Aurora

Aurora
Ship: 550 tons
Captain: Theophilus Heale
Surgeon Superintendent: J. M. Stokes M. D.
Sailed London, Gravesend 22nd September 1839 - arrived Port Hardy, 7th January 1840
Port Nicholson 22nd January 1840

The Aurora was wrecked in April 1840 on the northern head of the Kaipara Harbour.

Name		Age	Occupation	Comments
Baker	Major Richard	30	Magistrate for the New Zealand Co
Barrow	James	40	Labourer
	Ann	40
	Ann	15
	Charles	11
	Stephen	6
	Keziah	2
Barrow	James jnr	23	Labourer
Barrow	Thomas	19	Labourer
Barry	John	29	Gardener
Barry	Richard	24	Agriculturalist
Barry	William	31	Agricultural Labourer
	Margaret	29
	Son	7
Boon	Robert	26	Agriculturalist
Brown	Andrew	41	Smith & Carpenter	Widower
Brown	David	16	Smith & Carpenter
Brown	John	19	Smith & Carpenter
Carter	Joseph	28	Labourer
	Ann	27
	Son	7
	Daughter	6
	Daughter	3
	Daughter	8 months
Child	J. W.
Coppin	Job	21	Labourer
	Harriett	20
Davis	Edward	28	Currier
	Margaret	29
Davis	Rowland	30	Smith
	Mary Ann	31
	Rowland T	9
	Daughter	6
	Daughter	5 months
Deans	William	22
Deighton	Richard	20
Deighton	Samuel	17
Drake	Thomas John	26
	Ceres Selina	27
	Ceres	1
Draper	Martha	30	Smith
Draper	Sarah	28	Servant
Edwards	James	30	Labourer
	Eliza	29
	Son	7 months
Farrance	James	20	Labourer
	Mary	18
Friend	Richard	33	Bricklayer & Labourer	Widower
	Son	12
Friend	William	15	Labourer
Gebbie	John	28	Farm Labourer
	Maria	24
	Son	18 months
Glover	James	34	Agricultural Labourer
	Maria	27
	Daughter	11 months
Gratage	Daniel	22	Agricultural Labourer
Groombridge	Mary	24	Dressmaker
Hayward	William	30	Milliner
Hicks	Charles	25	Labourer
Hodnett	Ann	18
Holes	Peter	28	Brickmaker
	Sarah	24
	Son	2
	Son	9 months
Houghton	John	22	Mariner
	Charlotte	19	Servant
	Son			Born at sea
Houghton	Robert	45	Mariner	Assistant to Surgeon
	Louisa Ellen	42
	James Henry	15
	Sarah Mary	12
	Frances	7
	Jessie	5
	Allen Patrick	1
Hunt	Uriah	23	Agriculturalist
	Harriett	23
	Child
Langford	John Alfred	23	Chainmaker
	Harriet	20
Lodge	John	31	Stonemason
	Harriett	27
	Daughter	5
	Son	2
McDermott	Deborah	20	Milliner
McGirk	C
Maxwell	James	20	Agricultural Labourer & Sheep Farmer
	Mary	20
Maxwell	C
	W
Miles	John Clement	21	Baker & Gardiner
Morgan	Jane Emily
Morrison	William Arthur	23	Farm Labourer & Carpenter
	Agnes	23
	William Arthur (Billy)	4 months
Nicholls	William	21	Cooper
Oxenham	Jemimah	15	Sempstress
Oxenham	John	29	Shipwright
Oxenham	Sarah	19	Sempstress
Palmer	G. T.
	Wife
Park	Mrs Robert (Mar Ann)
	Robert Wakefield	Infant
Parker	Samuel
	Wife
Parker	William	23	Blacksmith
Parkes	Elizabeth	45	Mariner
	Charles Samuel	20	Agricultural Labourer
	Henry	18	Grocer
	Catherine Hannah	15	Sempstress
	George	13
	Frederick Richard	9
	Frank Bristow	8
Petherick	George	19	Carpenter
Petherick	James	37	Builder
	Augustus	10
	Frederick G	8
	James	7
	Caroline Emma	5
	Edwin	3
Prebble	James	40	Carpenter
	Ann	36
	Richard	16	Carpenter
	Ann	15	Servant
	Daughter	13
	Son	12
	Son	10
	Son	8
	Daughter	7
	Son	12 days		Born at sea
Pudney	Joseph	23	Brickmaker
	Mrs (Sarah or Elizabeth)	21
Read	Henry	27	Brazier & Smith
	Caroline	28
	Son	2
Richardson	James	32	Builder
Roper
Sawyer	John	24	Currier
	Mary	27
	Daughter			Born at sea
Stafford	Edward	27	Tailor & Gardener	Later Sir Edward Stafford
	Eliza	22
Stokes	Dr. James Milburne
Stokes	Mrs Robert
Wade	Mrs Mary Ann	30
Wallace	John Howard	23	Mechanic
Wallace	William Ellerslie	25	Agriculturalist
Welch	Thomas	25	Labourer
	Elizabeth	28
White	George
Whitewood	William	21	Servant to Major Baker
Wilkinson	Johnson B	26	Labourer
	Ann	22

