Ellen (Farrer) Middlebrook

I think of this woman ( my 3x Great Grandmother, as the  matriarch of my family . It was she and her husband who chose to bring their family of 6 children to New Zealand in the 1860s to start a new life. Sadly her husband John died less than 4 years after their arrival, and how easy it may have been for Ellen at the time to return to Yorkshire to the very well established Farrer family, and yet she remained, with her children and forged a life for herself and brought up 6 children each of whom became successful in their own ways, all having children of their own.

I hope to learn more about her life but I needed to create a layout with the information I know now and hence this layout using a very small and poor quality photocopy of a portrait taken probably in her 30s  or early 40’s – maybe  before she left England.

I would love to know where the original of this is.

 

 

Journalling reads
Born Ellen Farrer, to father Benjamin (clock maker) and Ellen nee Thompson, in Pontefract, Yourkshire on August 4 ,1820, Ellen married Johhn Middlebrook, brewer of Millbrook, Leedson February 2nd 1847 . They lived in the Liversedge area of Yorkshire for the early part of their marriage and and emigrated to New Zealand with their 6 children under the assisted immigration scheme, arriving on the ship Shalimar in 1862 ,to begin a new life.
They bought land in Matakohe and Whangarei, but moved to Auckland, and when her husband died in 1866 Ellen remained living in the central Auckland area for some time but did live with her children at various times She lived till the ripe old age of 94, dying in Arkles Bay at the home of her daugther Jane, of old age. Through Ellen Middlebrook I became the 6th Generation of my family to live in New Zealand.

The Wedding of Jane Thompson Middlebrook and Henry Whitnall Smith

 

I love this wedding photo. The fashions are glorious and the bride beautiful and the groom handsome.

This Jane Thompson Middlebrook is not to be confused with her aunt of the same name.  She was the second daughter of John and Mary Ann Middlebrook, who,  at the time of this wedding were living in Ponsonby in Auckland but later moved to Te Awamutu.

 

Henry Whitnall Smith was the son of Henry James Smith. According to a newspaper article I have regarding his Diamond Wedding Anniversary, he was born in Auckland around 1870 and was the first baby baptized by Bishop Cowie in Old St Pauls Church.  Henry was a well known Auckland Photographer, with studios in Queen Street for many years.  Quite a few of the family photographs I have are Whitnall SMith photos.

There was a lovely description of the wedding in the Social Sphere  column of the New Zealand Observer

The New Zealand Observer was one of a number of illustrated weekly newspapers popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was first published in Auckland in 1880 and continued, with name changes, until November 1954.

The column read

A pretty wedding was celebrated on Wednesday afternoon, March 26th, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Khyber Pass. The contracting couple were Mr H. Whitnall Smith, of Auckland, and Miss Middlebrook, second daughter of Mr -J. Middlebrook, of St. Mary's Road, Ponsonby The Rev. G. Carver, officiated. The bride was given away by her father, and looked very pretty in a handsome trained dress of white brocaded silk, made with transparent yoke and sleeves, and trimmed with chiffon and orange blossoms she also wore a coronet of orange blossoms, tulle veil, and carried a beautiful shower bouquet presented by the bridegroom, who also gave her a dainty gold watch.
The bridesmaids were Miss Wood, Miss Wild, and Misses Edith and Ettie Middlebrook, two little sisters of the bride. The first couple wore charming dresses of fine white muslin elaborately tucked and inserted with lace, and trimmed with cream silk, white chiffon picture hats, and each carried a beautiful shower bouquet and wore a gold twin-dove brooch, presented by the bridegroom. The little girls wore dainty creme cashmere frocks, tucked, and the yokes and sashes of silk, and white leghorn hats trimmed with chiffon They carried baskets of flowers and wore gold brooches, the gifts of the bridegroom. Mr Kinnear, dentist, acted as best man, and Mr J. Middlebrook, Jr. as groomsman. Mrs Middlebrook, mother of the bride, wore a handsome black silk gown, trimmed with lace, turquoise blue and jet bonnet Mrs F. Stonex, sister of the bride, wore a pretty grey voile dress trimmed with creme guipure insertion threaded with black ribbon velvet, and the bodice trimmed with chiffon, black toque Mrs Whitnall- Smith, mother of the bridegroom, wore black Mrs Armiger, black silk tucked blouse, black skirt, and black hat. The bridal party drove to the residence of the bride's parents, where they were entertained at afternoon tea, and in the evening a party was given in the Ponsonby Hall, which was most enjoyable and successful.

The Golden Wedding of John and Mary Ann Middlebrook

It seems long marriages are common in my ancestry – I found this article on Paperspast regarding the Golden Wedding Anniversary of John and Mary Ann Middlebrook which gave me more information on the family. I was interested to know that John was not initially a butcher ( a career which ran in the family- his father and brother being butchers as well as several of his sons) but was a printers apprentice to begin with.  I have little information on the early years after the Middlebrooks arrival in New Zealand so I relish every little snippet of information like this.

