Marie Arndt

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Marie Beaver was born about 1849 in Poland – the daughter of Henry Bibergiel Beaver, a doctor, and Bertha.

The family emigrated to Australia then came to New Zealand in December 1868 landing in Port Chalmers on the Otago.

Marie married Herman Arndt, a merchant at the Arrowtown goldfields, at the Jewish Synagogue in Dunedin on 19 November 1872.

This marriage caused a sensational court case for breach of promise. An engagement had apparently been arranged by Marie’s brother Alexander between Marie and Julius Wenkheim, a storekeeper in Queenstown. The case resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff, with damages of one farthing, each party to pay its own costs.

Marie and Herman had four children and lived, at first, in Cromwell moving the Thurlby Domain at Speargrass Flat near Queenstown in 1879.

At a farewell given to the family the Cromwell Argus said 'this community loses a good citizen and a lady who has identified herself with every good cause.'

Marie and her family took part in musical entertainments held in the local area - at the Millers Flat School Soiree in 1882 it was noted that 'Mrs Arndt was much appreciated in her rendering of “Molly Asthore” and “The murmur of the shell”, the latter piece being sung with an especial amount of feeling.'

Herman died in March 1885 at Thurlby Domain, he is buried in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.

Three weeks later Marie gave birth to their fourth child, Hermina.

In October that year Thurlby Domain was leased and Marie moved to Dunedin with her children - the property was sold in 1890.

When Marie signed the suffrage petition she was living at 'Kenmere' in Leith St, Dunedin.

She later moved to Wellington with her children and she died there in July 1926. She is buried in the Karori Cemetery, Wellington.

Sources

BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/

DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search

Family Search https://www.familysearch.org

Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz

Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

Wellington City Council https://wellington.govt.nz