John Henry Colwill (1871 - 1941)

Born 1871 in Lanteglos, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Harriet (Swanson) Colwill — married 1900 (to Dec 1920) in Auckland, New Zealand

Died 25 Jun 1941 at about age 70 in Auckland, New Zealand

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Biography

John was born in 1871 in Cornwall and was the son of Arscott Colwill and Hannah Dennis.

In 1900 he married recently widowed Harriet Best (nee Swanson), and they lived in Remuera. Harriet had two children from her previous marriage. John was about 29 years old when they married. The couple lived apart from 1913, but had daughter Joyce (and Bettie?). John appears in a cricket team photo in 1902 in the middle row and the second right.

Information on Archways (National Archives of New Zealand) indicates that John was a teacher of shorthand and an importer. He started a typewriting and supplies business in central Auckland in the late 1890s. In the early 1900s the successful businessman turned his sights turned towards the west and purchased approximately 1,500 acres in the area that would become Massey. He established Lincoln Park Orchards, offering a home delivery service and the opportunity to sample fresh fruit at his city office, Colwill Chambers, Swanson Street, and built a house on land he named Lincoln Park Estate.

In 1920 his wife sued for divorce and this was undefended by John, with the divorce becoming final in about December 1920. The following year John married Doreen Weeden Knight Baker, with whom he had been having an extra-marital affair. John would have been about 50 years old when he entered his second marriage. His wife, Doreen, was much younger than him, and they had a daughter named after her in 1921.

He passed away in 1941. John was cremated at Waikumete Cemetery, in Auckland. Funeral director was Watney Sibuns And Sons Limited.

Colwill School, Massey, was named for John Colwill. "In 1979 the Foundation School Committee had the task of choosing a name for the School. Parents voted for the name Colwill after John Henry Colwill who owned a large block of land in the area." (See Colwill School Strategic Plan 2017 and Colwill School website.) In Massey East Colwill’s surname has also informed a road, while Moire Road is named after his daughter. It is believed that Royal Road has its origins in the Royal Barlock typewriters he imported from England. Waimumu road appears to reference his launch Waimumu, on which he travelled from the city to his rural property.

Sources

• New Zealand Marriage Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Marriage Index, 1840-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: John Henry Colwill; Gender: Male; Marriage Year: 1900; Marriage Place: New Zealand; Spouse: Harriet Best; Relation: Bridegroom; Folio Number: 4068
• New Zealand Death Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Death Index, 1848-1966 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: John Henry Colwill; Death Date: Apr-May-Jun 1941; Registration Place: Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Folio Number: 1216
• New Zealand Cemetery Records - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: John Henry Colwill; Birth Date: abt 1871; Death Age: 70; Death Date: 25 Jun 1941; Burial Place: Auckland, New Zealand; Cemetery: Waikumete
• Probate - "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Probate Records, 1843-1998," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKYR-TXMN : 8 August 2017), John Henry Colwill, 1941; citing Wellington, Wellington Probate Files [Second Sequence], 1843-1939, record number 3819, Archives New Zealand, Auckland Regional Office; FamilySearch digital folder 101282460