Arthur Best (abt. 1838 - 1913)

Born about 1838 in Thorney, Somerset, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Florence (Thomas) Best — married 1858 in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Died 10 Mar 1913 at about age 75 in Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand

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Arthur Best was born in England.

Biography

Arthur Best was born at Thorney, Somerset, England, and baptised at Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset, on the 8th of July, 1838. He was the son of Joseph Best, who was then recorded as a labourer, and Hannah Gillett. The family were living at Thorney.^[1][2]

By the 30th of March, 1851, when Arthur was 12, the family had moved to Drayton, Somerset and his father Joseph was employed as a canal lock keeper.^[3]

Arthur migrated to New South Wales via the ship Kate, which arrived 27 December 1856. His migration papers record that he was a farm labourer, born at Thorney, son of Joseph and Hannah Best who were living at Drayton, Somerset.^[2]

He married Elizabeth Florence Thomas at Parramatta, New South Wales, in 1858.^[4]

They migrated to New Zealand and resided at Pleasant Valley.

He died at the Timaru Hospital, Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand on 10 March 1913.^[5][6]

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914"
   Somerset Heritage Service; Taunton, Somerset, England; Reference Number: D\P\K.EP/2/1/3
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 60857 #4828713 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   Arthur Best baptism on 8 Jul. 1838, child of Joseph Best & Hannah Best, in Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset, England.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Passenger List: "New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896"
   State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood New South Wales, Australia; Persons on bounty ships to Sydney, Newcastle, and Moreton Bay (Board's Immigrant Lists); Series: 5317; Reel: 2473
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 1204 #334445 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   Name: Arthur Best; Birth Year: abt 1837; Age: 19; Arrival Date: 27 Dec. 1856; Vessel Name: Kate; Origin Location: St Enoder, Cornwall, England.
3. ↑ 1851 England Census.Arthur Best, age 12, birthplace Somerset Kingsbury.
4. ↑ Marriage Index (NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages : accessed 08 Jul 2023), Index entry for ARTHUR BEST and ELIZABETH THOMAS; District: PARRAMATTA; Registration Number: 2374/1858
5. ↑ New Zealand death index: 1913/2248 Best, Arthur, age: 75Y
6. ↑ Timaru Herald, Volume XCVII, Issue 14992, 11 March 1913, Page 6. Retrieved 8 Jul 2023 from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19130311.2.26
   BEST. —On March 10th, at the Timaru Hospital, Arthur Best, late of Pleasant Valley, Geraldine; in his 75th year. At rest.