Elizabeth Betsy (Brown) Flanagan (abt. 1860 - 1940)

Born about 1860 in Nelson, New Zealand

Ancestors

Wife of George William Flanagan — married 30 Apr 1874 in St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Manuka Street, Nelson, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 15 Sep 1940 at about age 80 in Nelson, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michele Gregg [send private message]

Biography

Early Years

Elizabeth was born in Nelson, New Zealand, in 1860. She was the third of six children born to Thomas Brown and Elizabeth Betsy Brown nee Wadsworth. ^[1]

Elizabeth Betsy was always known as Betsy, probably to avoid confusion with her mother who was also Elizabeth Betsy.
Little is known about Betsy’s father Thomas Brown, but Betsy’s mother, Elizabeth Betsy Wadsworth was born in Bedfordshire, England in 1838, and immigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1842, at age 4. ^[1]

Marriage

On 30th April 1874 William and Betsy were married at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Manuka Street, Nelson. ^[2]
William stated his age as 33 on the Marriage register, and recorded his name as William Flanagan. Betsy stated her age as 16, but she was in fact only 14 years old, declaring she was older in order to be married. Her name was recorded as Betsy Brown. On the Marriage Register, Betsy Brown makes a solemn promise that should God bless her with children she will have them, both male and female, baptised and bought up in the Roman Catholic Religion ^[1]

William and Betsy initially lived in a building that had been an old hotel in the Wangapeka settlement. Later when the Wangapeka Goldfields were abandoned, the family moved into the old courthouse. The area is now referred to as Courthouse flat. There is very little evidence of the township that once stood. ^[1]

A plaque at Wangapeka tells a little more about the Courthouse:
“The Courthouse The pile of stones in front of you formed the base of the courthouse chimney. Today it is the only visible remnant of Gladstone township. The courthouse was an important part of goldfields administration. Here the Government Warden, who represented law and order at this remote location, determined claims granted to prospectors, received business and mining applications and presided over any court cases. The “large and handsome” courthouse was completed in April 1870. Immediately after the goldfield was abandoned, the Flanagan family moved into the courthouse. It became the home of William Flanagan, father of 15 children, until he died in 1902. Thereafter, timber planks were stripped off and used for fluming and water races – a less dignified but practical end in the eyes of resourceful miners.” ^[1]

Family

By 1900 William, about age 60, and Betsy, about age 40, had completed their family with their 15th child.
Betsy was once asked how she named all of her children. She answered that she would look through newspapers at the names in print and so chose the children's names from the papers.
Having babies was more or less a biannual event for Betsy. When she was a couple of months out from her due date, Betsy would ride out on a horse to Motupiko where she could catch a train. There were occasions when she had to walk to Motupiko, a distance of about 20 miles or more. Some of the children were born at Motupiko, but most were born in Wai-iti at Besty’s mother’s home, which she also used as a nursing home. It wasn’t until after 1908 that the train came out to Tadmor, shortening the distance to the train station to only 12 miles. By this time of course Betsy’s family was complete, her youngest child Frank, 8 years old.^[1]

Children of Billy and Betsy FLANAGAN: (All born in the Nelson province, New Zealand)

1. Alfred (Fred) FLANAGAN b. 10 Oct 1875; m Rose Elizabeth LINES
2. George William FLANAGAN b. 7 Sep 1877; m Emily HILL
3. Alice Mary FLANAGAN b. 5 Nov 1879; m Thomas Gibson TIBBLE
4. John Thomas FLANAGAN b. 10 Jan 1881 (Died in infancy)
5. Edith Kate / Katheline (Kate) FLANAGAN b. 12 Jan 1882; m William James Palmer AUTRIDGE
6. Emily May FLANAGAN b. 28 Aug 1883; m August Franz (Gus) ROESKE
7. Hilda Jane FLANAGAN b. 2 Oct 1885; m Timothy Veazey (Jim) CARTER
8. James Allan (Jim) FLANAGAN b. 16 Jun 1887; m Ethel Elizabeth ALDING
9. Charles Lawrence (Charlie) FLANAGAN b. 2 Apr 1889; m Louisa Elizabeth SEATON
10. Ralph (Jack) FLANAGAN b. 9 Nov 1890
11. Margaret Betsy (Jess) FLANAGAN b. 8 Jun 1892; m James (Jim) STEWART
12. Martin Arthur FLANAGAN b. 30 Mar 1894; m Lucy Letitia WIX
13. Thomas Edward (Tom) FLANAGAN b. 7 Apr 1896; m Nellie Beatrice (Beat) HICKMOTT
14. Clara Maud FLANAGAN b. 18 Jun 1898; m Bernard John O'DONNELL
15. Francis Henry (Frank) FLANAGAN b. 11 Jul 1900; m Estella Koa Joy (Joy) WIX

