John Lambert Polwart (1836 - 1911)

Born 19 Nov 1836 in Tweedmouth, Northumberland, England

Husband of Mary (McMahon) Probert — married 1875 in New Zealand

Descendants

Died 25 May 1911 at age 74 in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lianne Trevarthen [send private message]

Biography

John Polwart migrated from England to New Zealand.

John Polwart lived in Rangiriri, Waikato, New Zealand.

John was born in 1836. John Polwart was the son of Joseph and Jane Polwart and was baptised on 27 November 1836 in Tweedmouth, Northumberland.

The 1851 Census shows him as about 14 and living in Tweedmouth, his father a Master mariner and his three older brothers were all engaged in trade - as a Millwright, Ironmonger's apprentice and Butcher's apprentice.

Quite when John emigrated to New Zealand is currently unclear, and requires more research. He was the recipient of a Crown Grant [1] of land in 1868 so it is presumed he arrived in New Zealand between 1865 and 1868. He would therefore have settled in the Rangiriri area after the turbulence of the New Zealand Wars.

Once in New Zealand he married at the age of 39 to Mary McMahon. They married in 1875 and had several children.

CHILDREN:
The following list of children has been obtained from BDM Online. Note that the registration year does not always equate to the birth year, and there may be name variances in the transcribed record in the BDM Online database.

He was a settler farmer in Rangiriri, and with the railway running through the area, had losses due to trains passing through. Once a horse lost it's legs, having been a casualty of one of the trains. A neighbour wrote to the Editor of the paper concerning the "slaughter" of cattle, which seemed to be becoming a regular occurrence. [2]

John Polwart had a quarry, known as Polwart's Quarry, in Waerenga, which was instrumental in providing material for roading for the newly settled country. Without proper roads areas such as Waerenga were very cut-off, and supplies were difficult, if not impossible, to deliver due to the impassibility of unformed tracks.

He passed away in May 1911 when he was 74. Even before his death, he was still active in the community. He was on the Committee of the Rangiriri Athletic Club in February 1911. [3] [4].

John's last known will was signed in 1909. In this he excluded his eldest son, John Lambert Polwart (junior), from the provisions and his estate was left to his other sons (one of whom had already been provided for) and his daughters. He stated in reference to his eldest son that "his general conduct has not been such as it should have been". The nature of that conduct was not specified.

John Lambert Polwart is buried in Hamilton West Cemetery in Plot A2A-U-18 (Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand).

Sources

• England Select Births & Baptisms - Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: John Lambert Polwart; Gender: Male; Baptism Date: 27 Nov 1836; Baptism Place: Tweedmouth, Northumberland, England; Father: Joseph Polwart; Mother: Jane; FHL Film Number: 1469105
• 1851 England Census - Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 2421; Folio: 229; Page: 38; GSU roll: 87100-87101. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1851 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Name: John Polwart; Age: 14; Estimated birth year: abt 1837; Relation: Son; Father's name: Joseph Polwart; Mother's name: Jane Polwart; Gender: Male; Where born: Northd, Tweedmouth; Civil Parish: Tweedmouth; Ecclesiastical parish: Durham
• 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 Lambert Polwart; Marriage Year: 1875; Marriage Place: New Zealand; Spouse: Mary Mc Mahon; Folio Number: 1642
• New Zealand Gazette 1882 - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, The New Zealand Gazette, 1860-1894 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Name: John L Polwart; Residence Date: 26 Apr 1882; Residence Place: Rangiriri; Publication Date: 21 Apr 1882, Citing John L Polwart elected to Licensing Committee for Rangiriri
• New Zealand City & Area Directory 1887 - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, City & Area Directories, 1866-1954 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Name: John L Polwart; Year: 1887-1888; Residence: Rangiriri
• 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 Lambert Polwart; Death Date: Apr-May-Jun 1911; Registration Place: Hamilton, Auckland, New Zealand; Folio Number: 856
• 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 Lambert Polwart; Birth Date: abt 1837; Death Age: 74; Death Date: 25 May 1911; Burial Place: Waikato, New Zealand; Cemetery: Hamilton West; Spouse Name: Mary Polwart
• Probate Record - "New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Probate Records, 1843-1998," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9V-VHBD : 27 April 2016), John Lambert Polwart, 1911; citing Hamilton, Hamilton Probates - Second Sequence, 1910-1953, record number 128, Archives New Zealand, Auckland Regional Office; FamilySearch digital folder 007080570.
• Australia & New Zealand Find a Grave Index - Memorial # 128758990

See Also

• Geni profile for John Lambert Polwart