspector in the accountant branch of the same service. The three gentlemen are sons of Mr Robt Young of Westport, and nephews of H W Young, Esq, the well known civil engineer and architect of Greymouth.

Grey River Argus, 5 September 1918, page 3
Mr Albertson, Public Works engineer at Westport, is under orders of transfer to Napier and will be succeeded at Westport by Mr R. Harben Young, of Paeroa, Thames, second son of (sic) Mr R. H. Young, formerly engineer to the Westport Harbour Board.

Source The NZ Surveyor, 1956 (page 429)
Obituary, Mr Harben Robert Young
Mr H R Young was apprenticed to his father, a civil engineer who carried out various works, including hydraulic gold mining works and the Westport Coal Company’s self-acting railway inclines near Westport.
He was first employed as an assistant engineer on land and mining surveys in New Zealand before he went to South Africa early in 1901 during the South African War and was employed on the Central South African Railways on various reconstruction works until 1903, when he became section engineer in charge of the Johannesburg-Klerksdorp Railway. He was also employed for some time on mining and engineering surveys with the Rand mines. In 1906 he was appointed executive engineer in the Department of Irrigation for the south-western districts of the Transvaal and carried out various surveys of reservoir sites and some minor works; but for health reasons he returned to New Zealand in 1908, where he entered the service of the Ministry of Works and carried out an irrigation project comprising 22,000 acres near Oamaru. Afterwards, until 1918, he was local engineer in charge of a land drainage and improvement works comprising 90,000 acres near Thames. From 1938 he was in private practice with interests in coal and gold mining development on the West Coast.
From the year 1938 he lived in England and till 1943 was an army lecturer on professional subjects at Truro, Cornwall.
Mr Young was a man of wide knowledge and experience and was highly esteemed and popular with all who knew him.

Obituary, Westport News, 11 October 1955
The death is announced from England of Harben Robert Young, an associate member of the Institute of Civil Engineers London, and a registered land and mining surveyor under the diploma granted by the Federated Surveyors Board of Australia, in 1911.
Mr Young was born in 1875 in New Zealand, and was apprenticed to his father, a noted civil engineer who carried out various works, including hydraulic gold-mining, and the Westport Coal Company’s self-acting railway inclines near Westport.
Mr Young was first employed as an assistant engineer on land and mining surveys and construction works in New Zealand, before going to South Africa early in 1901, during the South African War. There he was employed on the Central South African railways on various reconstruction works, until 1903, when he became section engineer in charge of the Johannesburg-Klerksdorp railway (length 112 miles). He was also employed for some time on mining and engineering surveys with the Rand mining group. In 1906 he was appointed executive engineers in the Department of Irrigation for the south-western districts of the transvaal, and carried out various surveys of reservoir sites and some minor works. For health reasons he returned to New Zealand in 1908, where he entered the service of the Ministry of Works and carried out an irrigation project involving 22,000 acres, near Oamaru.

right: Harben Jay 'Pai' Young, on the knee of his mother Lena and next to his father Harben Robert 'Bob' Young. About 1916.

Afterwards, until 1918, he was local engineer in charge of a land drainage and improvement project covering 90,000 acres near Thames, in the North Island. From 1918 to the end of 1938 he was in private practice, with interests in coal and gold mining development on the West Coast. From 1938 he had resided in England. Until 1943 he was an Army lecturer on professional subjects at Truto (Cornwall) also a deputy chairman of the Constantine Invasion Committee. He also contributed various historical papers on mining in Cornwell to two London magazines. From 1943 to 1945 he was a senior resident engineer on the directorate of the opencast coal production staff, with headquarters at Nottingham, when he retired from professional work with the exception of a visit and some reports on wolfram-bearing concessions in Portugal.
Mr Young was a man of wide knowledge and experience and was highly esteemed by all those acquainted with him. Many who remember his association with Westport and the West Coast generally will deeply regret to hear of his death.

H R & L Young had one child:

1. Harben Jay Young ('Pai") Born 1916 in Cambridge. Secondary education at St. Andrews College Christchurch. In 1933 at the age of 17 years he was invited to London to join the Prudential Insurance Company - whose annual income was at the time greater than that of all NZ. This huge concern being managed by two Harben spinsters. It was apparently realised that he was the nearest male Harben relative and it was anticipated that he would eventually become head of the company. An opportunity few young New Zealander's could near dream of. However, after about one year in the Head Office amongst 10,000 other employees he apparently tired of the various business disciplines and social obligations and facades expected of him as the embryo chief executive. Without discussing the matter with his father, who was in NZ at the time, he sat and passed a medical entrance scholarship at London University. After qualifying he did post-graduate study in paediatrics at St. Ormonds, London, Toronto Canada and at the Harvard Research Institute USA. Achieving world acclaim at the later for original work on the treatment of poliomyclisis {spelling?} by phnemic {spelling?} nerve stimulation for respiratory failure. Towards the end of World War II as a medical office in RAF in Italy he met and later married the Countess Bovierline who owned a traditional large county estate and a medieval type home in Florence. He was then appointed head of a Harvard medical research unit in Florence where he spent the rest of his medical career blessed with the ornate title of Professor H. J. Bovierline-Young. The addition of the 'Bovierline' and the hyphen apparently being a legal requirement and encumbrance thrust upon him as the result of his marriage to the Countess. The later bearing five children - allegedly all by caesarian section and under local anesthetic. The Countess also studies medicine and also specialised in paediatrics. Two children married members of . {missing text of about one sentence} … of pomp and extravagance. Many of our relatives and friends have over the years enjoyed the unusual hospitality of this unusual branch of the family.