Some of the Flanagan children went to the Wangapeka School, which opened in 1890 and was used at intervals until it finally closed in March 1938.

Betsy was a Protestant. She had beautiful handwriting and was a good reader. Betsy was said to have been a real dear. “Nothing ever worried her.” She had a lovely nature. She was a quiet and placid woman but a hard worker. Betsy was small in stature, she had frizzy curly hair and in her later years always wore long black dresses with a white frill collar down the front. Apparently when she died at age 80 the reverend had commented on her lovely hair and the fact that she looked too nice to be put away. ^[3]
All in all Betsy would have had quite a hard life raising such a large family. Even with the help of her older children the conditions of the time were very basic. Much of the cooking was done over the open fire using a camp-oven and pots. There were no electric ovens in those days. It is remembered that a cyst had developed on Betsy’s arm, probably from carrying water from the creek up to their house. With 14 children born over a 25 year period Betsy must have been conditioned to the work load. ^[1]

Later Years

When William died in 1902, Betsy was age 42. Their oldest child Fred was 26 years old and the youngest child Frank was only 21 months old. The family moved out of the old courthouse and into a house about four miles down the road on the property that Fred had bought off the Grahams. They remained in this home for about 14 years in which time most of the younger Flanagan children grew up and left home to begin lives of their own. ^[1]

Early in 1916, Betsy, age 56, moved further down the valley again to Matariki where her eldest son Fred had bought land. By this time the only child still living at home was Betsy’s youngest son Frank, age 15. Fred, was now age 40. With an age difference of only about 16 years between mother and son, there were some that would mistake Betsy and her son Fred for husband and wife. Together Betsy and Fred would go to the Post Office to collect their pensions and were of course Mr Flanagan and Mrs Flanagan. Fred eventually married eight years after moving to Matariki. Betsy remained living with Fred and his wife Rose until she moved to Nelson where she was looked after by her daughter Margaret Betsy (Jess) Stewart. ^[1]

Betsy outlived her husband by 38 years and lived to the age of 80. She died on 15 September 1940 at 226 Vanguard Street, Nelson. The Nelson City Council Cemeteries Database gives her date of death correctly as 15 Sep 1940 and date of interment as 17 Sep 1940. Betsy was buried with her husband William Flanagan at Wakapuaka Cemetery, Nelson. (Block 5; Plot 61) ^{[1] [4]}
Headstone inscription:

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9} Michele Flanagan. "Flanagan – Presenting the Past," Compiled from 1996 by Michele Gregg nee Flanagan. New Zealand. Unpublished. Last revised 3 Jun 2018.
2. ↑ Copy of Register of Marriage obtained pre 1980 by Doug Tibble. Copy in personal files of Michele Flanagan
3. ↑ Michele Flanagan. "Flanagan – Presenting the Past," Compiled from 1996 by Michele Gregg nee Flanagan. New Zealand. Unpublished. Last revised 28 Mar 2018. Includes personal recollections of Joyce Gates nee Flanagan.
4. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #87420977 Memorial created 27 Mar 2012 by Michele Flanagan

• Michele Flanagan. "Flanagan – Presenting the Past," Compiled from 1996 by Michele Gregg nee Flanagan. New Zealand. Unpublished. Last revised 28 Mar 2018. (Michele is great-granddaughter of Elizabeth Betsy FLANAGAN nee BROWN.)

See also: