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'Early Wellington' 

on line

written by Louis. E. Ward

Ward, Louis Ernest 1866-1938. Early Wellington Auckland, NZ : Whitcombe & Tombs, 1928. 544pp preface by Sir Robert Stout. (reprint 1975 Christchurch : Capper Press with added foreword by D. A. S. Ward, of Christchurch)

It is probably the most comprehensive history of Wellington ever put between the covers of a single book.  A great reference volume.  Lots of very well chosen illustrations and a worthy index.  This book is overflowing with many hundreds of names and references to the ordinary people, alongside the more prominent members of Wellington history.  Describes the first emigrant ship to set sail from Gravesend, England in 1839 for Wellington, New Zealand.  There are dozens of passenger ships lists, data on street names and their residents, names and dates concerning the formation of schools, churches, businesses, councils, sporting, cultural and academic organizations.  It lists the original land owners, as balloted in London, details damage to individual properties in the big quakes of the 1850’s, has a section listing births, deaths and marriages and another for biographical sketches of the more prominent people. Review submitted by Helen Cormack 3 Nov. 1998

There are discrepancies, in the index. Like all our research, we need to go back to that original record for verification.

Complete passenger lists: shows Wellington embarkations and sometimes those that stayed aboard for a later port.

Aurora				Jan 1840
Adelaide			Mar 1840
Arab				Oct 1841 Jo's site
Bengal Merchant			Feb 1840
Bolton				Apr 1840 Peter's site
Birman				Feb 1842
Blenheim			Feb 1841
Catherine Stewart Forbes 	Jun 1841
Duke of Roxburgh		Feb 1840
George Fife			Oct 1842
Gertrude 			Nov 1841
Glenbervie 			Mar 1840
London				Dec 1840
London				May 1842
Lady Nugent			Mar 1841
Lord William Bentnick 		May 1841
Martha Ridgeway			Jul 1840
Oriental 			Jan 1840 
Olympus				May 1841
Prince Rupert			May 1841
Slains Castle 			Jan 1841
Tyne				Mar 1841

Possible partial lists: Wellington embarkations, many are small two or three passengers per vessel, being either mainly cargo vessels or passengers disembarked when the ship bound for another port.

1840
David 			1840
Delhi			1840
Hannah 			1840
Helena 			1840
Lady Lilford		1840
Hope			1840
Integrity 			1840
Middlesex			1840
Navarino 			1840
Nimrod 			1840
Royal Merchant 		1840
Brougham			1840
Coromandel 		1840

1841
Harrington 		1841
Himalaya 			1841
James			1841
Lucy Sharp 		1841
Lapwing 			1841
Mandarin 			1841
Mary			1841

1841
Surprise 			1841
Sir John Falstaff 		1841
Whitby 			1841
Amelia Thompson 		1841

1841
Clifton 			1841
Clifford 			1841
Clydeside 			1841
Chelydra			1841

Earl Stanhope 		1841

1842
Prince Of Wales 		1842
Bernian 			1842
Bombay			1842
Bronan			1842
Essex			1842
Esther 			1842
Exporter 			1842
Fifeshire			1842
Indemnity			1842
Lord Auckland		1842
Maria Theresa 		1842
New York Packet 		1842
Regia			1842
Scotia			1842
Thomas Sparks		1842
Three Brothers		1842
Tobago 			1842
The Tomatin 		1842

Brougham 		1842

1844
Eliza 			1844

Lady Cornwall		1844
Ullswater			1841
Ralph Bernal		1844
Theresa			1844

1848
Bernicia
Comet
Dido
Fanny Fisher
Thomas Lowry
William and Alfred

1849 - 1850
Acheron
Mariner
Undien
Victory
Clara
Inconstant
Phoebe Dunbar

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, 11 May 1850, Page 43
Wellington Extracts. The barque, Woodstock, Cape. Nicholson, sails this day for London, with a valuable cargo from this port. The barque Cornelia, Capt. Mickleburg, has completed her cargo, and we understand all her cabin 8 are engaged. She sails positively on the 10th instant, for London direct.
The barque Clara, from London, via Auckland, arrived on Wednesday last, after a passage of 17 days. Bishop Viard, and 24 members of the Catholic mission are passengers by her.

