Lizzie Le Roy

Signed family name

Le Roy

Signed given name

Lizzie

Given address

Taradale Napier

Sheet number

436

Town/Suburb

Taradale

City/Region

Hawke's Bay

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Elizabeth Alice Le Roy was born in 1867 in Parnell, Auckland, one of the eight children of early settlers Emilius Le Roy and his wife Catherine Tabel, originally from Guernsey, Channel Islands. Emilius was a sailmaker who joined the Royal Navy before settling in Auckland in 1850. He established a sail making business in the town, as well as operating a schooner between Sydney and Auckland.

Lizzie signed the petition in Taradale, Napier, even though she lived with her parents in Salisbury Street, Parnell and worked as a teacher. It seems likely that she went to Napier to see her sister Henrietta, who had married in Napier in 1878 to Henry Jarrat Gilberd and began raising a family there. In September 1883 Henrietta’s only son died aged 19 months and less than three months later, her youngest daughter died aged three and a half.

At the Town Hall in Levin in 1900, Lizzie married William Jeune Fleury. William was born in 1863 in Jersey Channel Islands, son of William and Ellen nee Jeune. At their marriage, Lizzie was described as Captain Salvation Army and her husband as Ensign Salvation Army. William had lived in Levin for eight months before the marriage. In 1897, he was in Hawera, 'Ensign Fleury, of the Salvation Army, also giving a short outline of the work as carried on .. special reference to the social and rescue work of the Salvation Army'. And in 1898 leaving Carterton, '… and Ensign Fleury, of the local officers of the Salvation Army, have received their marching orders …Ensign Fleury and his colleagues have proved themselves very capable and popular officers and their departure will be deeply regretted by their numerous friends. A farewell social will be tendered to them this evening.'

William and Lizzie returned to Auckland, first living near her parents in Farnham Street, Parnell where William was a tentmaker. They had four children:

Ellen Catherine (1902–1983)
Alice Lorina (1903–1976)
Eva Rosalie (1905–1969)
William Emilius (1907–1909)

By 1914 they lived at Walters Road, Mt Roskill, where William worked as a salesman and mechanic. William died in 1928 in his 65th year. The funeral was held at the Salvation Army Hall in Walters Road and then to the burial at Waikumete Cemetery.

Lizzie lived on at the Walters Road address until she died in 1939 aged 71 and was buried with her husband at Waikumete. Lizzie’s probate was worth 1700 pounds and was interestingly described. Ellen Catherine was to receive the grandfather clock, Alice Lorina the large French Bible, Eva Rosalie the silver ladle and building society shares. Everything else was to be divided into three at their discretion. Then a Codicil requested that if any daughter remains unmarried when Elizabeth dies, the others should allow her to live in the house at Kingsland with chattels as long as she pays rates and taxes, 'fair wear and tear and damage by fire, earthquake and/or tempest exempted'.

Lizzie is the sister of 397 R Le ROY Parnell