Ebenezer Hale (1864 - 1941)

Born 1864 in Nelson, New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Fanny (Sowman) Hale — married 1897 in New Zealand

Descendants

Died 8 Feb 1941 at about age 77 in Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand

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Biography

Ebenezer (known as Ebb), born in Nelson in 1863, was a Masterton nurseryman. He was a cousin to both William Hale (who married Fanny’s sister, Sarah Ann) and Emily Hale (who married Fanny’s brother, William). Ebb was the second son of John Hale (Snr). His father John’s brother, William Hale (Snr), had arrived in Nelson in 1848.

John (Snr) arrived in Nelson with his wife Elizabeth and family on the LADY ALICE on 15 January 1859. He was a conservative and cautious man, described as an English gentleman—”to know him was to admire him”. He was also a skilled nurseryman and on arrival in Nelson joined his brother, William (Snr), in business.

In 1894, with his father’s advice and help, Ebenezer Hale opened his own nursery in Te Ore Ore Road, Lansdowne, Masterton. For many years, the family had been sending plants from Nelson to Masterton and so were aware of the opportunity for a large scale nursery there.

In his twenties, Ebenezer Hale was an outstanding Nelson oarsman. He was very strong, and as one of the crew of the now defunct Wakatu Rowing Club, rowed on the Wanganui River in 1888 in the first New Zealand Amateur Rowing Championships.

Ebb was to become Masterton’s leading nurseryman and was closely identified with the horticultural societies as they became established throughout the Wairarapa. He was a foundation member of the Masterton District Council, the Church of England Men’s Society and the NZ Nurserymen’s Association. He served as chairman of the Lansdowne School Committee and was a member of the Masterton A&P Association.

In the later years of his life, he handed over the responsibility of the business to his two sons, Archer and Nelson, who had followed in the family calling.^[1]

• Birth: Regd. 1863/12161 Hale Ebenezer, Mother: Elizabeth, Father: John
• Death: Regd. 1941/17720 Hale Ebenezer, Age: 77Y
• Marriage: Regd. 1897/1016 Bride: Fanny Sowman, Groom: Ebenezer Hale
• Burial: 10 Feb 1941 Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand. Archer Street Cemetery, QE Park, Plan II, Row 21, Plot EH, aged 77yrs

Sources

1. ↑ Blue-eyed, Fair and Stocky A Sowman family history by Robert J Sowman and Peter E Sowman. First published in Oct 2008. Reprinted with corrections 2010, 2011. (ISBN 978-0-473-13932-2)

• Sowman family history by Robert Sowman (2000 - Unpublished)
• Hale Family Tree (May 2000) by Kevin Goodall
• B.D.M. Historical Records Online [1]
• Masterton District Council Cemetery Database [2]