Mary Walker Hamilton (1882)

Born 11 Nov 1882 in Scotland, United Kingdom

Ancestors

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Jean Hamilton migrated from Scotland to New Zealand.

Biography

Mary Hamilton was born on the 11 November 1882, third child and second t daughter to her parents James and Euphemia Hamilton.

However she never knew her home country well as her father was a Coalminer and the industry at that time was in turmoil. Helped by the fact that in 1878, Euphemia's maternal Uncle Archibald Ferguson had taken up the position of the first Mine Manager at the Koranui Coal Mining Company at Waimangaroa, north of Westport, the family emigrated to New Zealand on the SV Oxford (painting of the Oxford) departing 26 April and arriving at Wellington on the 23 July 1883 when she was almost three years old, and the family settled close by Archibald (exactly where to be discovered).

Her elder sister Euphemia related in later years to her daughter Betty, two key events of the voyage; that the Oxford became becalmed on the Sargasso Sea and when they arrived at Wellington they were briefly quarantined on Soames Island, as what was suspected to be typhoid fever had broken out on the ship leading to some loss of life. These memories are verified by the diary of Buchanan Drysdale who was also a passenger on the the very eventful two-trip voyage.

The family remained in the area as her father had 'bettered his lot' after being recorded as "Labourer" on the Oxfords' Passenger List, to become a Mine Foreman at the Westport Coal Company's complex 2000 feet up at Denniston; presumably they also lived there at that later time.

Sources

• Hamilton Family Bible record
• Oral history; from Betty Isobel Clark
• Research on second trip of SV Oxford to NZ by GC
• Nickname Annotated note on family-held copy Father James's death certificate