Jane Edlington

Signed family name

Edlington

Signed given name

Jane

Given address

Great Barrier

Sheet number

380

Town/Suburb

Great Barrier Island

City/Region

Auckland region

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Jane Owens was the of daughter of Philip and Agnes Owens, born in 1850 in Auckland. Her parents were married in 1839 in Woolwich, Kent, England where Philip was a gunner in Royal Artillery and they had three children. He was discharged in 1849 and the family arrived in Auckland the same year on the Berhampore. The Berhampore was the seventh Royal New Zealand Fencible ship. These Fencibles settled mainly Onehunga, Auckland.

Jane married Alfred James Edlington. Alfred was born in 1833 in Lincolnshire England, son of Thomas and Mary nee Cousins. He arrived in Auckland on the Mataoka in September 1859 with his brother William Edlington. They both went to Great Barrier Island to work in the coppermine in the early 1860s. Like others, employed by the mining company they were offered land in lieu of pay that they were owed. They took up 300 acres each at Tapuwai. Alfred left the Barrier following the mine closure and worked in the Thames goldfields.

Jane and Alfred were married in 1870 in Thames and started their family there:

Thomas William (1871–1938) born in Auckland
James Alfred Philip (1873–1932) born in Karaka
Agnes Mary (1876–1919) born in Thames
Alfred (1878–1941) born in Thames

In 1880 Alfred advertised his premises on Hill Street, Thames for sale. It included a 4-roomed cottage, furniture, carpenter tools, fowls and one pig. They then returned to the farm on the Barrier and raised more children there.

Edward (1880–1943)
Harry (1882–1960)
Sarah Jane (1884–1949)
Frederick Cousin (1886–1887)
Ruby Cousins (1888–1953)
Emily Annie (1890–1967)
Maida Flora (1892–1959)

Jane died 24 May 1899 at her residence on Great Barrier Island, aged 49. She was buried in a small family cemetery near Tapuwai Point. Alfred lived on, on the family farm and died ten years later in 1909, aged 75. In his probate, with his estate worth 2000 pounds, he left his 600 acres farm on Great Barrier to his eldest son Thomas William to farm and keep the profits and to hold it in trust for all other children until the youngest reaches 20. After which, the farm to be sold (with Thomas having first right to purchase) and then divided into three-twentieths for each son and one-twentieth for each daughter. Alfred was buried with Jane at Tapuwai, and the headstone reads, 'tis hard to part with those we love'.

Jane is the mother of 380 Agnes EDLINGTON Great Barrier Island