Fanny Oliver

Location confirmed 1893 Electoral Roll.

Biographical information provided for by Sarah Hewitt for the He Tohu exhibition:

Fanny Clara Warwick was born in Plaistow, Essex, England in 1859, the daughter of Charles Warwick and Henrietta Gregory.  She had left England by 1881.

She married James Oliver on 1 September 1883 at St Paul's Church, Napier.  He was a bricklayer and son of Mary Oliver who signed the petition near the top of the page.  They had at least seven children - six sons and one daughter. 

In 1895, Fanny petitioned the court to be given custody of her six children and an allowance to support them.  James was ordered to pay 4s per week for each child. In December 1901, she was granted a legal separation from James and custody of four children (the others likely being too old now).  James was ordered to pay £1 per week per child.

James appears to have had a drinking problem as the licensee of the Exchange Hotel was charged in 1898 with supplying beer to him when he was already intoxicated. The same court session charged another licensee for selling James alcohol on a Sunday.  (There were two James Oliver's living in Carlyle Street, Napier during this period so is difficult to know who the newspapers were reporting on)

Fanny died at Norsewood on 31 August 1917, aged 58.