Wheeler family:
George Wheeler and Sarah Carter were married in Lambeth, London on 29 January 1861, in the Parish Church of St Mary. On their marriage certificate it says they were both of full age and that George was a Cabinet Maker. George was born in Buckingham in 1840 and Sarah Carter was born in Buckingham,  in 1842 – she was a  twin. George Wheeler died in Lambeth in June 1863.  Sarah, now a young widow boarded the ship “Rangoon” with her twin sister Ann – both aged 21years of age and set sail for New Zealand, bringing with them Sarah’s son 2 year old Arthur Ernest Hamilton Wheeler. The journey to New Zealand on the “Rangoon” was not a pleasant one. This was the first direct voyage from England to Napier and wasn’t expected to take too long. (A full rigged immigrant ship normally took a little less than 3 months to make the voyage) They left the East India Docks on the 26^th November 1863, with 101 passengers on board, but it wasn’t until the 10^th December they received the necessary documents to leave Graves End. Unfortunately they were then involved in a collision with another ship and had to be towed back into port for repairs. They finally got underway on the 13th January. They experienced a succession of gales, heavy seas and hailstorms. The Captain apparently was drunk all the time leaving the passengers in their misery to be attended to by the crew. Food ran short and water was at a premium. When it rained all the passengers gathered as much as they could to sustain themselves. The ship put into Sydney on the 2^nd June after having experienced foul weather off Tasmania since the 18^th May. They were desperate for supplies.  Once in Sydney some of the passengers took the Captain to court and a new Captain was appointed to continue the journey to New Zealand. However the crew didn’t want to work for the new Captain and went on strike. In the end the Police tug towed the ship out and half the crew set the ship on course for New Zealand. Within a few hours the strikers gave up and all returned to normal. But the misery of this journey wasn’t over. Off the Bay of Plenty the ship encountered a tremendous gale and heavy cross-seas. She was struck on the port beam by a terrific sea that made a clean sweep of the decks. The wheel was crushed killing the helmsman and water rushed 'tween decks. The ships upper works were damaged severely. Fortunately no passengers lost their lives. She experienced heavy weather all along the coast and finally limped into port on the 23^rd July 1864, eight months after their first boarding. The founder of The Wheeler family in New Zealand - Arthur Ernest Hamilton Wheeler, survived this epic journey as a small 2-year boy travelling alone with his young mother. One month later on the 27^th August 1864 in Napier, Sarah Wheeler married John Le Couteur. Its said he was a crew member on the Rangoon and we think he was either the navigator or similar. He later became a Captain, bringing other immigrant ships to New Zealand. He died in Palmerston North aged 81 years of age. Arthur Ernest Hamilton Wheeler grew up in the Hawkes Bay area and at age 30  married Margaret Jane Semple in Carterton. Margaret Jane Semple had travelled here from Ireland, aged 16 years, with the Campbell Family. If you have a connection with this family or would like to know more please contact Shirley Rolf.