William Joseph Mercer Cornthwaite (1867 - 1903)

Born 1867 in New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Annie Helen (Flett) Sims — married 1898 in New Zealand

Died 10 May 1903 at about age 36 in Waihi, New Zealand

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Biography

William was born in 1867. He was the son of William Knowles Cornthwaite and Alice Marie Worden.

He married Annie Helen Flett in 1898. She was the daughter of Mr J Flett of the Rob Roy Hotel in Waihi.

William Cornthwaite died in a gold mine fall on 10 May 1903

He passed away in 1903. He died of injuries received in the Waihi mine. He was 36 years old, and survived by his wife and two daughters, Violet and Eva. The newspaper account of his death notes that his brother, Chris Cornthwaite, was the shift boss at the Waihi Battery. There had been 5 fatalities in this mine in the 5 preceding weeks.

The inquest verdict was accidental death, with a recommendation for the mining inspector to investigate safety measures to secure greater safety in the pumping shafts and that a report on the same be sent to the Government.

In Waihi, the Druid burial service was read over his body before being transported by train to Bombay. In Bombay a funeral was held with the interment taking place at St Peter's in the Forest Anglican cemetery.

Sources

• New Zealand Birth Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Birth Index, 1840-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: William Joseph Mercer Cornthwaite; Birth Date: 1867; Registration Place: New Zealand; Folio Number: 246
• New Zealand Marriage Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Marriage Index, 1840-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: William Joseph Mercer Cornthwaite; Gender: Male; Marriage Year: 1898; Marriage Place: New Zealand; Spouse: Annie Helen Flett; Relation: Bridegroom; Folio Number: 3995
• New Zealand Death Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Death Index, 1848-1966 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: William Joseph Mercer Cornthwaite; Death Date: Apr-May-Jun 1903; Registration Place: Waihi, Wellington, New Zealand; Folio Number: 888
• New Zealand Cemetery Records - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: W J M Cornthwaite; Birth Date: abt 1867; Death Age: 36; Death Date: 10 May 1903; Death Place: Waihi; Burial Place: Auckland, New Zealand; Cemetery: Bombay St Peters
• Probate - "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Probate Records, 1843-1998," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2XL-LK2B : 11 November 2017), William Joseph Mercer Cornthwaite, 1903; citing Auckland, , record number 4796, Archives New Zealand, Auckland Regional Office; FamilySearch digital folder 101152255