Sarah Sophia (Tayler) Knewstubb (1832 - 1897)

Born 9 Mar 1832 in Southwark, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Knewstubb — married 9 Aug 1854 (to 1868) in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 24 Sep 1897 at age 65 in Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kathy Viney [send private message]

Biography

Sarah (Tayler) Knewstubb migrated from England to New Zealand.

At age 17 Sophia emigrated to New Zealand with her family on the Mary. The Mary sailed from London on 2 November 1848 and docked at Port Chalmers on 4 April 1849.^[1]

Also on the Mary was a man by the name of Thomas Knewstubb from northern England. On their arrival, Thomas Knewstubb and Sarah's father, Thomas Tayler, decided to farm together in what became Tayler's Bay, Port Chalmers.

Sophia and Thomas Knewstubb we’re married in 1854. They had seven children children:

1. Marian (Knewstubb) Hornby, 1855-1943
2. Thomas Knewstubb, 1857-1912
3. Ned Knewstubb, 1859-1933
4. John Knewstubb , 1861-1950
5. Frederick Knewstubb, 1863-1905
6. James Knewstubb, later known as James West, 1865-1948
7. Margaret Amy (Knewstubb) Queree, also known as Amy West, 1867-1955

As a young wife, Sophia would have been very hard at work with the house and children, but also with the household garden, probably animals, and perhaps taking in laundry at times. A paragraph in the book, "Deborah Bay", helps us understand a little of the lifestyle she would have had:

"Most of the early settlers were involved in small scale farming, fishing and lightering, but some also supplied ships with food and produce from their farms. To supplement their family incomes, wives would also take in washing from the ships' officers when the wool ships were anchored all the way down the Lower Harbour from Port Chalmers to Taylers Point."^[2]

This all changed in 1868 when Sophia left the family for a new life with James Robert West. Sophia took her youngest two children with her and left the five older children, aged 5-13, at home.

What caused the marriage to break down is not known, but Knewstubb family lore tells us Thomas had a whiskey stilll in the back yard and imbibed often. Perhaps, in unhappiness, Sophia was open to the affections of another man? Possibly James West had worked on the Knewstubb or Tayler farm? We don't know.

Knewstubb family members say that Thomas was devastated by his wife's departure. Her father, however, was furious, destroying all photographs of Sarah and writing her out of his will.

It would be interesting to know what life was like on the Knewstubb farm after Sophia left. Much more work for Thomas, no doubt, but also for the only remaining, daughter, Marian, aged just 13.

Sophia set up her new life with James Robert West in Canterbury, initially in LIttle Akaloa (one of the northern bays on Banks Peninsula), but later in Lyttelton. Sophia was known thereafter as Mrs Sarah West. Quite likely no one suspected they were not married. The two Knewstubb children, James and Amy, were raised as Wests. Sarah gave birth to four more children, though two did not survive infancy.

1. Lavinia (West) Phillips, 1869-1950
2. Frank West, 1872-1947
3. Florence West, 1873-1874
4. Florence Elizabeth West, 1875-1875

Sarah and James eventually moved north and settled in Wellington. Sarah died at her home at 11 York St, Te Aro, on 24 Sep 1897. She was buried at Karori on Sunday, 26 Sep 1897. James died in 1901.

Burial Notes

Finding Sarah's final resting place was a challenge as her death was not registered in 1867. Having found her death notice, it was clear she died in Wellington, and a burial record of sorts was found at Karori Cemetery, which is also where James Robert West was later buried.

Sarah's original burial plot at Karori was not paid for and was purchased later by the Scarfe family. It can be visited here: Public/I/369. (James West was possibly unable to pay. Sarah's daughter Amy Queree appears to have arranged the funeral, but being a Salvation Army officer, may either not have had the means to pay for the plot, or presumed that James would.)

Probably around 1958 (when George Scarfe died and the plot was needed) Sarah's remains were disinterred and reburied a few meters from the original burial site here: Public/I/369 (Name: Sue Yem Wah). Evidently Sarah's second resting place was also sold! Wellington City Council's "Ever After" site shows Sarah's current burial place as : Public/I/26.

In light of all this uncertainty, a small memorial to Sarah and James was placed on James' burial plot by family members in 2021: Ch Eng/V/149.

Sarah's death was registered in 2022 by gret-great-granddaughter, Kathy Viney, who did not want anyone else to have the same trouble finding Sarah's details as she had.

• Possible gravesite of the two little West girls in Lyttelton: Find a Grave, database and images:(https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141303451/tayler: accessed 10 August 2022), memorial page for Tayler (unknown–unknown), Find a Grave Memorial ID 141303451, citing Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Lyttelton, Christchurch City, Canterbury, New Zealand; Maintained by Southern Man (contributor 48043025).

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.ngaiopress.com/marylist.htm
2. ↑ "Deborah Bay" 2006, p18)

• Baptism: "England, Surrey Parish Registers, 1536-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGZR-6QKL : 16 March 2018), Sarah Mary Ann Tayler in entry for Sarah Sophia Tayler, 08 Apr 1832; citing Baptism, , London Metropolitan Archives, England; FHL microfilm 394,844.
• Marriage:
  • "New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1966," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24J-VMFZ : 4 October 2016), Thomas Knewstubb and Sarah Sophia Taylor, 1854; citing Marriage, New Zealand, registration number 1854/1364, Archives of New Zealand, Wellington.
  • https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz New Zealand Births, Deaths & Marriages Online (Digital Database), Department of Internal Affairs] Marriage Registration. Accessed 26 July 2022: 1854/1364 Sarah Sophia Taylor Thomas Knewstubb
• Death:
  • https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz New Zealand Births, Deaths & Marriages Online (Digital Database), Department of Internal Affairs] Death Registration. Accessed 26 July 2022: 2022/13776 West Sarah 9 March 1832.
  • Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1335, 30 September 1897, Page 41. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18970930.2.156.3.
  • Funeral record (attached). Supplied by Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, 8 July 2021. Undertaker: E Morris Jnr - Funeral register. https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.72243.
• Burial:
  • Karori Cemetery, Wellington. https://wellington.discovereverafter.com/ Last name WEST. First name SARAH. Age 68 Years. Service provided Burial. Burial date 26/09/1897. Cemetery Karori. Section PUBLIC. Plot number 26 I. Record number 29971.
  • Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand. Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 75, 25 September 1897, Page 6 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP18970925.2.71.3
  • Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/214215725/sarah-sophia-west : accessed 17 July 2021), memorial page for Sarah Sophia Tayler West (1832–24 Sep 1897), Find a Grave Memorial ID 214215725, citing Karori Cemetery and Crematorium, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand ; Maintained by Kathy Viney (contributor 47786463) .
• Other:
  • Nomination of her father as mayor: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18680718.2.21
  • Accident that killed her son, Edward: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19310213.2.92