William Geary Snr AI

younger

I asked AI to take all 5 of his sons photos and the sketch we have from the hulk description

and this is what AI says William Geary snr might have looked like

older

Here is the original from the Hulk description

 

Letter -James Geary son of pākehā John

 

Letter by James Geary(son of John Dennis Geary) about the history of his Grandfather William Geary

From the G.C.Thomson Papers  in the HOCKEN LIBRARY MS 439/12/16 Archives and Manuscripts

(It is unsure exactly who James is writing to. According to Celia Geary “James Geary was born in Portobello on 16^th May 1867.  At time of writing he sounds like an old man. He died 10 Oct, 1942.” I have added in Celia Geary’s comments and potential corrections on the letter in italics – David Geary, Vancouver, 26 Jan, 2020. It is a hand-written letter, so some spelling I am unsure of. It is indicated with sp?)

MANUTAHI

Taranaki

 

Dear Sir – I received your letter Re the history of my Grandfather William Geary.

He came out to Australia from Nottinghamshire in 1830 (CG: as a convict) he worked for some time with Squatters in NS Wales (CG: Tasmania) (CG: hard labour till 1838)

A man called Andy More and he shipped on a American whaler at Sydney. He was eighteen months at sea (CG: Jan 1840) when they came back there was a dispute (over the pay) which was taken to court, and they lost everything.

They then engaged with Mr John Jones to work on a Whaling Station at Waikouaiti, I believe he came over on the “Magnet”; what year I don’t know (CG: 1840).

William Geary and this companion worked on the whaling station for one year, about that time Johny Jones bought land from the Maoris, the farm was afterwards named Cherry Farm, Grandfather gave up the whaling as it was dangerous. A whaling boat was upset 3 times in one day, so he applied for a job on the farm and he was the man who put up the first fence on Cherry Farm.

Jone’s brother Thomas Jones was Manager. He worked on the farm for some time, then Johny Jones became insolvent, the men could not be paid in money, he (William Geary) took a cow in part payment, and shipped her over in an open boast from Waikouaiti to Otago Heads.

That was the first cow to land on the Peninsula (CG: about 1843) (CG: He also worked for the Weller Bros Whalers at Otakou)

He leased a piece of land from the Karatai Te Uaite (White) ( I don’t know the spelling of the name) and cleared the bush. The first grass seed he got from an English Whaler who called at the Heads on his way to Sydney so that gave him the start for grass for pastorage.

Afterwards he bought 100 acres from Tairoa for some money a boat and a piece of greenstone?

Henry Crook drew up the agreement and there were no witnesses to it (Henry Crook was the Harbour pilot-ferryman. Later… ???)

As to the date of the arrival, the nearest I can get to it, is by referring to a letter received by the family at home in Nottingham, asking them to come out to New Zealand. His wife has died (CG: 1839) before the letter arrived and the children were in the care of relatives who said they were too young to travel so far as they would have to go to Sydney first and then tranship (sp?) for New Zealand.

This letter was written by Henry Crook and received by the family in 1837 (CG: Not possible more likely 1841-1843 or later) and was in the keeping of William Geary the elder son who brought it out with him in 1856. He promised to give it to my eldest brother George, but after his death no one knew anything about it. I suppose it would be destroyed with all the other old letters, etc. My father John Geary (White John - DG) came out in 1859.

Taking into consideration they had a long round about to travel, having to wait for the schooner to take the letter to Sydney, then by sailing ship to London, I think it would really be over a year before they got the answer back.

He married again and had 3 sons Jack, Tommy & Billy (John, Thomas, William Jr - DG) whose descendants are in the district yet on the peninsula Tairi and Oamaru (I think.CG)

A Missionary the Rev Everett stationed at the Kaik ??? was going home to England and Grandfather asked him to call and see Uncle and my Father and get them to come which they did.

Grandfather had the first cow on the peninsula, some time after Harwood and Driver (CG: about 1853?) had 12 head of cattle, 11 heifer, and a bull sent over from Sydney, they had taken up land off the Maoris. Harwood was Clerk (Like a secretaryCG) for a Sydney whaling Co. Driver was Pilot  for all the shipping.

