Eliza Gubb

Signed family name

Gubb

Signed given name

Eliza

Given address

Port Albert

Sheet number

Town/Suburb

Port Albert

City/Region

Auckland region

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Eliza Judd born 1852 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, the eldest surviving daughter of Charles and Elizabeth nee Moreton. They came to NZ September 1862 on the Hanover and settled at Port Albert where Charles had a haberdashery shop called ‘The Coventry House’ and later called himself a settler.

On October 15, 1872, Thomas Adams Gubb married to Eliza, eldest daughter of Mr. Charles Judd, of Port Albert. Thomas was born in 1845 Exeter, Devon, England. He arrived on Ida Ziegler in October 1866 with his half-brother Benjamin. Thomas learned his trade as a printer in London. He found scope for his typographical skill at Port Albert, where he assisted in the production of the Albertland Gazette, conducted by Samuel Johnson. Mr Gubb later went to Blenheim, where he was employed as a compositor on the Marlborough Express. Returning to Auckland, he joined in the gold rush to the Thames. However, he used to say that the party of which he was a member was composed of ‘the greenest lot of gold-diggers you ever came across,’ and they met with no luck. Returning to Port Albert, Mr. Gubb took up a Crown grant there and married.

Eliza and Thomas had 14 children, with the youngest dying in infancy:

Sidney Moreton (1873–1973)

Percy Carlile (1874–1947)

Lily (1875–1960)

Hilda (1876–1969)

Thomas Alfred (1878–1949)

Daisy (1879–1954)

Charles Seymour (1881–1956)

Harry Roy (1883–1964)

Lena (1884–1963)

Bessie (1886–1974)

William Oscar (1888–1974)

Irene (1889–1960)

Gladys Harriet (1892–1960)

Archie (1894–1894)

In spite of hardships and disappointments, the family remained on the land allotted to them at Port Albert. They lived about 45 years in the district where Thomas was prominent in many spheres of activity. He was for 32 years a member of the Road Board, being chairman for 28 years. Afterwards he was for 12 years a member of the Rodney County Council, being chairman for six years. He was also for many years chairman of the Port Albert School Committee and was a Justice of the Peace. He was always intensely interested in politics and was a close friend of Mr W. F. Massey, later Prime Minister of NZ.

In 1910 Thomas travelled to Devon, his first visit after forty-four years' residence in NZ, where he has been interviewed several times since his arrival by newspapers on the Dominion's land system, income taxes, universal suffrage, etc. He had spoken, also, at several open-air political meetings with conspicuous success on female franchise. He returned on the Ormuz.

About 1915, Thomas and Eliza sold up and retired to Mt Albert, Auckland. In January 1931 Thomas died, a few days after he celebrated his 86th birthday. He was buried in St John's Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Papatoetoe, Auckland. He left 56 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. In his probate, he left 100 pounds clear to his unmarried daughter Gladys and then the rest of his estate worth 1000 pounds to his wife Eliza.

Eliza died in 1942, at her home in William Street, Mount Albert, in her 90th year. Six sons and seven daughters are living, and there are 56 grandchildren and 28 great-grand-children. In her probate worth 1700 pounds, Eliza left the house and personal property at William Street to her unmarried daughter Gladys, ‘wishing her to carry on as now if possible, in her own right.’ To daughter Daisy, 50 shares in the Farmers Trading Company. Two sons were to be executors. She was buried in St John's Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Papatoetoe, with Thomas.

Eliza is the sister-in-law of #24 Jane GUBB