MAXWELL family: James and Mary Maxwell arrived on the Aurora in 1840. James Maxwell was born in Liverpool sometime between 1813 and 1819, and came from an Ayrshire family engaged in bookbinding. His wife Mary (daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Stevenson) was born in 1820, and they married between 1835 and 1838. After arriving in New Zealand, James worked as a timber contractor and farmer in Lucas Creek, Albany, and at Maxwell's Station, Ararimu. James and Mary had nine children together, their first child being born in 1841. James died in 1857 after a fall from a horse, aged about 40. In 1860, Mary married again, to James Quigley. She had two further children with him, Thomas and Julia Catherine. Mary died in 1911 at Motukaraka in the Hokianaga. I am a descendant of James and Mary's daughter Elizabeth, who married William Evers. Their daughter Mabel married George Patterson, and their son Jack married Ruth Donovan, and their daughter (my mother) married William Simpkin. If you have a connection with this family or would like to know more please contact Elizabeth Anderson.

COPPIN family: Job Neale Coppin was born on May 7th 1820 in King St, Maidstone in Kent. He was variously a farmer, labourer and sailor. His parents were Rodney Coppin (carpenter/gatemaker) and Mary. On September 9th 1839 Job married Harriett Horton at All Saints in Maidstone, Kent. Harriet was born on January 19th 1820 in Linton, Kent to Charles and Elizabeth (nee Mepham/Meopham) Horton. There is an item in the Records of Maidstone Gaol that Harriet was convicted of stealing in 1839, aged 19, and sentenced to 1 month. Job and Harriett arrived on the Aurora atWellington in 1840, following which ther had three children: Hannah, born 1843 at Akaroa, John born about 1846 at Akaroa and Martha born 1850 at Akaroa. Some time in 1850 Job died and we understand he was working on the whaling ships so may have drowned but we have been unable to find any records of this. Harriet took the three children and moved to Australia c. 1850 and settled in Brouluee, Moruya, NSW. She married a Richard Mepstead in Broulee and had another three children. She died on October 22nd 1897 at Yarragee, Moruya. If you have a connection with this family or would like to know more please contact Lynette.

MORRISON family: William Arthur MORRISON, the 5th in a family of 12 children, was born on January 22nd 1816 in Ayrshire, Scotland. When he was 22 he married Agnes SLOAN and they had a son who they named William Arthur (Billy). William, Agnes and William Arthur sailed to New Zealand with the early New Zealand Company settlers on board the Aurora in 1839. In family history, William MORRISON Snr is described as "Morrison the Wanderer" because of the number and variety of occupations he turned his hand to. All hard and laborious, they would keep him from Agnes and young Billy for long periods of time. Sadly, in 1841, Agnes died from consumption and during the ensuing ten years William continued his wandering. He became involved in the Wairau Massacre of 1843, escaping the aftermath with Joe Morgan and probably becoming the first Europeans to traverse the Manugatapu Track on their way back to Nelson. It is recorded that their trousers were torn and ragged to the knees from the harsh and rugged terrain. In April 1851, William married Catherine (Kitty) SMITH who had been a good friend of he and Agnes. William, Kitty and young Billy moved to the Wai-iti Valley outside Nelson where they settled down to farming and running the Belgrove Hotel/Wai-iti Accomodation House which, after some time, they gave up in favour of farming. On August 2nd 1877 William took his own life by means of a plough rein, having suffered for some time, it is said, from Brights Disease (a serious and debilitating kidney complaint). Kitty lived to the age of 85 years and died peacefully in 1907. If you have a connection with this family or are interested in learning more please contact Marilyn Robertson the Great, Great Grandaughter of William Morrison.