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Biographical Details:

Joseph Chamberlain Young "Joe" (1877-?)
Born, 13 May 1877, Westport, NZ
Married, Teresa Fair, 4 May 1903 (she died 1905), Remarried, Gladys Edith Kemp, 21 April 1910.
Died, 17 February 1961, Adelaide, Australia.

E G Young's Biography (dated July 1986)
Joseph Chamberlain Young Born 13 May 1877, in Westport NZ Lived in Auckland for many years and later in Australia. In the early 1920s engineered and operated the first commercial steam laundry in Auckland and also owned numerous fruit drink machines in the city shops. Whereby thirsty Aucklanders on the insertion of a coin into a slot could see a whole orange automatically descend a glass chute. The juice emanated and deposited into a paper 'glass' ready for drinking. At the time this was quite a money making novelty. He had a very inquisitive mind and this was the basis of his livelihood. On his travels, where possible, he would walk and look which he said often gave him the opportunity of picking up new mechanical and engineering ideas and gadgets. The inventors not often aware of the potential in existence overseas of their product would be offered royalties in a partnership. The idea would be patented and "Joe" would provide the capital and the expertise to mass produce it. I remember him during a visit to Christchurch walking through Sydenham and noticing an unusual lavatory cistern valve in a small plumbers shop. Which he successfully marketed in Australia.

He married Teresa Fair of Westport on 4 May 1903 (Rev J. R. Bart). Teresa died two years later on 24 May 1905 at Florida South Africa. There were two sons of this marriage:-

1. George Henry Robert Young, Born 5 March 1904 no further information is known.
2. Joseph Chamberlain Young, (Jnr) Born 19 May 1905 Died shortly later on 25 May 1905.

Joseph remarried on 21 April 1910 (Rev J. R. Bart) to Gladys Edith Kemp at Karamea (north of Westport). Children of this second marriage were:-

1. Emily Edna Young, born 13 May 1911 at Westport NZ and died at Flinders Hospital 7 July 1996 in Australia. Known within the family as "Jay". Married Archibald John Selby Chinnery on 26 February 1934 in South Australia. Archibald appears to have owned a winery called "Chateau de Merveille" on the western side of Penfold Road, Magill, Burnside, Adelaide, South Australia. He published an autobiography. They adopted three childern including, Gabrielle Jan Chinnery (b. 29 August 1938 in Adelaide) who married David Frederick Monten (more info)
   
   
   
2. Ruva Arna Young, born around 1913 and died 14 July 1955 in Magill, Adelaide, South Australia.
   1. Married: 1st, Lavington Edmund John Freder Chinnery (b 1912), on 26 January 1935 in South Australia, in WW2 as Australian Flying Officer 42992, he died 13 May 1944 and is buried in Belgium.
      1. John Harben Chinnery, b 10 July 1936. Married Helen Ruth Jamieson, three children. (more info)
   2. Married: 2nd (no date yet) to Carroll Sydney Hinckley.
      
      
      
3. x. at least one other daughter

Joseph was a private in the Second Contingent (of 258 men) sent to the South African 'Boar' War. He sailed on the Waiwera departing Wellington on 20 January 1900 (he was then aged 22) and he was employed as a banker prior to enlisting. In the war he was in companies 3 & 4 (Reg no: 436).

Above: Newtown Park, in Wellington, where the Second Contingent troops camped before departing for South Africa in January 1900.

Remarkably, the Second Contingent's troop display (most likely the weekend before sailing) is NZ's oldest peice of film. It can be viewed online (which is quite practical as it's only 33 seconds long) at the "First Picture Show" on the NZ Film Archive website.

After the war he remained in South Africa, initailly as the head clerk in the Military Railways Construction Department and by February 1903 was gazetted as an Inspector in the accountant branch on the same service. During this time two of his brothers where also in South Africa; Harben Robert Young was in charge of the construction of a lenght of railway (returned to NZ 1908), and Henry Aiken Young was the public prosecutor in the Wakkersstrom district (returned to NZ 1909).

It appears that he was in partnership with James Bentley Kemp, trading as "Young & Kemp" in Auckland. Mr Kemp was in the Army in the first World war and was listed as a farmer of Kumeu in his probate dated 1951 - I infer that he was the father of Gladys Edith Kemp (wife of J C Young). I have yet to view the records of the probate or of this partnership (they are in the Auckland office of National Archives) but as the partnership details are filed in the Insolvency Section of 1916/17 I assume they cover the end of this relationship.

On 6 May 1947, his wife Gladys dies in Hazelwood Park, Adelaide, South Australia. She is buried at Magill Cemetery.