Papers Past has been a great source of information. I am lucky as it appears there were only 2 Middlebrook families in New Zealand in the early days so a search of the name yeilds great results.

 

Journalling in this layout reads

MR. AND MRS. J. MIDDLEBROOK.
TE AWAMUTU, Thursday.
To have experienced a full fifty years of married life comes to few couples, but such a distinction has just been achieved by Mr. and Mrs. John Middlebrook, two of Te Awamutu's most respected and revered townspeople. Mr. Middlebrook came out to the colony in 1562, from his home in Yorkshire, by the ship Shalimar, while his ultimate bride-to-be had accompanied her parents to New Zealand four years earlier in the ship Spirit of Trade. As a youth Mr. Middlebrook tried his prentice hand at printing, working for some time on the old "Southern Cross" (now incorporated in the "New Zealand Herald" and afterwards taking up the trade of a butcher. In 1874 Mr Middlebrook considered his affairs had prospered sufficiently to warrant his taking unto himself a life partner, and on July 22nd of that year he was married in Newton. Auckland, by the Rev. Ward, to Miss Mary Tucker, daughter of Mr. John Tucker, formerly of the Royal Artillery. Mr. Middlebrook and his bride settled down in Auckland until early in the present century, their family growing up round them. In 1902 Mr. Middlebrook decided to remove to Te Awamutu, and he has in the interim built up the butchery business that bears his name. To mark the golden wedding anniversary the family—or as many as could attend —assembled at the old people's residence and celebrated in customary style, a feature being a repetition of the wedding ceremony of fifty years previous. Mr. and Mrs. Middlebrook were the recipients of many congratulatory messages from friends all over the Dominion, and at the wedding breakfast felicitous speeches were made and toasts enthusiastically honoured. The family consists of eleven sons and daughters, twenty-two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Victor and Madge Middlebrook

 

This layout features a couple of the photographs I got copies of from the Te Awamutu museum when I visited there last month. They had a collection of over 30 photos relating to John and Mary Ann Middlebrook and their children and family.

I know very little about this photo of the wedding of Albert Victor Middlebrook to his bride Madge.
The photo was part of a collection held by Te Awamutu Museum. It states its circa 1914 and that Madge was a war bride.
There is no record of the marriage in New Zealand, so I assume the wedding took place while Victor (as he was known) was posted overseas in World War 1.
I suspect the wedding is later than 1914 though based on the ages of both Victor and Madge. Madge (who I know nothing about at all), died in 1968 aged 68, according to NZ records so she is unlikely to have married as young as 14 .Victor too was only 16 in 1914 so I believe this wedding took place later in World War 1 .
From what I have found on the Cenotaph Database Victor was part of the 15th Reinforcements of the NZ Field Artillery and his rank was that of Gunner and his embarkation date was 26 July 1916 so I suspect this wedding took place between 1916 and 1918.
Victor was the 11th of 12 children of John and Mary Ann Middlebrook. and the 4th of 5 sons. His elder brother Nelson also saw active service in WW1 .
Albert was a butcher with his father prior to being called up but by the 1930s he was farming in the Auckland region.
I have yet to discover if Madge and Victor had any children, but the only other photo I have of Madge and Victor looks to be taken in Rotorua and it does look like she may well be pregnant. Madge died in 1968 aged 68 and Victor lived a further 2 years dying in 1970 aged 72 .

 

I see Archives NZ holds several documents relating to Victor Middlebrook. There are 4 files regarding bankruptcy in 1930, insolvency from 1935, a consent to property purchases in 1946 and a sale in 1947  from 1947 and also his probate from 1970 . Interestingly I cant see any war records for him for his WW1 service – I can see those of his brother Nelson and several of his cousins but his name doesnt appear. The probate especially may give me more information on any children Madge and Victor may have had so this layout may need a post script after I have been out to Archives for a further look.

John Middlebrook

Ive been really busy lately – some of the busy times were genealogy related.  I drove down to Te Awamutu Museum which had a wonderful collection of photos relating to John Middlebrook ( he was the 2nd son of John and Ellen Middlebrook- the couple who emigrated to NZ with their children in 1862 and the elder brother of my 2x Great Grandfather )

Im still discovering things about John’s life – his story is not remotely complete ( in fact I found an article in Papers Past regarding his 50th Wedding anniversary which stated he started his working life as an apprentice at the Southern Cross newspaper.

Id assumed he was always a butcher, as the trade definitely ran in the family.  He also appears not to be buried in the Te Awamutu Cemetery with his wife and many children – though I havent discovered where he is buried .

In any case I did a layout using one of the great photos I copied when down at the museum.

