Alfred Flanagan (1876 - 1946)

Born 10 Oct 1876 in Waimea South, Nelson, Nelson, New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Rose Elizabeth (Lines) Flanagan — married 1924 in New Zealand

Died 3 Mar 1946 at age 69 in Nelson, New Zealand

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This profile is part of the Flanagan Name Study.

Biography

Early Years

Alfred Flanagan, known as Fred, was born on October 10th, 1876, in Waimea South, New Zealand. ^[1] Fred was the oldest son of George William Flanagan and Elizabeth Betsy Flanagan nee Brown who married in Nelson on April 30th, 1874.

It is likely that he was born at Wai-iti in the Nursing home of his Grandmother, Elizabeth Betsy BROWN nee Wadsworth.

Fred was the oldest son of George William Flanagan and Elizabeth Betsy Flanagan nee Brown who married in Nelson on April 30th, 1874.

Fred grew up in Wangapeka where his father was a farmer and goldminer. Fred was the oldest of 15 children. ^[2]

Fred was 17 when the Wangapeka School was opened in 1890. The school was built on a little flat beyond the rocks just past the square house.

Jeff Newport writes in Footprints (1962): ^[3]

Alfred had been going to the Stoke farm school but had not learned much as he was a good strong lad and had had to work on the farm.

George, Alice, Kate, Emma, Hilda and James Flanagan were also on the Wangapeka school roll.

Frank Flanagan recalls:

By the age of nine, Fred was shovelling tailings at the end of the sluice box for his father. He only went to school for three years. He had a standard 3 education, that’s all the education he had. But he had a terrific memory, he was what we call a bush carpenter at building. He could tell you how many 4x2’s he wanted in a building but he couldn’t work out how many feet, it would be sort of guess work, he would know approximately. He was pretty good at estimating the materials.

Working years - Wangapeka

Fred and his brothers cut wood, which was pit-sawn totora, on the Chandlers property for the Dart River Bridge. (When the river was first bridged in 1906). The bridge was washed out in a flood in 1920/21. Frank Flanagan recalls that his two oldest brothers, Fred and George cut about twenty acres of bush. When they first started out they took a tent with them. One day there was a heavy snowfall and the tent was half flat with the weight of snow. They found a cave nearby and shifted into the cave. The cave was quite dry but there was not a great deal of room in it.

After the death of his father in 1902, Fred, aged 27, took over the farm. The family continued living in the old courthouse at Wangapeka, until about 1908, when Fred sold to F.W. Gibbs.
Fred (33), along with his mother and the Flanagan children, who were still living at home, moved about four miles down the valley to Graham’s old place ^[4] where Fred built “the square house”. The timber was pit-sawn and hand-planed, even to the tongue and grooved lining and flooring. Frank Flanagan recalls that Fred put another piece onto the house to make it a t shape. He added a room that was the kitchen and living room with a big open fireplace, which had a big stone chimney. There were no ovens in those days, all of the cooking was done in the fireplace with a camp oven.
The house was still there in the 1960s with parts remaining until about 2003. By 2017 all evidence of the home is gone. The only remaining trace that the family once lived at the location, is a large walnut tree. ^[5]

Fred's brother Frank also recalls that to travel to Nelson, they had to walk to catch the train at Tadmor, a distance of about 12 miles from their home. It would take Fred about three hours to walk the 12 miles.
Before 1908, the train only came as far as Kohatu and they had to walk the distance to Kohatu if they needed to go to Nelson. In those days Fred would stay the night at Kohatu on his return from Nelson and then walk home the following day.

Fred also worked in the Galena mine at some stage. Galena is a lead ore but the location of this mine is unknown.

When Fred had the farm at Wangapeka he ran about 300 sheep and about 10 cows, some of which were their milking cows.

Frank Flanagan recalls:

Fred’s sheep on Billy’s Knob were bought down once a year. After shearing, some of them were kept back for killing and others were turned back up. If there’d been a gang shearing [blade shearing in those days] the next day they would let them out and start them on the track. The next morning you would see them way up the hill. It would take a day to drive them down, and they would more or less get back in a day on their own. All that wool was packed out on the horses. You put about six fleeces in a bag then you’d stick a bag on each side of the pack saddle and put another two on top. You’d have a couple of horses. You’d lead one and one would follow the other. A lot of the wool went 8 pence a pound.

