Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert
Sarah Keyes was born in Northern Ireland in 1851 to George Keyes and Eleanor nee Lowry. George Keyes died in 1886 in New South Wales, Australia. But mother Eleanor arrived in Auckland in November 1875 with her adult sons Alexander and William.
Sarah married in February 1874 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland to John Currie. He was one of seven children of William and Maria nee Lyons. John and Sarah immediately boarded the ship, Queen of Nations and arrived in Auckland in July 1874 from Belfast.
John and Sarah lived in Wood Street, Ponsonby, Auckland in a house John may have built as his occupation was carpenter and builder. They had seven children:
- Maria Lyons (1874 –1941)
- David George (1876 -1877)
- Eleanor Laurie (1877– 1945)
- John Guthrie (1881 -1918) influenza
- Jane Anna (1882 -1918)
- William Alexander (1884 -1926)
- Edward Guthrie (1887 -1957)
From around 1905, John became known as an architect and was also a founding member of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. He designed and supervised the erection of many of the leading buildings in Auckland and the surrounding districts. Among the buildings are Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co.'s bond store in Customs Street, and warehouse in High Street; the original D.S.C block in Queen Street and the Grand Hotel, Rotorua. John was a keen sculler, and was captain of the Ponsonby Rowing Club for a number of years.
Two of his sons followed in his footsteps, John also became an architect and William, a draughtsman. During WW1 two sons saw service overseas. William enlisted in 1917 and was a Lieutenant in the Navy. Edward was in the NZ Dental Corp in 1918-19. Son John died of influenza in 1918 in Auckland and their married daughter died at the end of 1918 in Suva, Fiji, also of influenza.
John died in 1921, aged 70 years and was buried in the Waikaraka Cemetery. His probate, worth 18 000 pounds, left everything to Sarah, provided she remain a widow, to educate and maintain the children until the youngest reached 21. Then all to be shared equally amongst them.
Sarah lived on at the Wood Street Ponsonby house until she died in November 1932 aged 81 and was buried with John in the Waikaraka Cemetery. Her obituary stated,
Mr. Currie had much to do with the erection of buildings at Rotorua in the early days of its development as a tourist and health resort, and in the course of many visits his wife became a firm friend of the natives, in whose welfare she took a keen interest. Her association with them continued after her husband's death in 1921, and good health enabled her to keep up her visits to Rotorua almost until her last illness. Mrs. Currie took much pride in her beautiful garden at Epsom and worked in it until only a few weeks ago.
In her probate worth 4 500 pounds, she left jewellery to daughters to share, 500 pounds to son Edward’s personal use, and each grandchild, except Dorothy Joan Basley 100 pounds, 300 pounds to her maid Rosa, and the rest to be sold and money equally divided between daughters. Then a codicil revoked the money to Edward and now to be split three ways equally.
Eliza Jane is the sister of #378 E J CURRIE Auckland
Sources
- PAPERS PAST Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5263, 6 July 1874, Page 2
- PAPERS PAST New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17759, 19 April 1921, Page 6
- PAPERS PAST New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21338, 12 November 1932, Page 14
- Findagrave
- Archway probate Sarah John
- Electoral Eolls (ancestry.com)
- Historical BDMs