1851 - 1852
Maria			1851
Simlah			1851
Agra			1851
Barbara Gorgon		1852
Cashmere			1852
Mystery			1852
Sea Bird		 	1852
Stephen			1852
Cornwall		 	1852
Lady Cornwall		1852

I believe still in print. A second hand, first edition, probably costs $NZ300 and upward. Reprints are $NZ130 approximately, but very valuable. Try Bookfinder

There are mistakes in Ward's book, “Early Wellington."
 Solomon LEVY arrived in the "Oriental”, Jan 31 1840 along with his brother Benjamin LEVY, not Samuel LEVY. 
1. The original Loading List for the “Oriental “ Captain is in the Archives New Zealand in Wellington. The name Samuel has been crossed out and replaced by Benjamin.
2. The Petone Settler’s Museum has the true lists of those that arrived on the Oriental and all the details of Benjamin and Solomon LEVY.
3. The Wellington Hebrew Community’s 150th Anniversary publication “A Standard for the People” ed by Dr. Stephen Levine has frequent reference to Solomon LEVY and his brother Benjamin. Benjamin was the first Jewish marriage in Wellington to Esther to Solomon ex the “Birman” .

Secondly re Jane HARVEY and her family arriving on the “Birman” in 1842. Ward again misses. Jane’s father had died of cholera in Newton St. Loe, Somerset in 1832. Her mother had a baby, 6 months later, which was baptised BUCK.  So, on the “Birman” were Elizabeth and Henry BUCK; Jane HARVEY, set down as 14 for a free passage, Anne HARVEY 12 and 3 BUCK children. A further girl, Louise BUCK, was born soon after arrival. Source "White Wings."

Otago Witness, 24 December 1902, Page 29
David Wilkinson, one of the oldest identities of Wellington, died on the 17th, aged 92 years. He arrived by the ship Olympia in 1841.

Hawera & Normanby Star,  22 July 1901, Page 2
Feilding, July 22. Mr Charles Roe, senr., an old colonist, died at his residence, Feilding, last night. Deceased arrived in Wellington by the ship Adelaide in 1840. He was one of Wellington's earliest journalists, having been part proprietor of the defunct Advertiser for a time. He came to Feilding in 1874, and resided here since.

Evening Post, 26 June 1906, Page 4
A colonist who arrived in Wellington in 1839, Mr. William Reeve, on Friday last celebrated his ninety-sixth birthday. Mr. Reeve came to New Zealand in the brig Ann and Mary, and afterwards went through some rough whaling experience in the Chathams, and in the waters about Wellington.

Timaru Herald, 7 September 1886, Page 3
AN OTAGO UNIVERSITY STUDENT'S DREAM
Sir Robert Stout; sang the ditty given below : (Air : "When I was a lad."— Pinafore.)

When I was a lad I was no fool,
But saved up my pennies when I went to school
I could spell long words and parse every noun,
And besides being clever, I could play " knuckledown."
I played the little games so skilfullce,
That now I am Premier of this colonee.

I learned my catechism off by heart,
Parson chucked my little chin and thought me very smart ;
But when he quoted Scripture, I opened the book
And posed him with Colenso on the Pentateuch.
I po-ed this parson so effectuallee,
That now I am Premier of this Colonee.

As I got older I grew at such a rate,
That very soon I found I must emigrate.
I took a cabin passage for the Southern Hemisphere,
And on board I taught the captain of the ship how to steer.
And he steered it very well, else how, do you see,
Could I ever have been Premier of this Colonee?

When I landed in New Zealand I was such a fool
That as dominie I taught In a public school ;
The Board for promotion I used to importune,
But this, they wouldn't give me, as I sang out of tune.
I sang out of tune so confoundedlee,
That now I am Premier of this Colonee.

Of crude superstition I divested myself ;
The Bible and theology I laid on the shelf ;
I swore no priest on my shoulders should ride,
I built a Lyceum, and I published a guide.
I compiled this Guide so learnedee,
That I'm Education Minister to this Colonee.

When once an M.H.R., into office soon I got.
The Premiership was mine, yet "precedence " was not.
No stickler, I, for "precedence"! I thought it right and just
To play the second fiddle if I couldn't play the fust.
And I've played second fiddle so skilfullee
That the Queen, as you know, made me K.C.M.G.

The full flood of fortune I thought I should reach
In the halls of Freethought, when I made my "capping" speech
The noisy undergrads I resolved to overawe
By the dignity of knighthood and the majesty of law.
For it's very, very wrong, you will all agree,
To interrupt the Premier of this Colonee.

With a "Bobby" in the chair and a posse in the hall,
One would think I might have quashed them — Oh, dear, no — not at all!
The Premier and Attorney nd Sir Rohert Stout to boot
Could not quash the Gaudeamus— that exasperating hoot.
Oh, who would be a Premier and a K.C.M.G.
To he sat upon by boys of a universitee!

Now, boys, I confess how silly 'twas of me
To show my beastly temper and to scold so lustilee.
Rest assured your own Sir Robert won't be found offending twice ;
And to shew I bear no malice, I'll just give you this advice :
Good humour is a jewel — whatever you may be—
Whether student or professor, or a K.C.M.G.