Miss Maxwell

oops 1866 is correct for Jessie's birth. Just checked her birth record.

Jessie Maxwell was my great aunt and we lived in her house until she died in 1958. She was born in 1856 and came out to NZ with her family of 8. At 14, she had a designated job as a pupil teacher. Her father and 21 year old half brother were the only other ones in the family to have jobs. There is an article in both the Otago Witness and ODT which describes their journey out, arriving Jan or Feb 1880 at Port Chalmers. Jessie and her mum, Sarah, are mentioned by name and we have family photos recording their time on board. Jessie went on to teach at Aramoana at the North Harbour School when the mole was built. She also taught at Evans Flat, Moa Flat, East Taieri and as a result of training in England of Montessori methods, was given the job of mistress in charge of the new entrants in 1905 at Union Street School. Upon her retirement, she cared for both of her parents until they died, then travelled widely before "adopting" her brother's child, my father, in 1925, and bringing him up in NZ. When he married and we were born, Aunty Jessie began teaching my sister and I at the age of 3, every morning. By the time we went to school, we could read, write and do arithmetic, a gift that gave us a wonderful start in life and must have been infuriating for the teachers. She was an amazing lady, fiercely independent, and much loved by all of us.