Helen Clara (Piers) Snow (abt.1825-1913) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Helen Clara Snow formerly Piers

Born about 9 Nov 1825 in Preston, Weymouth, Dorset,England

Daughter of Rev. Octavius Samuel Piers and Jane (Tristram) Piers

Sister of Octavius Barrington Piers [half], Eliza Jane (Piers) Harrington [half], Henry Piers retired su [half], William Dewe Piers [half], Edward William Piers [half], Thomas Tristram Piers [half], Shute Barrington Piers R.N. [half] and Claudius Buchanan Piers [half]

Wife of Charles Hastings Snow — married 1850 in Weymouth, Dorset, England

Descendants

Mother of Rochfort Snow, Isabella Maud (Snow) Hamersley, Ernest Hastings Snow, Gertrude Maynard (Snow) Scales, Charles D'Oyly Snow and Daines Barrington Snow

Died 30 Mar 1913 at about age 87 in Hamilton, New Zealand

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Profile last modified 15 Mar 2024 | Created 19 Aug 2016

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Biography

Helen Clara Piers was the youngest daughter of 9 children born from Rev. Octavius Samuel Piers, Vicar of Preston, Dorset, and Jane Tristram daughter of Rev. Thomas Tristram, he was son of Sir Pigott William Piers 5th Baronet and Elizabeth Smythe, Helen Clara Piers was born 9 November 1825 at Preston, Weymouth, Dorset, England and married Charles Hastings Snow on 25 June 1850 at Preston, Weymouth, Dorset, England, they had 6 children. Reverend Octavius Piers was born in 1788 and died 23 February 1848,

Mrs Helen Clara Snow (1825-1913), of Langton Lodge, Aurora Terrace, Wellington was a frequent correspondent with Isabel Hapgood about the KM affair. Hapgood’s file holds about 20 of these letters, dated between November 1892 and August 1896 (mostly in 1893). They include clippings and copies of other correspondence, providing hearsay evidence of KM’s misdemeanours in New Zealand from 1885-89.

Mrs Snow was originally Helen Clara Piers, born in Dorset in 1825. She married Charles Hastings Snow in Dorset in 1850, and they emigrated to New Zealand in 1860 (after his business struggled in the cotton price failure (source: Hibiscus Coast report)). Mr Snow was head of the Audit Department in Wellington. They had 6 children (roughly around KM’s age – see bio links below). By 1876 they were living in Langton Lodge, Aurora Terrace, Wellington. HCS refers to it as ‘up our hill’ (IFH 1.04.09). This sale notice from 1895 describes their home. The Parsonage Reserve was to the north east of their plot. Their neighbour RB Gore was (in 1892) Secretary to the Wellington Philosophical Society and longstanding curator of the Colonial Museum (see obit. from 1904.). Mrs Snow was a member of the New Zealand Women’s Christian Temperance Union (in 1886, she was in charge of ‘Influencing the Press’ at its first annual meeting.) In June 1888 she organised a charitable bazaar, and another in 1890 in aid of Dr Barnado’s Orphanage. There are various news articles showing contributions to charities through the 1880s and 1890s, but these may be from other members of the Snow family (cf notices of donations to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Cottage Home for Girls, the Home for Friendless Women). It is not clear if Helen Snow actually ever met KM, though she would doubtless have been well aware of her presence in Wellington in 1889 through the hospital scandal, if nothing else, well before she became entangled with Helen’s friend, Ellen Hewett. In 1894, due to Mr Snow’s ill health, they put up their Wellington home for rent and went to stay with Ernest, then in Levin. Their home at Langton Lodge was put up for sale in November 1895, by which time they had moved to Bunnythorpe, living with/near Charles & Emily (nee Forlong) & family, for four years. Mr Charles Snow senior died in 1900, after which HCS travelled around for a while (see obits below for later years). Helen C Snow died in 1913 at Hamilton, NZ.

HELEN CLARA PIERS (Piers-52)

PARENTS. Rev Octavius Samuel Piers & Jane (Tristram) Piers

BIRTH. Abt. 1826, England

MARRIAGE. 1850, Weymouth, Dorset, England

MARRIAGE. 1850, Charles Hastings Snow, son of Rev, Thomas Snow & Maynard Eliza (D'oyly) (Farquhar) Snow

MARRIAGE. 1850

Name Charles Hastings Snow

Event Type Marriage

Registration Quarter Apr-May-Jun

Registration Year 1850

Registration District Weymouth

County Dorset

Event Place Weymouth, Dorset, England

Volume 8, Page 303, Line Number 12

Charles Hastings Snow probably married one of the following people

Name Hellen Clara Piers

Children (born in England):

(1) Rochfort Snow, b. 10 Aug 1851, d. 16 Mar 1929, m (1). abt. 1881, Elizabeth Matilda Norman, daughter of William Norman & Martha Matilda (possibly Gunning) Norman, m (2). 15 Dec 1915, Lucianne Robina D'Oyly, daughter of ??

