Hannah McNatty

Biographical information provided by Lillie Le Dorré, Archives New Zealand, for the He Tohu exhibition:

Hannah McNatty was born Hannah Farrow, the daughter of William Farrow and Susan Jennings. She was likely born about 1853 in Edmonton, London.

On 24 November 1875 she married John McNatty in St Johns Presbyterian Church, Invercargill. John was the son of one of Invercargill’s earliest settlers, James McNatty. He was born at Girven, Scotland in 1851, and arrived in New Zealand in 1864.

Between 1876 and 1894, Hannah and John had ten children: James William, Agnes Charlotte, John Henry Farrow, Thomas Farrow, Frank Kingsland, George Valentine, Charles Burton, Henry John, Lilian May, and Walter Ernest. Tragedy struck the family in March 1885 when their infant son George died aged 16 months. Frank was born in Melbourne in 1886. Walter Ernest served at Gallipoli during the First World War and died in Belguim on 13 October 1917, aged 22. Henry John also served during the War and was killed in action on 6 August 1915, aged 25.

The McNattys left for Melbourne in late December 1885. Prior to departure, a ‘Grand Complimentary Benefit’ was held for John in honour of his ten years’ service to Sloan’s Theatre. The award-winning Invercargill Garrison Band played at the event. The family’s six bedroom home on Tweed St, Invercargill was sold as a mortgagee sale in March 1886. The McNatty’s returned to New Zealand sometime between 1887 and 1888.

Hannah died on 10 March 1921 in Invercargill, aged 67. She was buried in Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill. John died on 4 July 1940 in Dunedin. He was buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery.