Barbara Webb

Contributed by her great great niece, Helen M. Laney

Barbara Webb, née Porteous was born at 5pm on the 7 December 1864 at Newarthill, District of Holytown, Burgh of Bothwell, County of Lanark, Scotland. She was the twelfth and youngest child of Barbara, née Brown, and Robert Porteous.

On the 26 December 1875 she arrived in Port Chalmers, New Zealand, along with her parents and three siblings, Janet, Elizabeth and George on the ship Nelson.  Four of her siblings had died in Scotland before the family emigrated, two were married and remained in Scotland, and another two were married and living in the United states of America. Barbara had just had her 11th birthday.

The family settled in South Oamaru. On the 16 October 1884 Barbara married James Webb at the residence of Mrs Porteous, South Oamaru. Their marriage is recorded in St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Parish Register. Her father had died three months prior to her marriage. His occupation was given as Engine Driver on the certificate.

Barbara and James lived in South Oamaru. Her mother, Barbara Porteous, and her sister, Janet Keen, lived nearby.

Barbara and James had eight children. They were Barbara (1886-1922), John (Jock) (1887-1953), James (1889-1964), Ethel (1891-1945), Edith (1895-1985), George Porteous (1897-1973), William Arthur (1899-1978), and Lucy (1903-1965) who were all born at South Oamaru.

James owned one of the first hansom cabs in Oamaru. Sometime between 1922 and 1925 James and Barbara moved from South Oamaru to Avon Street, Oamaru, along with their two youngest sons. James died in 1927 and Barbara died in 1954 aged 90 years. She had lived in New Zealand for 80 years.

Barbara, her mother Barbara Porteous, her sisters Janet Keen and Elizabeth Orr, all signed the 1892 and 1893 petitions.

References

Birth, marriage & death certificates

Passenger list for Nelson from the Hocken Library

Waitaki District Council Cemetery records

Oamaru Mail & North Otago Times