(2) Isabella Maud Snow, b. 29 Apr 1853, d. 27 Jan 1955, m. 25 Oct 1876, Alfred St George Hamersley, son of Hugh Hamersley & Philipa Mary Anne (Phillips) Hamersley

(3) Ernest Hastings Snow, b. abt. 1855, d. 1946, m. 14 Aug 1880, Charlotte Elizabeth Wiber, daughter of Robert Wilson Wiber & Maria Elizabeth (Moor/e) Wiber

(4) Gertrude Maynard Snow, b. abt. 1859, d. 1948, m. 13 Feb 1884, George Herbert Scales, son of Edward Home Scales & Sarah Jane (Hawke/r) Scales

IMMIGRATION. 1860. To New Zealand. On the LORD BURLEIGH.

Shipping Intelligence. PORT OF AUCKLAND. ENTERED INWARDS. March 22.— Lord Burleigh, Capt. Smith, from London. Passengers, Chief Cabin : Edward Maltby, Jos. Jackson, Jane Alice Stepney, James Pitcher, Eliza Recce ; Charles H., Helen C., Rockfort, J. Maud, Ernett, and Gertrude Snow . . .

SHIPPING. The ship Lord Burleigh came into harbor shortly after the Lord Ashley, bringing up off the Queen's Wharf, in the heart of one of the severest squalls, accompanied with thunder and lightening, and a deluge of rain that has been experienced for the last four or five years. She has had a tedious passage of a hundred and twenty-five days from the Downs, whence she took her departure on the 18th November. On 7th March she encountered a severe gale commencing at from east to east-south-east, and subsiding at east-north-east, from 2 till 4 p.m., it blew with great violence. Made the Three Kings at daylight on the 21st. Spoke no ships connected with the colonies. There was one birth, but no deaths or sickness during the passage.— Wellington Independent. -- Children (born in New Zealand):

(5) Charles D'Oyly Snow, b. abt. 1863, d. 12 Oct 1941, m. Aug 1892, Emily Rose Forlong, daughter of Gordon Forlong & Elizabeth Anna (Houlton) Forlong

(6) Daines Barrington Snow, b. abt. 1866, d. 1939, m. Nellie ?Snow?

Death of Spouse: 13 Aug 1900, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

DEATH. 30 Mar 1913, Hamilton, New Zealand

DEATH. NZ BDM Death Reg: #1913/1531: Snow Helen Clara; Age: 87Y

OBITUARY. There passed away in Hamilton, on Sunday, at 3.30 a.m., another of New Zealand’s oldest settlers in the person of Mrs Helen Clara Snow, widow of the late Charles Hastings Snow, of Wellington. Mrs Snow came with her husband in 1859 to Auckland, where he had a Government appointment.

Mrs Snow was the second daughter of the Rev. Octavius Piers, Vicar of Preston, Dorset. England, a grand-daughter of Sir Pigott Piers, Baronet, of Tristernagh Abbey, West Meath, Ireland, and grand niece of the Right Hon. Shute Barrington, Bishop of Durham, from whom she derived a small income. When the seat of Government was moved to Wellington Mrs Snow went to reside there. Thirty years ago Mrs Snow was one of the best known personalities of Wellington. Always to the fore in all evangelistic and philanthropic movements, her home was a haven for distressed and needy souls. A staunch member of the Church of England dating her whole life, and of strong evangelistic views she was an ardent Protestant, and deeply regretted the modern ritualistic tendencies of her loved church.

Mrs Snow was also a great temperance worker, and was present at the first W.C.T.U. meetings in New Zealand, convened by Mrs Levett, of America. When the Salvation Army first came to New Zealand Mrs Snow followed their work with great interest and became a valued help and supporter of their rescue and other good works. Of a most charitable disposition she increased her powers of giving by cultivating unci selling Bowers raised in her husband's beautiful grounds—quite a show place at one time in Aurora Terrace —and by these means she was able to continue helping her special charities for many years. Mrs Snow also for some years held a sale of work for Protestant societies, also Dr. Barnardo’s well-known mission.

In 1894, owing to illhealth, Mr Snow decided to give up his Wellington home, and Mr and Mrs Snow removed to Levin, staying with their second son, Mr Ernest Snow, for a few months, after which the sold their Wellington property and went to Bunnythorpe, making their home there for nearly four years with their son, who is at present in Hamilton.

After Mr Snow's death, on August 13th, 1900, Mrs Snow spent some years in travel, visiting South Africa, Vancouver and her old home in Dorset. Returning to New Zealand, she continued visiting different places of interest in New Zealand and Australia, accompanied by her granddaughter, Miss Nellie Snow, now Mrs Floyd Harrop, of Auckland. Latterly she resided with her daughter, Mrs Scales, of the Lower Hull for some time, afterwards removing to Palmerston North, and finally followed her son and his family to Hamilton, where she expired on Sunday morning, in her 88th year.

Mrs Snow leaves a grown up family of six, Lieut. Col. Rachford Snow, of Christchurch; Mrs R. St. G. Hamersley of England, wife of Col. R. St. G. Hamcrsley, M.P. for North Oxford; Mrs George Scales, of Lower Hutt; Mr Ernest Hastings Snow, of Blemfop, South Africa; Mr C. D’Oyly Snow, of Hamilton; and Mr Daines Barrington Snow, of Cape Town; also 34 grandchildren and nine great grand children, seven of whom survive her. The remains will be interred in the Hamilton East Cemetery.