Journalling reads:

John Middlebrook was born in 1854 in Millbridge,near Leeds ,Yorkshire as were his  siblings. 5th of 8, he was the second eldest son and was named after his father John.
The family emigrated to New Zealand, in 1862, when John was aged 8 years old. .
The Middlebrook family has a long history in the butchery business and John took up this trade around the time he married Mary Ann Tucker. He owned butchery businesses in Western Springs, Newton and in Ponsonby from the 1870s to the end of the 19th Century. Around 1904 John purchased , and also leased land in Te Awamutu from Maori under a land alienation scheme set up at the time, however it appears John did not take advantage of the Maori, as he was known by the local tribes as “honest John and like his brother Samuel was a friend of the Maori . John and Mary Ann had 13  children. Several of the sons joined John in his butchery business.
John became a prominent businessman in the town and was a member of the TeAwamutu’s first Chamber of Commerce in 1911-12, and was a member of the first Te Awamutu Borough Council in 1915, and was instrumental in the development of water supply and drainage to the town.  He also helped establish a stockyard in the area which assisted the districts community and farming ventures . John lived in Te Awamutu until his death in 1939

The Bennetts

 

When I started on this genealogical journey I didnt know much about my Paternal line. In fact I didnt really even know much about my Grandfather, but after finding out he actually had a sister who is still alive, and getting in contact with her I learned so much more about the “Poole” side of my family.

My Grandfathers mother was Edith Bennett and the people in the layout above are her parents and the photos are courtesy of my Great Aunt Doris.

Sarah Ann Youson took a bit of research, she was born after the 1861 census, and in the 1871 census she appears listed as Susannah, – in the 1881 census she is living with her Aunt, and so I was never 100% certain I had the right family for her until I ordered and received her birth certificate from the UK General Register office .

Apart from confirming her parents the certificate also gave me the address where she was born ( and this was in fact where the family continued to live for years, but unfortunately it looks like the whole area has changed and that part of Grove Street is now a car park.

There is still more to learn about the Bennetts – I need to order the death certificates of both George West and Sarah Ann – both died relatively young , George especially, and quite tragically so, dying only 10 months after the birth of his only son.  Id like to know what happened to Sarah Ann and her children in the 6 years between Georges death and her marriage to Edwin Otter, but I probably wont ever find that out.

 

Journalling on this layout reads

GEORGE WEST BENNETT was born in 1859, second child and eldest son of John and Mary Bennett of Kingswood Gloustershire. Georges father John was a Carter and his mother was listed in the 1861 census as a Feeder at a Machine in a Wool Factory.
By 1881 George was working as a Shunter with the Railway in Derby and in the same year, aged 22, met and married Sarah Ann Youson.
George and Sarah Ann had 3 children before George died prematurely at the mere age of 33, on November 18, 1892, leaving Sarah Ann a widow.
SARAH ANN YOUSON, was born on 22nd February 1863, 4th child and one of at least 9 children of John Youson and Hannah Beeson originally of Leicestershire, but latterly of Derby, Derbyshire where John worked as a Striker at the Ironworks.
In 1881 aged 19 Sarah was living with her Aunt and Uncle in Burton Road Derby, and was working as a Silk Doubler as were many of the women in the area, probably at the local lace factory. Soon after, on 27th June 1881, she married George West Bennett at Christ Church in Derby.
George and Sarah Ann lived in Church Street and had 3 daughters, Florence, Edith and Alice and a son George William Bennett ( born just 10 months before the death of his father.
Six years after George died in 1892 Sarah married Edwin Otter, a Metal Borer . They had no children together but Edwin brought up the 4 Bennett children and after the children had left home Sarah now in her 40s ran a Fish and Chip business .
Sarah died in 1922 , aged 59.

The Middlebrook Family

I really like this photo of Samuel MIDDLEBROOK ( my 2x great Grandfather) and his 6 children.

It tells a story more from who is  missing than who is actually in the photo.

I suspect this was taken between 1911 and 1913 – My Great Grandmother Ellen Winifred, on the far right appears to have a wedding band on her finger and she got married in 1909.

The youngest daughter Bessie ( Elizabeth Alice) would have been 13in 1911 and the girl in the photo could pass for 13 or so.

Noticeably missing is the mother of the children  and wife to Samuel , Mary Jane.

It appears from family stories and records such as electoral rolls that Mary and Samuel spent much of their marriage apart.

In the 1908 Electoral roll they are both listed in KatiKati , and in 1991 she again appears with Samuel in Rosemont Street Waihi , but by 1919 she is living with Bessie in Mira Street Ponsonby while Samuel is still in the Bay of Plenty.

Whatever the cause of their separation, ( and family rumours abound of affairs and at least one illegitimate birth) Samuel and Mary never divorced, and she continues to be listed as Married in the electoral rolls until her death.

Her death notice states .

MIDDLEBROOK-  On December 18 1936, at Auckland Hospital, Mary Jane, wife of Samuel Middlebrook, late of 52 Douglas Street Ponsonby.

( I should add here it was not Samuel that was living in Ponsonby – he was living at this time in Waihi )