In March 1949 he registers a design with the NZ Patent Office for the "Vapex" container - picture below. In the application he states his address as Beaumont Road, Hazelwood Park, Adelaide, South Australia, with an occupation of retired (he would have been 72 years old).

Joseph dies in Toorak Gardens on 17 Feburary 1961.

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Biographical Details:

Emily Young "Aunt Emmie" (1878-1961)
Born, 29 October 1878
Married, Walter Francis Robinson, 26 September 1902
Died 1961

E G Young's Biography (dated July 1986)
Emily Young (Aunt Emmie) Born October 1878, in Westport NZ. Died 1961 in Christchurch . {missing text of about one sentence - which must have included that she married Walter Francis Robinson at the Marshlands, Westport on 26 September 1902 (Rev J. R Bart - again)} … who in 1910 was appointed lecturer in Surveying and Building Construction at Canterbury University. He died on 23 December 1944 in Nelson - aged 74 years. Their children were:-

1. Walter Robert Robinson, Born 23 April 1904 in Wellington. School Headmaster and Provincial and University 'Blue' in Tennis. Married Irene Thwaites 24 Dec 1928. (Sons, Donald Lester Robinson & Alan David Robinson)
2. George Frederick Robinson, Born 6 July 1906 in Hokitika. Also a School Headmaster and Provincial and University 'Blue' in Tennis. Married Gladys Taylor August 1934. (Children, June Anne Robinson & Geoffrey Harben Robinson). Died 1 July 1985.
3. Francis Alexander Robinson "Frank", Born 22 February 1908 in Christchurch. Engineer British Pavements Christchurch. 20 year + engineer at the Housing Commission. Public Works Palmerston North. In 1986 was living in retirement in McCommicks, Christchurch. Married Kathleen Mary Waller. (Children of, Francis Grant Robinson & Diana Robinson).
4. Emily Elizabeth Robinson,
   Born 18 April 1915 in Christchurch. Died 31 August 1916 in Christchurch.
5. Colin Harben Robinson,
   Bomber Pilot in World War II & decorated with a D.F.C. Killed in action over Europe 22 June 1943.

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Biographical Details:

George Young (1880-1903)
Born, 22 December 1880
Died, 3 June 1903

E G Young's Biography (dated July 1986)
George Austen Young Born 22 December 1880. Accidentally killed at Dunsandel on 3 June 1903.

He appears in the Taranaki Herald, 5 June 1903, Page 4:

"Christchurch, June 4.
George A. Young, formerly of Westport, was accidentally shot dead near Dunsandel yesterday afternoon."

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Biographical Details:

Andrew Davidson Young (1884-1958)
Born 13 September 1884
Died 25 July 1958, Seacliff Mental Hospital, Dunedin

Little is known of Andrew.

It has been suggested that he fell down a mine shaft in his twentys and lived out the rest of his life at the Seacliff Hospital.

This could well be true as he appears in the Index of patients, entry number 10585, of the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, at Seacliff, 28 kilometers up the coast from Dunedin. As records of psychiatric patients are restricted for 100 years it will be 2058 before we know for sure.

He is specifically mentioned the 1910 will of his father, where "I direct that the share of my estate given to my son Andrew Davidson Young he held by my executors in trust for him; I give to my executors absolute discretion to hand the same over to him personally in such a manner and at at such times as they think fit or to apply the same of the proceeds thereof in such a manner as they think fit for his maintenance or benefit."

He dies at the age of 73 and his ashes were scattered by family on 26 August 1961.

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Biographical Details:

Howell Preston Young "Uncle Bija" (1885-?)
Born 15 December 1885

The "Bija" is from the Uncle Remus book.

Picture right shows Howell P Young behind the wheel. Click here for the close up image. Taken in Ontario, Canada.

Above: Howell Preston Young, 1914

Text of the above postcard from Howell Preston Young (Uncle Bija) to his father, dated 5 August 1914. "Dear Father, Just a few lines wishing you many happy returns of the day. I'm afraid this will arrive late owning to the SS Rangara being held up on account of war. You can rest assured that I shall not go to Europe to fight but will, if necessary, do my little bit in defense of this country. Trust you are keeping well, Bige"

It has been suggested that he changed his first name from Howell to Harold.

He appears on the passenger list at San Francisco aboard the 'Moana' from Wellington NZ en-route to Toronto Canada in March 1920. His occupation is listed as Engineer, age as 34 years and 3 months, and as being unmarried.

E G Young's Biography (dated July 1986)
Howell Preston Young (Uncle Bija) Born 15 December 1888. Engineer. Toured Canada with NZ University Rugby team in 1912 and shortly later returned to live in Canada. Became General Manager of a large electrical and engineering company in Toronto (?British Electric) who made everything from household 'whiteware' to heavy mechanical equipment for nuclear and hydroelectric jobs. During World War II his company was the largest supplier of weapons and ammunition in the British Empire. He married a Canadian girl (Ivy, I think) and had only one child, a son;

1. Henry Richard Young "Hank" Who visited Christchurch with his father in the 1950s. I believe he owns a private Television Station in Toronto.