NZ Trade Directory or Electoral Roll ? - HELP please

[ET in the USA]

|help| My man, Septimus McClure, was married in Somerset 9 Aug 1906 & then did a runner. I have found him [or I should say SKS on the Australia forum have found him] in NZ in the "Auckland Weekly News for 20 Jan 1916" under "AUCKLANDERS FILLING SOUTHERN QUOTA FOR 11th REINFORCEMENTS ... McCLURE, Septimus – Manurewa" and again on the NZ Death entries for 1945.

Are there online Passenger Lists, Military records, trade directories, Electoral Rolls or telephone books ? If not, does anyone in NZ live near access to these & be willing to look ? Most I have found end 1900 or start 1960.

Also, does anyone know what the full name of the "11th" is ? :confused:

Elaine

[David Tuson]

Hi Elaine

There are not many online sites in New Zealand, but passenger lists are either on 'findmypast' or Cyndi's lists to Australia and New Zealand

I have a copy of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists CD which has one entry for Septimus, as follows:

NZ Gazette, 1917, Page 2219
Place - c/o Mrs Plant Elworth Brookby
Occupation - Farm Hand
Military Call-up
Further enquiries to Main Centre Libraries

I suggest you contact the Auckland City Library to see if they can help with the above

Regards
David

[daleaway]

Not quite ten weeks' training, then he sailed for Egypt:

http://www.nzmr.org/lists/reinforce.html

The Reinforcements seem to be for Auckland Infantry Battalion.

This page may have something to help you:

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/handsonhistory/genealogy-links

Dale

[David Tuson]

Hi Elaine

I've just had a look at the passenger lists on findmy past and found the following:

Septimus McClure
Departed from London bound for Wellington, New Zealand on the CORINTHIC (Shaw Savill Line) on 5 January 1911. The master was Capt F Hart.
He is listed as a Labourer

David

[ET in the USA]

Thank you David & Dale. I appreciate your taking the time to search. Please let me know if you happen across anything else. With a name like Septimus McClure there can't be too wrong finds like there would be for Tom Jones. :D

Elaine

[ET in the USA]

Dale & David,

A quick update, I emailed NZDF Archives for possible military records.

Per reply received today, I seems that having your name in the paper doesn't mean that you actually served in the war. I thought it worth mentioning in case others are misled by what they see in "print".:)
Elaine


Quote
SUBJECT: Septimus McCLURE
Thank you for your enquiry.
I am sorry to say that we have found no trace of any service records relating to the above named
Having said that, there is an entry on the NZ Society of Genealogists First World War Database as follows:
Surname MCCLURE
Given Name Septimus
Category First Reserves
Last NZ Address C/- Mr Davieson Brookby near Manurewa Manukau
Occupation Farm Hand
Recruiting District Auckland

The NZ Government created the list of 'First Reserves' in September 1916. It included men, natural-born British Subjects, not less than 20 and under 46 years of age, who were unmarried, or who married since 1st May 1915 and had no child under 16 by a previous marriage, or who were widowers with no children under 16, or who were divorced or judicially separated from their wives and had no children under 16 years of age. Not all were subsequently called-up for service.
The database was compiled from records held at Archives New Zealand in Wellington.
Unfortunately, we hold no records concerning First Reservists who were not subsequently called up for service. As no trace of a military service record has been found relating to Septimus McCLURE we must presume that he was never formally attested, notwithstanding the Auckland Weekly News report.
I am sorry that we could not be of more assistance on this occasion.
Yours sincerely,
Unquote

[David Tuson]

Hi Elaine

My interpretation of your last message is that Septimus volunteered for service but wasn't called-up. Is that your opinion?

Just out of coincidence I live 150 metres from a McClure Street in Pirongia. All our streets are named after explorers of the North West Passage (obviously not named after Septimus)

I'll keep my eyes open
David

[ET in the USA]

Hi Elaine

My interpretation of your last message is that Septimus volunteered for service but wasn't called-up. Is that your opinion?

Just out of coincidence I live 150 metres from a McClure Street in Pirongia. All our streets are named after explorers of the North West Passage (obviously not named after Septimus)

I'll keep my eyes open
David


David,

My thoughts on the reply were that the Govt. created a list of people they would call next [like a draft list] but that Septimus wasn't called [or he didn't pass the medical ?] so he never served even though he fit the criteria - being a natural born British subject between 20 & 46 & unmarried or separated from his wife with no children - and was listed in the newspaper.

[BonnieLynn]

Septimus McClure was buried on 17 April 1945 in Plot DD-K-17 in the Hamilton East Cemetery, Hamilton, Waikato Region of New Zealand.

[David Tuson]

Septimus McClure was buried on 17 April 1945 in Plot DD-K-17 in the Hamilton East Cemetery, Hamilton, Waikato Region of New Zealand.

