James Speedy
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James Havelock Speedy (bef. 1811 - 1868)

Major James Havelock Speedy
Born before in Dublin, Irelandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married Oct 1835 in Agra, Indiamap
Descendants descendants
Died after age 56 in Mauku, Auckland, New Zealandmap
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Profile last modified | Created 3 Jan 2017
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James Speedy migrated from Ireland to New Zealand.
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New Zealand
James Speedy lived in Mauku, Auckland, New Zealand.

Contents

Biography

James Speedy was born prior to 4 August 1911 in Ireland. A handwritten record from St Paul's in Dublin, Ireland, shows his baptism on that date, but gives no indication of his birth date or age at the time he was baptised.

Occupation

James had a commission in the army. He served in India, which is where he married his young wife Sarah Mason Squire, also from a military family. The written memoirs of Sarah Speedy, written some time after James' death in New Zealand in 1868, provide a rich background to their family history and describe their early years in New Zealand.

Emigration

The couple emigrated to New Zealand, partly for James' health, as New Zealand's climate was recommended as suitable. They arrived in Auckland in February 1856 on the 'Oriental'. Settling in Mauku, James was a landowner in the new colony, and while establishing a farm, Major Speedy also acted as the local magistrate and coroner. He was known for his endeavours in seeking friendly relations with local Maori.

Children

Major Speedy and his wife Sarah had twelve children, spread over twenty years, the last three born in New Zealand. Known children include:

  1. Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy,
  2. Emelia (Speedy) Johnstone,
  3. Octavius Anson Speedy,
  4. Helena Agincourt Speedy,
  5. Alfred Mason Speedy,
  6. James Arthur Speedy,
  7. Mary Kebal Speedy[2],
  8. Charlotte Maxwell (Speedy) Grace,
  9. Core Essex Halcombe Speedy,
  10. James Henry Havelock Speedy,
  11. Rose Haultain Speedy,
  12. Harriett Melsop (Speedy) Jerram

Death

James died after sustaining an accident, from which he never fully recovered, on 6 February 1868. See the article about the funeral, which was a very large affair in image section. [1] A tall grave marker at Waiuku Cemetery was erected, which also bears Sarah Speedy's name.

He died from 2 ribs puncturing his lungs when his horse rolled over him[3]

A transcription of the memorial: "Sacred to the Memory of Major James Speedy, Late of Eighth King's Regiment & for many years Magistrate of this district who d. Feb 6 1868 aged 56 yrs."

Major James Speedy is also memorialised at the small graveyard area by Mauku Stream which was once part of his property. His death date is incorrectly engraved on this memorial which is titled with "Maori War and Pioneers Cemetery".


Research Notes

DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS, VOLUME XXIII, ISSUE 3246, 11 DECEMBER 1867, PAGE 3 Our Drury correspondent writes to say that an accident of rather a serious nature occurred to Major Speedy, R.M ,on Wednesday evening last. He had been to Auckland with his son, Captain Speedy, who embarked in the mail steamer en route to Abyssinia; and on his return, when near the Mauku, in company with his daughter, the worthy Major was thrown from his horse, sustaining a fracture of the collarbone. Most providentially, while consulting with his daughter what course to pursue, Dr. Purchas, who was passing; the road, set the broken bone, and returned with Major Speedy to the house of Mr. Mellsop, Knockmaroon, where every care and attention was paid, enabling the Major to get home to Waiuku on the following day and, although the accident was serious, the numerous friends of Major Speedy will rejoice to hear that he is now progressing towards a perfect recovery.[4]

Major James was Anna Maria's nephew, the son of her brother Captain Robert Speedy. Captain Robert and Anna Maria are believed to both be the children of Colonel Robert Speedy, who had two wives. There is quite an age gap between Captain Robert (born 1784) and Anna Maria (born 1803) and it is unclear if they were both children of the same mother. The records are sketchy and it is difficult to track more information about Colonel Robert Speedy's wives.[5]


Request by A.M Speedy to remove remains of father James Speedy and brother Core Essex Speedy from Mauku private cemetery to Waiuku Cemetery[6]

Sources

  1. FUNERAL OF THE LATE JAMES SPEEDY, ESQ., R.M. Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3299, 12 February 1868, Page 3, [1] accessed from New Zealand Papers Past 11 April 2017
  • Mellsop Family New Zealand website [7] biography page on the first Speedy family in New Zealand
  • Sarah Speedy's (nee Squire) memoirs: "Mrs Livingstone, I presume? memoirs of Mrs S.M. Speedy, wife of Major James Speedy, 1818 to 1859", edited by Allan Speedy, 2006. Subtitled "A woman’s first hand account of colonial life at the dawn of the British Empire". [8]
  • Ancestry.com. Isle of Man, Select Parish Registers, 1598-1936 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Isle of Man, Parish Registers. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. Name: James Speedy; Spouse: Sarah Mason Speedy
  • New Zealand Cemetery Records - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: New Zealand Cemetery Records. New Zealand Society of Genealogists Incorporated. Name: Major James Speedy; Birth Date: abt 1812; Death Age: 56; Death Date: 6 Feb 1868; Burial Place: Auckland, New Zealand; Cemetery: Waiuku
  • Parish Record of Baptisms, St Paul, Dublin, online record provided by IrishGenealogy.ie, accessed 11 April 2017 [9]
  • Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph [10]
  • Mellsop Family website "Major James and Infant Son Memorialised" [11]




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with James by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with James:

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Speedy-224 and Speedy-151 appear to represent the same person because: Potential duplicate
posted by Manuela Thiele