William Clark (1848 - 1932)

PAINFUL ACCIDENT

A young married woman, the wife of Mr. Clark, settler, of Tuakau, met with a most serious accident on Friday afternoon while gathering peaches from a tree, up which she had climbed. Her companions, the Misses Coonay, observing that the branch was breaking, called out to Mrs Clark, who tried to save herself by jumping to the ground, but unfortunately fell violently upon a projecting stump, receiving a sad injury. On Saturday she was brought by the Waikato train to Auckland and conveyed to the hospital, Mrs Coonay bestowing every kindness and care upon the sufferer. The accident took place at a peach grove outside the township. The sufferer has a young child. Her husband was at the time of the accident working near Papakura. (Auckland Star, 28 Jan 1878)

CLARK BAXTER--on March 12, 1878, Presbyterian Church, Auckland, by the Rev. D. Wallace, William, third son late Thomas and Rebecca Clark, County Tyrone, Ireland to Annie, second daughter of late James and Matilda Baxter, Newtonumvady, Ireland. Present address 1, Parkfield Terrace, Grafton. (New Zealand Herald, 12 March 1928, p. 1) ^[2]

Mr. William Clark. The death occurred yesterday, at his residence, Parkfield Terrace, Grafton, of Mr. William Clark, aged 85 years. Mr. Clark came from County Tyrone by the sailing ship Dauntless, landing at Auckland after a voyage of six months in 1865, and settled at Tuakau with his mother and uncle. There they bought a farm and Mr. Clark, then a youth worked on the property and found employment in other ways. He carried mails and later worked on the construction of the railway at Pukekohe, working for seven shillings a day and tramping to his work from Tuakau.

Later, Mr. Clark acquired a farm of his own, obtaining from the Government 10 acres free and another 10 for 8, the terms usual at the time. He cleared it of bush and tea-tree and erected a slab whare. About this time the Queen's Redoubt was built between Tuakau and Mercer to protect the district from Maori invasion and Mr. Clark was among those liable for service. Mr. Clark saw some fighting just north of Mercer, where the soldiers suffered severely under the sniping tactics of Maoris ensconced in cabbage trees. Mr. Clark's father fought at the Battle of Waterloo.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark celebrated their golden wedding in 1928. They were married in 1878 in the Presbyterian Church in Auckland, to which they travelled by the newly-opened railway from their farm at Tuakau, then hardly cleared of the virgin bush. The couple lived on the farm at Tuakau, sharing the hardships of the life of the pioneers, until they disposed of the property, which had been increased to 120 acres, 12 years ago, and came to live in Auckland. (New Zealand Herald, 11 May 1932, p. 1) ^[1]

CLARK. —On May 9, at his late residence, 1, Parkfield Terrace, Grafton. William, dearly-beloved husband of Annie Clark, late of Tuakau; aged 85 years. Funeral will leave the above address at 1.30 p.m. to-day (Wednesday), for Hillsborough Cemetery. (New Zealand Herald, 11 May 1932, p. 1) ^[6]