Maria Christian

Signed family name

Christian

Signed given name

Maria

Given address

Auckland

Sheet number

378

Town/Suburb

No suburb given

City/Region

Auckland

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Maria Taylor was born in 1863 in Auckland, one of nine children of Samuel and Eliza Jane, nee Lawrence. Samuel had been in the army in England and had taken his discharge in NZ. In 1863 Samuel and family went to live at Government House where Samuel was employed as a gardener for Sir George Grey and Eliza a housekeeper. Two years later the family went to Kawau Island to work for Sir George and they lived there for 24 years.

In 1884, Maria married Anthony Christian at St Patrick’s RC Cathedral in Auckland. Anthony was 22y, the son of a Portuguese father and Scottish mother, Manuel and Christina, farmers of Tokatu Point near Warkworth.

The family first lived in Ponsonby, Auckland, where their first four children were born:

Ina Consuelo (1885–1958)
Hilda Christina (1887–1917)
Victor Francis (1889–1973)
Anthony Roy (1893–1895, aged 1y 4m)

Anthony took over his 500-acre block of land (part of the Henderson McFarlane claim) at the foot of the Waitakere Ranges in Swanson in 1896-1898, overcoming many difficulties. Cutting logs from his land, he used bullock teams to haul them from the bush and to the railway at Swanson from where they were sent on to Auckland. He ran cattle, sheep and milked cows and found time to take a keen interest in local activities and particularly County Council affairs. His property was situated near the source of the Auckland City Council water supply, and he accompanied the then City Engineer on the first survey of the area.

There, two more children were born:

Vera Maria (1901–1957)
Edna Florence (1903–1978)

In 1917, another child died, Hilda 'died of enteric and pneumonia, aged 30 years' at her parents' residence. Anthony and Maria celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1934 at Swanson. There is still a Christian Road in Swanson, named after the family. Maria died in 1936, at home, in her 73rd year. She was buried in Swanson Cemetery with her daughter Hilda.

Son Victor helped his father on the farm, which was sold by late 1953. Anthony went to live with his daughter Ina in Henderson. He died in July 1954. Anthony died in 1954 at home. His will left all his estate to be divided equally amongst his surviving children, as long as his daughter Vera repaid a nearly 500 pound debt.