M. Pennalligen

John Duncan, g… Posted: 1 Sep 2019

Mary Elizabeth Seagar was born in England in 1859, and emigrated with her parents William and Ellen and 4 siblings, Kate Ellen, William Bastin, Frances Emily, and Charles Edward, arriving in Wellington on the 1st July 1864 on the ‘West Australia’. On arrival in Wellington William set up a boiler maker’s business but in 1866 moved the family to Thames and set up business manufacturing mining battery plants, gold dredges and other heavy machinery, and later extended the business to Auckland.

Mary married James Alfred Pennalligen (note the spelling difference) in Auckland in 1885 (BMD registration 1885/54). They had 11 children: Ivy Emma May (1886), Alfred John (1887), Charles Albert Edward (1888), Laura Madeleine (1891), Hilda Elizabeth (1893), James William Seagar (1895), Harold George (1896, died at 7 weeks of age), Rita Kate (1898), Hazel Belle (1899), May Mafeking (1901) and Frederick Reginald Baste (1902).

James died on the 27th Nov 1933 aged 71, and Mary on 7th March 1943 aged 85.

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Jamie M Posted: 2 Sep 2019

Hi John - thanks very much for submitting this information. Do you think we have the surname wrong, or was it spelt both ways?
Kind regards,
Jamie Mackay

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John Duncan Posted: 4 Sep 2019

The spelling used in your transcription is a reasonable inference from the handwriting. But pretty well all official documents (eg BMD marriage 1885/54, death 1943/26209, eight of the children's birth registrations (Ivy, May and Fred have other slight variations)) use the spelling I have supplied. Mary and James were living in Ryle St at the time of the petition.

I regret that there are a few errors in what I initially sent through:
1. The ship on which they arrived was the 'West Australian'
2. The last forename of the youngest son was 'Basten'.
3. Mary was 84 when she died.
4. My mother, who can clearly remember Mary as her grandmother, points out I am a great-grandson.

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