John Edmund Sarten (1838 - 1860)

Born 9 Sep 1838 in Martock, Somerset, England

Ancestors

Died 26 Mar 1860 at age 21 in Waitara, New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand

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Biography

John Edmund Sarten was born in 1838 in Martock, Somersetshire, England. He was the son of Edmund Sartin and Lucy Rodd Lye. The Sarten family arrived in New Plymouth in 1840 on the William Bryan: Edmund 21, Lucy 21, John under 7 years and Levi 3 months.

Three members of the Sarten family died during the tumultuous year of 1860. John Edmund Sarten had the somewhat dubious distinction of becoming the first official fatality of the Taranaki War when as a member of the mounted volunteers he died from wounds received during the assault on Te Kohia on 17 March ^[1].

His father Edmund died in August and his brother Joseph was killed in a raid on the village of Henui in December ^[2].

The opening shots of the Taranaki war were fired at Kīngi's new pā, Te Kohia – also known as the ‘L’ pa because of its shape – on 17 March 1860. After a day of fruitless artillery fire Māori evacuated the pa during the night with no loss of life. Te Kohia set the pattern for the next 12 months of fighting. Te Ātiawa aimed to confront the British in a way that prevented them from being able to use their superior manpower and resources.

Raids against settler properties in outlying areas increased, forcing many into New Plymouth for safety. Fears that the conflict might spread beyond Te Ātiawa appeared realised when a force of 500 Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Rauru Māori assembled above Ōmata, less than 10 km south of New Plymouth. They built Kaipopo pā, which provided a good view of both the main road and the settlers' stockade at Ōmata. News reached New Plymouth on 28 March that five settlers, including two boys (John Edmund Sarten and Joseph Sarten), had been killed in Ōmata, increasing fears that the town was slowly but surely becoming encircled by hostile forces. A force was dispatched immediately to rescue settlers said to be trapped behind enemy lines near the Waireka Stream ^[3].

John Edmund Sarten is buried with his brother Joseph, his sister Martha and his parents Edmund and Lucy Sarten in St Mary's Anglican Churchyard, New Plymouth ^[4].

Sources

1. ↑ "New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1966," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24J-KJST : 4 October 2016), John Edmund Sarten, 1860; citing Death, New Zealand, registration number 1860/2765, Archives of New Zealand, Wellington
2. ↑ https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/taranaki-wars/fighting-march-june-1860
3. ↑ https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/taranaki-wars/fighting-march-june-1860
4. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/119331003/john-edmund-sarten