Elizabeath Orr

Contributed by her great great niece, Helen M. Laney

Elizabeth, née Porteous, was born at 10am on the 31 October 1857 at Greenend, Eastern District of Old Monkland, County of Lanark, Scotland. She was the ninth 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, Barbara 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. Elizabeth was 17 when she left Scotland.

The family settled in South Oamaru. On the 26 October 1877 Elizabeth married Alexander Orr  of Teaneraki near Oamaru. They were married in the residence of Mr Robert Porteous, South Town Belt, Oamaru. Their marriage is recorded in St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Parish Register.

At first Elizabeth and Alexander lived at Enfield (aka Teaneraki). The 1893 Electoral Roll had them living at Ngapara, a few miles further inland from Enfield. Her mother, Barbara Porteous, and her two sisters, Janet Keen and Barbara Webb lived in Oamaru.

Elizabeth and Alexander had eight children. They were Barbara (1880-1949), Mary Cuthill (1882-1956), William (1885-1955), Elizabeth Isabella Porteous (Bella) (1888-1973), Alexander (Alex) (1892-1976), Agnes Margaret (Aggie) (1896-1964), Robert George (George) (1898-1979) and Ivy (1906-1983). The first four were born at Teaneraki/Enfield and the last four were born at Ngapara.

James was a baker at both Enfield and Ngapara. He died at home in 1918 but Elizabeth kept living in the family home “Ettrickvale” at Queens Flat, Ngapara, where she cared for her mother, Barbara Porteous. Her mother died at Elizabeth’s home in 1920. Elizabeth died in 1926 and is buried in Oamaru Old Cemetery with her husband.

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

Notes

Elizabeth ORR signed both the 1892 and 1893 petitions. Both times she wrote Elizabeath.

All other records, including her birth, marriage, death and births of her children have Elizabeth.

On her will dated 11 June 1826 she signed Elizabeth Orr.

References

Birth, marriage & death certificates

Passenger list for Nelson from the Hocken Library

Waitaki District Council Cemetery records

Oamaru Mail & North Otago Times

Probate record from familysearch.org

Image

Elizabeth ORR, nee PORTEOUS (courtesy Joanne Simpson-Bitonio)