There is a David GALLOWAY born 3 Dec 1818 and baptised at Forgandenny 3 Jan 1819. Forgandenny is a small village south of Perth in Scotland
David and Ann were married at Abbotshall, Fifeshire 17 days before leaving from Glasgow for New Zealand.
They left for Glasgow 31 Oct 1839 on the Bengal Merchant. On the shipping list he is a 20 year old tailor with his 18 year old wife and no children. He is recommended by Rev James Drommond of Forgandenny, Perth. He is accompanied on this journey by his brother in law David McEWEN and his wife Mary (flaxmiller with recommendations from Dundee) and his parents in law Andrew and Agnes McEWEN.
They arrived into Petone 20 Feb 1840
For more info on Bengal Merchant visit here
An account by WEBSTER in 'The Immigrants' is a diary of events on board the Bengal Merchant. Flying fish, catching shark and albatross, whale sightings, cockroaches, dirty cooks, a marriage on Christmas day are some of the occurrences on board on the months of journey.
In New Zealand, the anniversary of St. Andrew's Day was commemorated by a picnic held at Glenlyon, Mr William LYON's farm, Pito-one on the 30th Nov 1840. During the day a Scotch thistle seed was sown on the property, and in the evening a celebration was held at Barrett's Hotel, when Mr George HUNTER presided. (extract from Early Wellington;L E Ward). Being Scottish I am sure the McEWENs and GALLOWAYs were in attendance.
I have a copy of 'Account of an Expedition from Pahatanui (sic) to the Upper Hutt address to the Engineer of Road' dated January 1857, by David McEWEN.
David McEwen is accompanied by David GALLOWAY and one of his sons. The report gives a description of the three day walking trek from Horokiwi stream to the Hutt. I believe this was to find the path for the road that goes over Hayward Hill.
A report to the Commissioner of Roads from an expedition by David Galloway and his son,taking two days, to Pauatahanui in 1857 states In my opinion a good road can be made in continuing the Belmont line into the Horokiwi Road District and also to Pahetenui (sic)opening up a considerable areas of land of average quality which we have no doubt would bespeedily sold and repay any expense that might be incurred in the making... It also mentionsthat the expedition passed though extensive stands of
white pine, rimu, mire (sic), totaro(sic) and moi (sic)
.
Over the years David and Ann brought up eleven children to adults. They prospered to settle around them as well as the Waiarapa and Manawatu. They saw grandchildren and great grandchildren born as they lived to an old age for the times. This must have been a source of pride to them.
There is an obituary in the Evening Post - Wed Mar 13 1907 - reads as follows;
'Mr. David Galloway, whose death in his 89th year occurred on Monday last was one of Wellington's earliest settlers, having landed at Petone in 1840. He resided in the Hutt Valley for some twelve years and then went to the Pahautanui district, where he spent the rest of his life. For a period of ten years Mr.
Galloway, who went in for farming, represented the Porirua district in the Wellington Provincial Council with the late Mr. Brandon; he was a member of the Hutt Highway Board (which became the County Council), and acted for many years as a Maori interpreter. Mr. Galloway leaves nine children, seventy
grandchildren, and twenty great grandchildren. Of his five sons, four are farmers at Pahautanui, and another is a farmer in Woodville, and the daughters are Mrs. Samson (Sandon), Mrs. G. H. Taylor (Pahautanui), and Mrs. W. Taylor (Petone).'
N.B. Samson is a misprint of SANSON and the town Sandon changed its name
somewhere around 1910 to Sanson.
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