suffrage_petition
Surname: 
Pollock
Given names: 
Janet
Given address: 
Mosgiel
Sheet No: 86
Town/Suburb: 
Mosgiel
City/Region: 
Otago
Notes: 

Mother of Jessie Pollock who signed the same sheet - see community contribution below.

Biography and image contributed by Malcolm W. Garrett, Jessie's grandson

Janet Brown travelled from UK in 1849 on the ship “Berenicia” with her family, leaving from the London Docks. Janet was the eldest of the Brown family, born 1 July 1819, and thus 30 years old when she arrived in Otago. She brought with her, her son William M’Farlane, born 21 Sep 1846, the son of Thomas M’Farlane of Scotland. She married William Pollock of Paisley, who had come on the “Philip Laing” in 1848, The mariage was recorded by Rev T Burns on 14 Sep 1849. Little William M’Farlane was adopted into the family, and kept his surname as his middle name. The family of Pollocks did well in Dunedin, in the butchery trade, especially when the Gold Ruishes began in 1860’s. William’s shop premises burnt down at least once, but with profits high it was quickly rebuilt. Janet’s family amounted to 7 but not all survived to adulthood. Eldest John Henry followed in his father’s footsteps as a butcher, but was also an athlete, and sportman enough to become head of the first NZ Athletics Assn., when he lived in the North island.

Marion, married Thomas Fleming the flourmiller, David, born 25 Nov 1860, went farming, and Jessie their youngest, born on 22 Nov 1863, had an interesting life, more of which later.

Wliiam left the family in charge of a cattle run at Otepopo, near Herbert, and went north to Wanganui where son John was setting up a Tallow works. Unluckily, William suffered an infection from a tooth extraction, and died there in 1880 on 1 June, aged 60. He was buried there.

This left Janet a widow, and two of her younger children. They relinquished the cattle Run, and returned to Mosgiel.

Jessie by this time was a beautiful young lady – see her portrait – and was wooed by a Henry Crawley. She married him on 4 June 1886 – when she was 23. The ceremony did not go well, with the bride bursting into tears at the altar, and rushing from the building after the vows. Her mother obviously did not approve! The couple never set eyes on each other again, and Jessie went home to her mother. the Divorce proceedings in Dunedin on 11 August 1891, 5 years later, were reported with relish by the Otago papers. She developed some very strong opinions on Temperance, [her esrtwhile spouse had been known as a bit of a toper], and of course, Votes for Women. Thus it was that the two ladies signed the petition, one above the other, using their own pens, if you notice the different nib effects. Jessie went on to write for the Otago Daily Times columns for some years. Later she met up with Robert [Bob] Garrett and married him on 12 May 1896 when she was 33 yrs old.

The story of their first meeting is worth recording:

Jessie was riding her horse along the banks of the Taieri River, near Mosgiel, and Bob, as was his wont, was sitting quietly by the riverbank conptemplating life as usual, when Jessie cantered by, ducking under a tree branch as she went. Unfortuntately she didn’t duck quite enough and her fancy hat flew off. Bob made the mistake of laughing at this, whereupon Jessie turned her steed around and proceeded to give him her opinion of those who laugh at others’ misfortunes. Bob got up and retrieved the hat, and Jessie decided she would marry him!

They moved to Invercargill, along with Janet who stayed with them for the rest of her days. The Garretts raised 4 children at Ness Street.  Janet died on 18 March 1903, and Jessie died 21 Apr 1950. Both are buried in the Invercargill East Cemetery.

Janet Pollock

Janet Pollock

Sources

Original Photographs are held by me, but will eventually go to the Otago Early Settlers Museum

Divorce reports Otago Witness – Papers Past

Death Notice Otago Winess William Pollock – Papers Past

Crawley Marriage – Presbyterian Otago Church records

Rev T Burns Visitation Book records – Pollock household

Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.

Community contributions

1 comment has been posted about Janet Pollock

What do you know?

Malcolm Garrett

Posted: 29 Jan 2018

Near the top of Page 086 Mosgiel are the signatures of my great grandmother Janet Pollock and her daughter, Jessie, both of whom have signed in blue ink and are quite distinctive. Jessie later married my Grandfather Bob Garrett and moved to Invercargill for the rest of her life and her mother joined her there. Janet was an early settler from 1849, as Janet Brown, and always held firm views on women's rights which she passed on to her youngest daughter, who wrote regularly in the Otago Daily Times on various matters under the pen name of "Lola".