George Coup (1873 - 1944)

Born 15 Aug 1873 in Kaiapoi, Canterbury, New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret (Miller) Coup — married 17 May 1904 in Otago, New Zealand

Died 22 Apr 1944 at age 70 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

George was born in 1873, New Zealand to Robert Coup Elizabeth Fairweather ^[1]

Standard 3 at Kaiapoi Borough School ^[2] coup

Standard 4 Kaiapoi Borough School ^[3]

He married Margaret Miller in 1904 ^[4]

DUNSTAN TIMES, ISSUE 2221, 23 FEBRUARY 1904 The following candidates from the Otago district passed the examination under the Mining Act for dredgemasters certificates, the pass being conditional pending ratification by the full board of examiners at a meeting to be held early next month; —George Coup, Albertown; J J Bardsley, Cromwell; W H Gibson, Cromwell; F Williams, Alexandra; A L Wiscombe, Island Block; D S McGregor, Alexandra; John Kitto, Roxburgh East; W G Baird, Clyde; T Bringans, Alexandra; John Holden, Cromwell; Hume Raitt, Albertown; Lewis Johnston, Beaumont; John Donaldson, Lawrence; J J Hughes, Miller's Flat; J E W Eatom, Alexandra.

MINING. OTAGO DAILY TIMES, ISSUE 12973, 14 MAY 1904 The Ashanti Goldfields Auxiliary Company, whose dredging areas are on the West Const of Africa, has lately been inquiring for experienced dredgemasters and winchmen, with the result that several dredgemasters throughout the dredging fields of Otago have received offers of positions on the company's dredges. Mr Howlison, at one time, of New Zealand, but now superintendent and consulting engineer for the Ashanti Goldfields Auxiliary Company, has commissioned his brother, Mr E. Howlison, of Dunedin to procure suitable men for this company's dredges. So far six men have been engaged on very liberal terms, Three of these men—namely, C. G. Gregg (an associate of the Otago School of Mines), Wm. J. Saunders (late manager of the Loch Lomond dredge), and Irvine B. Rooney (also a dredgemaster) have already left for West Africa, by the Athenic, and the remaining three, .whose names are G. Mellor (of Miller's Flat), H. Gemmell, and George Coup, are to leave this month.

George Coup, Engineer (31), travelled from Wellington May 26th 1904 to Tenneriffe. Aboard the Kumara ^[5]

Dredging in West Africa. CROMWELL ARGUS, VOLUME XXXVII, ISSUE 2019, 17 DECEMBER 1906 [1]......This company has two dredges, and No, 1 is managed by George Coup, formerly of Cromwell. He is well, and I visited him last week for three days, and he was looking forward to going home, as his time is nearly up......

THE COLD DREDGING INDUSTRY Grey River Argus, 5 June 1907 coup EXPERIENCES IN WEST AFRICA AND BRITISH NEW GUIANA Learning that Mr. George Coup, junr., of Kaiapoi Island, had returned home after some years spent in visiting Great Britain and exploring some of the great dredging claims worked by British capital in West Africa and in the less known territory of British Guiana, a Christchurch Press reporter obtained an interview with him. Mr Coup went from England to the Gold Coast, West Africa, landing at a small port there. He states that large claims are held some miles inland, the country there being supposed to be highly auriferous, and developments are being awaited with interest. The gold dredging companies are sparing no expense to win the precious metal. The claims or "concessions" are obtained with much diplomacy and patience from the native chief of the district. The privilege to work is secured after palaver lasting for months, and once the rights are secured, there are considerable handicaps on the remarkable industry of dredging in this weird country in the depths of a jungle which seems to have no beginning and no end. The heat—as the distance to the Equator is only 300 miles—is oppressive, the weather as a rule is humid, and owing to the prevalence of malaria a residence of twelve months has to be followed by six or eight in a less trying climate for recuperating . Mr. Coup remarked that it seemed a most remarkable place, in which to peg out a dredging claim, but in the alluvial deposits of the Offin river, an influential company had a large dredging plant, and were fitting satisfactory returns, The dredge and pontoons were all steel, even the hulls being made of metal to resist the damage, which ants commit upon timber. The dredger went night and day, and although wood was plentiful, coal and patent Welsh fuel were used. The labour was provided by hundreds of Fanti natives, who performed the haulage which oxen or horses or steam traction might have expected to perform, Animals were, however, out of the question for the work on account of the prison-dealing native fly. The obstacles met with in working the dredge at an average of five or six feet were timber snags similar to what occur on the New Zealand West Coast claims. Fine gold is found in the majority of cases, but in some instances the grains are found in a course form. After setting up a dredge in working order Mr. Coup found it necessary to go to England for a few months on furlough, and the next expedition was into the same country to superintend the working of the pioneer West African dredges on the Ancobra river. Seven miles higher up the same company has another dredge, and both were giving satisfactory returns. There was also on the river, forty miles below, a second company dredging. The trouble in the Ancobra was mainly from rocky bars or reefs, which were not, however, gold bearing. Here the work was in the fastnesses of the jungle, and the labour was done by Kroo "boys" imported from Liberia, who were paid about 30s per month each and received rations of winch the staple article was two cups full of rice daily. Upon his second return to Great Britain, Mr. Coup was engaged to act as dredge master on a large machine which had left Scotland two years previously, and had reached a stream in British Guiana known as Frog Creek. This river is a branch of the great Essequibo, which has its rise in the Andes and its outfall into the Caribbean Sea. The dredge was set up in the midst of the primeval forest in similar surroundings to those on the West Africa Gold Coast. The gold-bearing area is supposed to run back scores of miles into the Savannah territory, and right on to the health-giving plateau at the toes of the Andes. Here the gold is of the fine kind, but nuggets are obtainable. Thousands of prospectors are hunting the country. These fossickers return at times with bags of gold and fortunes made under very trying circumstances, but often the prospecting parties reach Georgetown ragged, penniless, and broken down in health and spirits. . The negro labourers on the dredges work very well. It may be noted it is a condition imposed by-law that they are to be well treated. The wages run from 1s 6d to 5s per day with weekly rations according to the Government scale. Mr.Coup "says the working of the dredge was quite satisfactory, and when he left it it was winning the gold flakes from the rich alluvium of the river.

