Born Between 1827 and 1829, Kilmegan, County Down, Ireland. Imported only 1827 from Birth Date and marked as uncertain.
Died 5 Nov 1899, Ponsonby, New Zealand. [1].
Buried 7 Nov 1899, Waikumete Cemetary, Auckland, New Zealand. [2].
Occupation: Bootmaker. Living in Great Bolton, Lancashire in 1851 during the census that year, listed as a boarder, with the occupation of shoemaker[3].
In the 1861 Census Matthew is listed as head-of-household with an occupation of shoemaker[4]. They are listed as having a daughter aged 3, named Margaret. This is likely to be a transcription error.
Immigration: 18 August 1863 Sailed from Liverpool on the Landsborough bound for Melbourne, with wife Ann, daughter Mary Ann, age 6 and son James, age 2. Note on the passenger manifest says that a female child was born at sea, presumably Margaret Carr. Arrived in Melbourne on 18 November 1863[5][6].
The Landsborough was a Baines and McKay / Black Ball Line ship [7].
Much of the information below has come from notes and records compiled by Louis Dingle.
17 Feb 1864. Auckland, New Zealand. Note: Mathew and Ann, together with nearly 1000 other military settlers (men, women and children) left Melbourne on 6/2/1864 on the clipper ship Swiftsure (1326 tons). The full passenger list can be seen in the "Weekly News" of February 20, 1864, and on page 17, Col. 1 can be seen the entry - "Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Carr and 2 children". After a calm voyage of 11 days the ship arrived in Auckland on 17/2/1864[8][9].
Event: Military between 18 Jan 1864 and 25 Mar 1866, Waikato, New Zealand. Note: Regimental No. 19; Height 5' 7"; conditions of service: 2/6 per day, with rations and equipment, and a promise of a farm allotment of 50 acres and a town grant of one acre on termination of honourable military service [10].
Living 25 Mar 1866, Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. Note: Struck off pay and put in possession of his land. Conditions of settlement were that he could not dispose of his land until three years had elapsed. He also had to retain his military equipment in serviceable order and be ready to serve in the military forces if needed. Description of property: 24 Brown's Survey, Lot 42 Kapara, South of Newcastle (Ngaruawahia), North of Mangawarra' Town L, Lot 15, West Hamilton, Crown Grants Issued [11][12].
Living 1882, Auckland, New Zealand. Note: Listed alphabetically as owning freehold property in Auckland to the value of ^260. This was probably the property he owned in Lincoln St., Ponsonby, where he built a house, in the basement of which he practised his trade as a shoemaker[13].
Information from Death Registration:
Cause of Death: Carcinoma of the large intestine (9 months).
Certifying Doctor: Lindsay.
Minister: Very Rev. D. O. Egan.
Religion: Roman Catholic.
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Categories: Swiftsure, sailed February 6, 1864