Two more siblings were born before Edward's mother Emma passed away in August 1846 from heart failure, aged just 42. William married again in early 1847 to Elizabeth Mary or Mary Elizabeth, and had a further three children.
William passed away on December 1857.
As for his brother George, with both his parents gone the young Edward evidently saw little point in remaining in the squalor and filth of the Chatham of the time. Edward left "Home and Sweetheart" at the time of the goldrush to seek his fortune; he boarded "The Agincourt" in Plymouth on 14th December 1859 together with George and George's new wife Mary Ann, bound for the new colony of Victoria. The Agincourt arrived in Melbourne almost three months later on 6th March 1860. He was at Bendigo, Australia, before coming to New Zealand. He was in New Zealand sufficiently long to have been successful for a ballot for a town section in Queenstown. At Hokitika he established himself in partnership in a butchery business and, now a man of means, went home to England to claim his bride.
However the story goes that absence had not made her heart grow fonder (perhaps Edward’s roving life and the poor communications of the time maybe the reason). Edward’s home-coming was not a happy one. He was jilted. His brother William, pacified him by saying, "Never mind, there are better fish in the sea. She's not worth worrying about – wait until you get home and see what I've got for you."
And who was it? Esther TOMPKINS, the sister of William's wife, Sophia, a young (on-the-shelf in those days) woman of 25 years old, holding down a job as head cook and with excellent prospects ahead of her. Probably she was visiting her sister to help in the ritual of welcoming a new GURR into the world – indeed, William had a son called Edward in the latter half of 1868.
William was right. Edward claimed Esther as his bride. Esther TOMPKINS and Ted GURR were married in December 1868, and set sail for Melbourne by the "Couer de Lion" en route for New Zealand – late March 1869. Travelling with them was Charlie GURR, Ted's brother. The shippers tried to cancel the passengers' berths because they had taken a load of gunpowder, but Ted wouldn't budge and a special hut was built on deck for the three passengers. Esther was woefully sick for three weeks and on the whole voyage did not set eyes on another woman. The boat called at Capetown and they stayed perhaps a week in Melbourne, getting their first mail with the news of the death of Esther's father, confirming Esther's dream of premonition.
They transhipped at Melbourne for Hokitika, but when at last New Zealand was sighted the breakers were too heavy for the passengers to land, so they cruised round the coast delivering cargo for about a month before eventually reaching their destination at the end of 1869 – a journey of about eight months.
Ted GURR had been in New Zealand previously and had left a flourishing butchery business in Hokitika in the care of his partner whilst he took a trip home to get his bride. His partner, REEDY, however had sold the business and decamped with the proceeds. It seems that Esther and Ted tried the business again but the hot weather spoiled the meat and times apparently weren't so good so they were forced to look elsewhere for sustenance. Ted took to gold prospecting, going back into the country of Ross, acquiring claims here and there, but not getting good luck; there seems to be no hope of their returning in two years as the home family apparently expects– Ted's brother is even looking after his "pooch" for him! Charlie kept to his trade, went to Dunedin and in due course married but had no children.
Two years after Ted and Esther's marriage along came their first child, Esther; but how Ted wanted a son! Emma Elizabeth was born seventeen months later and, at last, exactly two years after Emma, came the first son – Edward William.
It is not disclosed how the little family fared financially at this stage. Harry was born in May 1877. Four children now, and work and cash not easy. 1877 also brings the news of the death of Esther's brother Stephen, leaving four children, three girls and one boy, who are put in orphanages. The home ties are gradually breaking.
About March 1879, Ted GURR had "had the West Coast" and, leaving his wife and family at Greymouth, went to Wanganui to spy out prospects. Letters written to Esther indicate what a loving family man he was and how concerned for their welfare. May was born 1st May 1879, and when she was five weeks old, Esther packed her worldly possessions, four children plus the new baby, and moved home per "Wallibi" to Aramoho. Home was a rough hut somewhere in the vicinity of Gibson Street.
The first tragedy. On 11th April 1880, Esther dressed the four older children in their best clothes and sent them for a walk. She was bathing baby May when people rushed in to say that Teddy was drowned; the children apparently had been playing near Field's Creek and the boy had fallen in and drowned in just two feet of water. Nobody knew of artificial respiration. Dementedly Esther rushed out leaving the baby in the bath, where she was discovered some time later.
Charlie was born in November 1881, and at about this time the family moved to a better house across the way. May GURR remembers when she was about three or four years old, carrying the important only wooden doll, Moggy, as her share of the move.
Young Esther (Ett) and Emmy are now old enough to go to work. Ett is away in Wellington when, on 16th June 1890, comes the sudden news of the death of Ted GURR with a heart attack.