Caroline Meyer

Biography contributed by Wendy Cockburn (great-granddaughter) and Robyn Cockburn (great-great-granddaughter)

Caroline Meyer was born Caroline Larsen on 6 March 1859 in Humble, on the island of Langeland in Denmark. Her mother was Kirsten Neilson and father was Lars Pedersen. She lived with her grandparents, Neils Jorgensen and Karen Godfredsen [1], her unmarried mother and older sister Hanne Kirstine Jensen in Humble. 

Caroline’s mother, Kirsten married Hans Pederson (Peter) Jensen on 12 November 1864, in Humble, Svendborg, Denmark. The family came to New Zealand on the Punjaub [2], arriving in Lyttelton on 20 September 1873 and settled at Banks Peninsula. 

Caroline, now named Jensen after her stepfather, married her neighbouring Danish settler, Hans Peter Meyer [3], at Le Bons Bay on 8 November 1875.

Three years later the couple [Caroline and Peter] removed to Campbelltown, now called Rangatira [Rongotea] in the Manawatu District where under all the trials and vicissitudes of the early pioneers a holding was carved out of the thick bush area. More than 20 years were spent in the Manawatu. [4] 

They had 12 children: Hans Peter, Johan, Anton Claudius, Jens, Neils, Violet, Ernest (Ainot), Bertha, Roy, Lily, Cissy and Carry.

When she signed the Suffrage Petition, Caroline and her family were living in Campbelltown (Rongotea).

School records and oral history suggests the family may have returned to Denmark at the end of 1884. 

In 1900 they were living in Tipapakuku [Tepapakuku] [5], near Dannevirke and their house had a dirt floor. [6] They were in Hamilton at the beginning of 1905, shifting to Tamahere and then Pirongia. Caroline’s husband died in 1913, and by 1917 she was living in Te Awamutu.

During the 1880s all of the Jensen family - Caroline’s parents and siblings - left New Zealand for America. [7] Caroline was the only member of her family to remain in New Zealand.

In her latter life Caroline made two trips to America. In 1919, aged 59, she was accompanied by her youngest daughter Carry who stayed in the US and married. [8] Caroline returned alone to the United States in 1925 when she was 65. [9]

One of Caroline’s great achievements was her ability to keep all her children alve to adulthood. On her death on 22 July 1934 aged 74 in Hamilton, Caroline was survived by 12 children, 52 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. [10]

Sources

[1] Census record.

[2] Christchurch Archives, CP325a SSF ICPS 1608/1873 Punjaub includes a list of the family members. File copy of notes provided by Del Tonkin, daughter of Eric MEYER, son of Hans Peter MEYER and Lavinia Caroline MANN.

[3] Caroline MEYER, Obituary. Paper copy on file. Source not recorded. Entry in the Register Book of Marriage kept by the officiating Minister Hampton (?) in Le Bons Bay. Copy on file.

[4]Caroline MEYER, Obituary. Paper copy on file. Source not recorded.

[5] Tipapakuku was spelt this way on the address of Violet’s 1990 school record.

[6] Family interviews with Caroline’s daughter Lily.

[7] Hanne Kirstine, who married HANSEN was living in America in June 1885 when a child was born, and the census recorded them living in Teton, Fremont Idaho. The last known recorded birth before that was December 1871 in New Zealand. The Census gives the years of immigration to the USA as 1882, 1883, and 1863 [transcription error?].

[8] Arrived in Vancouver on 29 September 1919 List of Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States, SS Niagara. Information on file sourced from microfilm 1383_42.

[9] SSRMS Tahiti arrived 10 November 1925 List of Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States, SSRMS Tahiti.

[10] Caroline and Hans Peter Meyer are biried in the Hamilton West cemetery.

Images

Family photo (about 1903) Copy of photograph on file.

Back row: L – R Neil (Neils), Jack (Johan), Harry (Hans Peter Jnr), Anton, Jim (Jens)

Sitting: Lily, Violet (Fanny Maria), Caroline, Carry sitting on knee, Hans Peter, Cissy, Bertha

Sitting on floor: Ernie (Ernest/Ainot), Roy

Carry Meyer and her mother Caroline Meyer.