Press, 20 May 1908 - Our London correspondent writes on April 10th: - Mr George Coup (Kaiapoi) arrived in London a week or two ago, solely on a business visit. After about five weeks spent here he will start for South America, taking with him some mining plant to prospect a concession on behalf of a London, syndicate. ^[6]

LYTTELTON TIMES, VOLUME CXIX, ISSUE 14708, 12 JUNE 1908 At 7.30 on Wednesday evening a fire broke out in Mr G. Coup's residence, near Kaiapoi. It broke out in the stables, which were destroyed, together with some grain. The damage is estimated at £100. There was no insurance. The fire was caused by the upsetting of a lamp.

Evening Post, 20 January 1909 ABOUT PEOPLE Mr. and Mrs. George Coup (Canterbury) have just returned to England from Surinam, South America, via the West Indies. A few months are to be spent in England, but on account of Mr. Coup's health it is desirable to avoid the London fogs, so the winter months are to be spent on the South Coast, Mr and Mrs. Coup contemplate leaving for New Zealand in the coming spring. ^[7]

They had one child Eric Coup in 1909, Brighton, Sussex, England.

George (Engineer), Margaret and Eric (3 months) travelled from Liverpool to Adelaide in 1909 aboard the Runic^[8]

The Lilydale Express (Vic. : 1886 - 1897 ; 1914 - 1920) Fri 5 Sep 1919 SHIRE OF UPPER YARRA. CENTRAL RIDING. Declaration of result of Poll at Extraordinary Election. I hereby give notice that at a Poll held before me this 25th day of August, 1919, for the election of one Councillor for the Central Riding of Shire of Upper Yarra, the following votes were recorded viz., George Coup 239 James Menzies 88 Majority for Coup 151. I therefore declare the said George Coup duly elected as a Councillor for the Central Riding of the Shire of Upper Yarra. Dated the 28th August, 1919. SHIRE OF UPPER JAMES MACKLEY, Returning Officer[2][3]

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Fri 8 Dec 1922 Mr. George Coup was motoring to Melbourne, a calf ran in front of the car as it approached a culvert on the main road. The radiator of the car was damaged. This is the second accident that has occurred recently in Gisborne through stock wandering on the roads. Mr Coup estimates that 100 head of cattle were passed on the main Melbourne road in the Gisborne Shire. [4]

Died George died 22 April 1944, Melbourne, Australia. ^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ 1873/32697 Coup George Elizabeth Robert
2. ↑ SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS. Press, Volume XLII, Issue 6327, 30 December 1885
3. ↑ OUR SCHOOLS. Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 8049, 23 December 1886
4. ↑ 1904/5386 Margaret Miller George Coup
5. ↑ New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists Name George Coup Event Type Immigration Event Date 1904 Event Place London, New Zealand Age 31 Occupation engineer Birth Year (Estimated) 1873 Ship Name Kumara Departure Date 1904 Departure Port Wellington Arrival Port London (other ports also listed) Arrival Place Wellington Citing this Record "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists, 1839-1973," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDK-RC7M : 10 August 2017), George Coup, 1904; citing ship , Archives New Zealand, Wellington; FHL microfilm .
6. ↑ Papers Past Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13120, 20 May 1908
7. ↑ Papers past Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 16, 20 January 1909
8. ↑ Australia, South Australia, Immigrants Ship Papers, 1849-1940 Name: Margaret Coup Event Type: Immigration Event Date: 18 Jun 1909 Event Place: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Event Place (Original): Adelaide Gender: Female Age: 29 Birth Year (Estimated): 1880 Departure Place: Liverpool And Capetown Ship Name: Runic Citing this Record "Australia, South Australia, Immigrants Ship Papers, 1849-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WXBH-1C6Z : 2 January 2020), Margaret Coup, 1909.
9. ↑ Australia, Victoria, Index to Probate Registers Name George Coup Occupation Ex Farmer Death Date 22 Apr 1944 Event Place Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Residence City Elwood Event Date 27 Jul 1944 Series Number 355 Record Number 250 Citing this Record "Australia, Victoria, Index to Probate Registers, 1841-1989," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JVZS-63J : 9 December 2014), George Coup, 27 Jul 1944; citing Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, series 355, record 250, Public Record Office, Victoria; FamilySearch digital folder 004105330.