John Fowler Snr (1796 - 1883)

Born 27 Nov 1796 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Ann (Rosier) Fowler — married 14 Aug 1824 in Ramsbury, Wiltshire, England

Descendants

Died 24 Apr 1883 at age 86 in Motueka, New Zealand

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John Fowler Snr migrated from Great Britain to New Zealand.

Biography

1843 Riwaka Settler

John married Mary Anne De Rosier in Ramsbury on 14 Aug. 1824

John & Mary and the family lived at High Street, Ramsbury, Wiltshire, England

Some descendants believe John was a policeman and retired from service as he didn't want to take convicts to Australia, but the police force was not established in Wiltshire until 1839 and John would have been too old to join. However, according to the journal of his daughter, Sarah, he was a corn and produce merchant who also carted produce. He had been sworn in as a special constable to stop "machine breaking" which occurred when agricultural labourers became unemployed because of the development of agricultural machinery and rioted, and had helped to transfer these prisoners to Salisbury prison. The growth of the railways also was a factor in John's decision to emigrate, as railways were making the carting of produce to London unprofitable.^[1]

Parents : Samuel and Mary Fowler

John Fowler, his wife Mary and their children emigrated in 1842 from England to Nelson, New Zealand as New Zealand Company settlers in the ship Indus

The family stayed in Nelson while John went to find a place to settle in Riwaka.

Some of the family moved away from Riwaka to settle elsewhere in New Zealand.

Sources

1. ↑ Information heard from a reading of Sarah Fowler's journal by Cynthia Fowler at the Motueka Historical Society 28 Mar 2022 by Fiona McMichael

• Nelson Provincial museum : Shipping List Indus arriving in N.Z. in 1843 [1]

Fowler John aged 39 agricultural labourer

Fowler Mary aged 34 wife

Fowler Edwin aged 17 butcher

Fowler Henry aged 15 agricultural labourer

Fowler Sarah Ann aged 13

Fowler John aged 11

Fowler James aged 8

Fowler Ann aged 3

Fowler aged Samuel aged 1

• New Zealand Births, Deaths & Marriages Online (New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs) Death: 1883/2758 Fowler John 91Y
• Colonist, Volume XXVI, Issue 3756, 30 April 1883, Page 3
• Find A Grave: Memorial #140519933