Matariki

In 1916, Fred sold again and moved further down the valley to farm at Matariki. Fred’s mother, Betsy Flanagan and youngest brother, Frank (age 16), also moved to Matariki and lived with Fred.

Marriage

Fred was 49 when he married 44-year-old Rose Elizabeth Lines.
They were married in Nelson on November 5th, 1924.

Marriage - Nelson Evening Mail, 14 November 1924: ^[6]

FLANNAGAN—LINES. —on November 5th, 1924, at Nelson, Alfred Flannagan, eldest son of Mrs and the late Mr W. Flannagan, of Wangapeka, to Rose, youngest daughter of the late Mr and Mrs W. Lines, of Sherry.

Rose was the daughter of William Lines and Lucy Jane Lines nee Allcock.
Fred and Rose did not have children.

Fred’s mother Betsy remained living with Fred and Rose at Matariki until later in her life when she moved into Nelson and lived with her daughter Jessie.

Nelson

By 1928, Fred and Rose were living in Nelson, first at 17 St Vincent Street and by 1946, at 69 St Vincent Street. ^[7]

Death and Burial

Fred passed away in 1946 aged 70 years.
He died in Nelson on March 3rd, 1946. ^[8]

Rose passed away in 1847, aged 68.
She died in Stoke, near Nelson, on November 4th, 1947.

Both Fred and Rose were buried at the Wakapuaka Cemetery in Nelson. Fred was buried in the Roman Catholic block 3, Plot 21 beside Plot 22 his brother James.

Headstone Inscription:

Rose was buried in the New General block 20, Plot: 134. ^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth. New Zealand, Department of Internal Affairs. Historic BDM Index – Birth: “1875/425; FLANAGAN, Alfred; Mother: Betsy; Father: William” [10/10/1875]
2. ↑ Personal recollections of Alfred's brother Francis Henry Flanagan (1900 – 1986).
3. ↑ Newport, J.E., Footprints. 1962. Nelson, New Zealand. Personal copy in the possession of Michael Flanagan
4. ↑ Google maps reference 41°26'26.1"S 172°35'54.3"E as noted 11 Mar 2018 by Michele Flanagan.
5. ↑ Google maps reference 41°26'26.1"S 172°35'54.3"E as noted 11 Mar 2018 by Michele Flanagan. Location of large Walnut tree, once the home of Fred Flanagan and previously the Graham's.
6. ↑ Marriage. Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 14 November 1924, Page 4. Papers Past. Accessed 11 Apr 2024 by M. Gregg.
7. ↑ New Zealand Electoral Rolls, 1853 - 1981. Accessed via Ancestry.com at 7 Apr 2011 by Michele Flanagan
8. ↑ "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Probate Records, 1843-1998," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDTM-3JP : 11 August 2017), Alfred Flanagan, 1946; citing Nelson, Numerical probated case files, 1891-1968, record number 4066, Archives New Zealand, Auckland Regional Office; FamilySearch digital folder 004733754.
9. ↑ Nelson City Council Cemeteries. Database.www.nesloncitycouncil.co.nz

• Michele Flanagan. Extracts from "Flanagan – Presenting the Past," Compiled from 1996 by Michele Gregg nee Flanagan. New Zealand. Unpublished. Last revised 11 Mar 2018.
• Tibble, Douglas; A Brief history of the Flanagan Family. Written 1980 Nelson, New Zealand. Personal copy in the files of Michele Gregg nee Flanagan.
• Personal recollections of Alfred's brother Francis Henry Flanagan (1900 – 1986). Information gathered by Michele Gregg nee Flanagan.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Jeff Thomas for creating Flanagan-369 on 17 Dec 13. See the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Michele Flanagan and others. Can you add any information on Alfred Flanagan? Please help grow his WikiTree profile. Everything you see here is a collaborative work-in-progress.