Charlotte Tremain

Signed family name

Tremain

Signed given name

Charlotte

Given address

Auckland

Sheet number

378

Town/Suburb

No suburb given

City/Region

Auckland

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Charlotte Sadler was born in 1862, in Auckland to William Edmund Sadler and wife Isabella who had arrived in 1859 on board Prince Albert with two daughters. Their two eldest sons came out to NZ in 1861. Charlotte was the first of two children to be born in Auckland. William was a sailmaker in England and a settler in NZ. William was a prodigious writer of religious tracts in the 1880s, and had various pamphlets published.

Married, at the Congregational Church, Beresford Street, Auckland, in 1882, 'Edwin Harvey, second son of Mr. R. Tremain, engineer, to Charlotte, youngest daughter of Mr. W.E. Sadler, both of Auckland.'

Edwin was the son of a Cornish couple, Edwin Tremain and Ann Menneer. The family arrived in the sailing ship Joseph Fletcher, which arrived in March 1858. Edwin was born in 1859, their only child to be born in NZ. He was apprenticed in engineering to T. T. Masefield and joined the engineering department of the Northern Roller Milling Company in 1886. During that period a reformation took place in conditions of labour and motive power, the eight-hour system replacing the twelve hour shift, and electricity supplanting steam. The huge four-storey Northern Roller Milling Company building in Auckland’s Fort Street was a major architectural feature of the central city from 1875, it could produce around 60 tonnes of flour a day.

Edwin and Charlotte lived for ten years at Sheridan Street, Ponsonby, near the older Tremains. They had four children:

Cecil William Harvey (1883–1916)
Isabella Mabel (1884–1949)
Charlotte Elsie (1886–1936)
Norman Landale (1893–1962)

The family moved to Church Street and then Ponsonby Road from 1900, with Edwin continuing working as an engineer in the flour mill, eventually becoming the chief engineer. His brother Richard was also employed as an engineer in the Northern Roller Mills. In 1916, their eldest son was killed in action in France, in the First World War, aged 33 years.

Edwin died in 1933 aged 73 and was buried in Purewa Cemetery. In his will, he left his estate valued at 1,000 pounds, firstly to his wife, then to children Norman, Isabella and Charlotte. To be taken out of their share, was 500 pounds Norman had had advanced, and the 200 pounds from daughter Charlotte.

Charlotte lived on in Ponsonby until she died in 1940, aged 77. She was buried with her husband in Purewa. In her will, she left 400 pounds divided amongst her grandchildren and then evenly to her remaining children, Norman and Isabelle, the estate was valued at 6,000 pounds.