I don't live very far from Hamilton so will try and get an opportunity (in the coming weeks) to check for a headstone in the Hamilton East Cemetery
David

[ET in the USA]

Bonnielynn, thank you so much for finding that. I am still waiting for the death certificate to arrive. It should have been dispatched April 15 from NZ.

David, if there is a headstone, send me a PM & I'll send you my email address so you can send a photo if you have one. Otherwise, I assume you will just copy the MI. Thanks very much to all for helping out with this.

Elaine

Stuck in Bothell, WA, but wishing I could someday see New Zealand.

[David Tuson]

Hi Elaine

When I go to Hamilton (probably early May) I'll take my camera and send a picture of headstone (if it is there of course). Do you want me to let you know the result before you PM your email address?

David

[ET in the USA]

David,
Check your PM's.

You might as well let everyone know the results also.

I received the Death cert. from NZ. Of course, the problem with a death cert. is that the person who really knows the answers to the questions is ... err... dead !

Whoever supplied the information didn't know the name or surname of the decease's father, but did state that the name of his mother was "Hilda McClure", maiden name "Carr" & that the profession of the father was "Doctor of Medicine". They also said he was married in Bristol, England at age 21, but nothing further about the wife/widow, & that he was born in London, England and had been in NZ 34 years.

This is close enough for me to be certain that I have the correct person. Actual facts - he was born in Woodstock District of Oxfordshire & his mother was named Annie Helene Carr & he married in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset at age 21.

I have 1911 passenger list record, so it is good to know that is correct. [1945 - 34 = 1911]

The next mystery is - Did he live with his wife from Aug 1906 to 1911 [without issue !] or did he leave her sooner ? Can find no trace of him in W-s-M directories, but will look again when there next year.

Thanks to all for your help.

Elaine

[David Tuson]

My wife and i went to the Hamilton East cemetery today armed with the map,plot details, camera, paper and pen (in case the headstone was badly faded). Unfortunately we couldn't find a headstone in the specified location - just bare grass between two other graves.
We walked up and down all the rows (just in case we couldn't count properly) without success - sorry. The garden was marked DD and we were in row K and the bare plot was the 17th from the end.
I'm sure the space was the right plot as many of the surrounding headstones had burials from the 1940s.
I did however take a couple of photos of where the plot is and will email them to you tomorrow.
David

[ET in the USA]

Thanks David. Not surprised that no one ponied up for a marker. He was a farm labourer [i.e. no money, perhaps], did a runner as a husband, never remarried & seemed an all around waste of space ! |laugh1| He had 1 brother [a Doctor] still living in England who could have afforded it, but may not have known, 2 brothers in Canada who may or not have been still living & a nephew & great nephew in England [both doctors] who probably never met him.

I'll be content with photo of NZ grass.

Elaine

[nitamc]

Electoral Roll search shows Septimus listed twice in 1919. Once in Franklin, Auckland Electorate ( McClure, Septimus, Brookby, Farmhand), also registered 1919 in Raglan, Waikato electorate (McClure, Septimus, c/0 Taupo, Pukekawa PO, farmhand). No other McClures at either location. Next record for Septimis McClure is in 1935, Box 26 A, Tirau, farmhand, again no other McClures listed.

[Chris Doran]

NZ City Directories 1866-1955 are currently being keyed by volunteers under Ancestry's World Archives Project. The raw images are currently on Ancestry for browsing only, i.e. you can't search by name until the indexers finish. If you don't have a sub but work on the project, you'll get free access when it's complete, but be warned -- there are about 600 names to type per image!

[BruceC]

Hi Elaine, I live in New Zealand. Septimus was the younger brother of my grandfather's sister's husband, Randolph McClure (Randolph married Margaret Marr, my grandfather was Robert Marr). As I think you know, Randolph and Margaret married and emigrated straight away to Canada, settling in Saskatchewan. I believe Septimus' wife remarried to Percival Porter in Bristol in 1917. Septimus did basically live as a vagabond in NZ, although getting occasional work on farms as a labourer as has been said. My grandfather's mother and half-brother and half-sisters also emigrated to NZ in 1911 after my grandfather came here in 1909. Septimus would turn up at their farm at Brookby, South Auckland from time to time and they would feed, bath and re-clothe him. They also paid for his burial. The death notice published in the Auckland newspaper "New Zealand Herald" on 17 April 1945 read, "McClure - on April 15, 1945, at Hamilton Hospital, Septimus, beloved seventh son of the late Dr and Mrs McClure, of Chesterfield, England; aged 60 years. A service will be held at Scrimshaw's Chapel at 12 noon today (Tuesday), funeral then leaving for the Hamilton Cemetery." As has been said, there is no headstone. You say he did a runner - I have no other information but I wondered if there was a reason for you to say that. I would be interested in any information you have gathered about him yourself - I wondered if he couldn't control his alcohol, or was perhaps just impotent. I look forward to your response. Regards, Bruce.