Caroline Norman

Caroline Flower was born 5 June 1857 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales to John Flower, Railway Policeman and Margaret Jones, Dressmaker.

The following year John left for Australia and Margaret with her two children followed in 1861. In April 1862 twins were born to Margaret and John at Ballarat.

John enlisted in the Waikato Militia in January 1864 but died that year at Queens Redoubt leaving Margaret destitute at the Onehunga Barracks with four children. Although it was recommended that Margaret be given 50 pounds and passage with her children to Victoria this was withdrawn when Margaret married Robert Menzies, a Canadian, on 17 October 1865 at the Wesleyan Chapel Onehunga and the family moved to Feilding.

Caroline married James Martin Norman on 17 October 1874 in the residence of Mr John Cameron, Feilding. The Application to Marry shows James is a Bushman aged 30, a Bachelor and Caroline aged 18, her mother gave consent. James was actually 33 and Caroline 17, both living at Oroua.

James worked as a Butcher, Carter and Coach Driver and was declared bankrupt in 1900, Caroline is a Housewife on the 1896 Rangitikei electoral roll.

Caroline and James had 13 children and when James died in 1901 there were 11 surviving aged from three to 26, they were living at Camden Street Feilding. By 1905 Caroline had moved to Petone, the electoral roll shows she is with her daughter Caroline and son James, seven younger children would have been there with her, the two oldest still in Feilding. Her mother and stepfather had emigrated to America in 1896, her mother died in Utah in 1910.

Caroline died 3 June 1911 at Regent Street Petone, 2 days before her 56th birthday, mother of 7 daughters and 4 sons. On 12 June the Wanganui Chronicle reported she had been the first white woman to marry in Feilding.

Biography contributed by Christine Maine (great-granddaughter)

Sources

• Birth, death, marriage - certificates & registration copies from Wales, England, Australia and New Zealand
• Travel to Australia - Victoria, Australia assisted and unassisted passenger lists 1839 – 1923 (Ancestry.com.au)
• Travel to New Zealand – nominal & descriptive roll of the 4th regiment of the Waikato Militia, file AD 144/4 (Archives NZ)
• Margaret Flower at Onehunga Barracks & John Flower’s death – from her correspondence with Waikato Regiment & Colonial Defence Dept, file CD 1865/2814, L71/310, L71/512, CD 72/103 (Archives NZ)
• NZ Electoral Rolls (Ancestry.com.au)
• James Norman occupation, bankruptcy – electoral rolls, newspaper reports on PapersPast NZ

Image

Caroline Norman (nee Flower)