John Roger Harrison Moir

From at least early 1900 until the '20s John Moir, who was known as Jack or Johnny, operated a twice daily punt service to transport local children from across the river to the school in Mangawhai ⁸.

School punt with John Moir and daughter Victoria on the oars

He first appeared in the electoral rolls at Mangawhai in 1893 in the Waitemata electorate with occupation listed as a "settler" and wife Martha was first listed there in the Marsden roll in 1902. He owned and leased Crown land at Moirs Point and was the 1st mate on a cutter operating between Mangawhai and Auckland with his brother Leslie who held the Captain's ticket ¹¹. At the age of 12-14 years he would take a bullock team from his parents property near Te Arai up to Mangawhai to collect the groceries and other goods which in those days arrived at the river settlement by boat ⁹.

 Early family photographs  .... view

The original family home at Moir's Point

Children of John Roger Harrison Moir and Martha Ann Bryan were:
+    1.   Margaret Ann Moir
+    2.    Ada Martha Moir
+    3.    Marjorie Victoria Moir
+    4.    Florence Emily Moir

1.    Margaret Ann Moir "Maggie" born 20 Mar 1896 ¹⁰; died buried Tara Cemetery. She married Leonard Charles Brown died buried Tara Cemetery.

In the early 1940s husband Leon freeholded land at Moirs Point which her father had leased from the Crown. He donated three acres for the Christian Youth Camp site at Moirs Point and the Church later acquired the balance of the approx. 30 acres now comprising the site from his daughter Dawn and her husband Bill Boustridge ⁹.

Children of Margaret Ann Moir and Leonard Charles Brown were:
      5.    Leona Brown
      6.    Margaret Dawn Brown

Children of Ada Martha Moir and Ernest Edwin Brown were:
      7.     Athol Brown
      8.     Dorothy Ina Brown
      9.     Margaret Estelle Brown
     10.    Orrin Edwin Brown

Children of Marjorie Victoria Moir and Joseph Murray were:
      11.   Betty Moira Murray
      12.   James Joseph Leonard Murray
      13.   Margaret Isabel Murray
      14.   Celina Josephine Murray
      15.   Alma Florence Murray
      16.   Ronald Ernest Murray
      17.   Elaine Joyce Murray

Children of Florence Emily Moir and George Newton were:
      18.   Margaret Newton
      19.   Bryan Newton
      20.   Diana Newton

5.     Leona Brown d. buried Hakara Cemetery ¹⁰
6.     Margaret Dawn Brown married William Boustridge ¹⁰.
7.     Athol Brown born 1920
8.     Dorothy Ina Brown born 1923
9.     Margaret Estelle Brown born 1927; d. 8 Jan 1991
10.   Orrin Edwin Brown "Bob"  born 1929
11.   Betty Moira Murray born 1924
12.   James Joseph Leonard Murray  born 1926
13.   Margaret Isabel Murray  born 1928
14.   Celina Josephine Murray "Josie"
15.   Alma Florence Murray
16.   Ronald Ernest Murray
17.   Elaine Joyce Murray
18.   Margaret Newton
19.   Bryan Newton m. Margaret ( ___ )

Children of Bryan Newton and Margaret ( ___ ) were:
      21.   Sonia Newton m. ( ___ ) Goodland

21.  Sonia Newton

Sources:
¹    Calculated year from age of 78 appearing on his cemetry headstone.
²    Calculated year  basis age of 32 of 5th surviving son, as stated on his mother's 1889 death rego.
³    Te Arai Cemetery headstone  transcriptions by W. & H. D. Parkinson dated June 1984 .
⁴    N.Z. BDM Indexes #1936-1101
⁵    Ibid  #1894-2870
⁶    Ibid  #1859-2761
⁷    Ibid  #1898-183
⁸    The Rock & the Sky (1975), published New Zealand)
⁹    Email dated 13 Dec 2000 from Orrin & Judith Brown, New Zealand.
¹⁰  Moir Family History dated 13 Dec 2000 -  compliled by and provided courtesy of Lynette Westcott, NZ.
¹¹  Transcription of letter dated 28 May 1891 from K. H. Moir (likely Robert H. Moir) of Mangawhai to his aunt Letitia Garmonsway –  stated his brother Les was running a cutter with Jack. Transcript courtesy of Jill Van Der Reyden, New Zealand.
¹²   All images on the page provided courtesy of Orrin & Judith Brown, N.Z.

Compiled by J. Raymond, Brisbane, Australia -  first posted 12 Jan. 2001
Last updated 28 Oct 2001