Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert
Annie Marie Cooper was born in 1846 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England to coal miner Joseph and his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth followed her husband to Auckland arriving in January 1866 on the ‘Ballarat’ with their three children, including Annie Marie. Her husband, Joseph arrived some months before the family. In 1867 their eldest daughter, Annie Marie married Edward Paddison, who was a farmer living on Great Barrier Island.
Born in Lincolnshire in 1838, Edward Paddison was a railway worker, who was drawn to NZ in 1859 by an advertisement for copper-mine workers on Great Barrier Island. He arrived in Auckland on the Mataoka in September 1859. When the mining company went into liquidation in 1867, Edward then took up land offered in Karaka Bay to farm. Here he built a house with a kitchen, dining room, sitting room, three bedrooms and an outhouse. It was built from pit-sawn timber with wooden spouting and a roof of split kauri shingles.
Edward and Annie Maria sold firewood to pay for their life on the Barrier while they tried to get the farm up and running. Their ten children were schooled on the farm. They built a room on the end of the farm’s woolshed for schooling. The room was also used for Church services and celebrations.
Edward Paddison s/o Joseph and Ann nee Lingard from Lincolnshire
They had 11 children but George died at two weeks old.
- Elizabeth Ann (1868–1933)
- Mary Jane (1869–1952)
- Joseph Edward (1871–1933)
- Amy Margaret (1873–1962)
- George (1875–1875)
- Samuel George (1876–1956)
- Edith Annie (1880–1957)
- Ralph Lingard (1881–1931)
- Frank William (1883–1936)
- Herbert Allison (1886–1917)
- Harvey Roy (1889–1957)
In 1890 the newspaper recorded 'quite an important event took place here, viz. the performance of the first wedding ceremony on the island.' Their eldest daughter Elizabeth Ann married Mr Albert LeRoy at the home of her parents, some sixty guests being present. In the 1910s the Paddisons ran the house as a guest house for visitors to the island to help supplement their income.
In 1915 Edward died of weakness and old age aged 77. He was buried at Karaka Bay, Great Barrier Island. His will left his personal property to his wife, and the 200 acre land on Great Barrier to his son Joseph who was occupying the land. He left the remainder of his estate worth over 2000 pounds, to Annie Maria for her life and then equally to his other sons Frank, Herbert and Harvey.
Two of Edward and Annie Maria’s sons served in WW1. Frank, who was discharged in 1917, no longer being fit for active service because of wounds. And Herbert who died at Passchendaele in October 1917.
Annie Maria died at home in 1920 aged 74 and was buried with her husband and infant son at Karaka Bay, Great Barrier Island. She left no will, but an affidavit from her surviving children said her estate included an interest in land and was worth 500 pounds.
Annie Maria is the daughter of signatory 380 Elizabeth Stark.
Sources
Aotea Great Barrier Island historic heritage survey
PAPERS PAST Observer, Volume X, Issue 594, 17 May 1890, Page 17
Historical BDMs
Edward Paddison death certificate 21 Nov 1915 (sighted)