Grandfather was on the beach when “Magnet” called at Waikouaiti with passengers  including the Careys, Woolseys & the Beals and some others and helped to carry them ashore.

He also knew Bill & Ken Coleman who were drowned the boast capsized when they went out to a ship to get stores.  I don’t know the year when these people came to work for Jones.  I think it would be about 1840

(CG on above: WiIliam (White) Geary,1856 only old stories & William (convict) could bend truth)

William Geary Sen. Was drowned in Nov 1866. I was not born until 1867 so don't know him personally, but have heard my father John Geary and my Uncle William (CG: White English) about the early days when he was a boy. These were hard times. Strenuous. there were no roads, transport was carried on mainly by rowing boats, some years afterwards Bullocks were used.

Sometimes they had long waits for the Schooners from Sydney so they were often long overdue. And the little community at the Kaik were often reduced to fish and potatoes, once they were so reduced when the planting season was on they had to cut the eyes out of the potatoes for planting.

They began to grow wheat Grandfather got a little hand mill and used to grind the corn for them. Before that the Maoris made lillipy (Maori name for a sort of porridge)CG.  by boiling the wheat and eating that way.

1840 to 1852. At this time New Zealand was under NSW and prisoners were held over until the Schooner arrived to take them across to Sydney to be tried in the Supreme Court. All the evidence was taken and written down for the trial.

A Maori had killed a European Whaler, the Schooner was a long time overdue, the guard had grown careless and had left his gun in a place where the Maori saw an opportunity for ending all his misery of waiting of being transhipped  and perhaps being hanged in a foreign country.

They had allowed him to have his wife with him occasionally and she was with him then. Somehow he got hold of the gun, she stood behind him and when he shot himself the bullet went through her also and both were shot.

The little community were afraid if they were lenient with him and let him off it would make the Maoris think they were weak and they might rise in rebellion again and massacre the whole of the Europeans as they had threatened to do before and they had had to take to the bush for protection until the Maoris had quietened down.

Garrett  Clearwater was a Whaler and was in Akaroa at the time when New Zealand was proclaimed a British possession in 1840. He was at the ceremony as all Europeans and Maoris round there were invited and saw the French Ship Man-O-War come too  late as the English sloop were in 3 days before and had the Mast erected and the British colours were flying from the top when the foreigner came in. He settled on the Peninsula shortly afterwards and two of his sons Wm (William.CG)& Robt Clearwater married Uncle Williams two daughters.

Charlotte & Alice, Charlotte still lives with daughter Mrs Sheppard at Tapanui Inlet. Alice lives at Mataura  on her farm there.

Before 1840 the currency was American dollars. After the Accession, they had to get the money changed in English coinage else they would lose by it.

My Grandfather along with a good many more took passage in Paddy Gilroy’s Schooner bound for Wellington. The ship was wrecked at Wellington Heads (CG: No record of this found)

Many of the passengers were drowned.

Grandfather managed to swim for shore along with some of the survivors. The weather was misty and wet, there was a Maori Pa just over the hills from there. The Maoris were rather hostile so they came back to the wreck. There happened to be some empty Whale oil barrels on the beach they slept in them all night. Next Morning at low water she was high and dry so they managed to get their belongings and she was floated again.

Paddy Gilroy died at Bluff about 1890 (CG: I have researched Paddy Gilroy extensively and cannot authenticate this story)

There is a little bit of history as far as I can remember the Maoris had planned to make a raid on a Whaling Station at Millers  Island near Cape Saunders. The whalers were forewarned by a friendly/sympathetic Maori and the whalers were ready and they shot the boat the Maoris were in and it sank and drowned the lot.

Afterwards when the Maoris were missed by the Europeans population at the Heads the Maoris would not tell anything about it when they inquired where they were, but it came out afterwards through those who were married to Maori women.

There was an American ship came in. the Maoris came on board as usual bargaining at the same time they were taking too many things. The Captain gave orders to lift anchor and up sail and turn to sea a short way and ordered the crew to throw all the Maoris overboard which they did some managed to swim to ashore. The Maoris waited many a day for that Yankee Captain but he never came back to the Port.

This is all a long way back and what I can remember hearing from the old people and not for publication in the daily papers and I wouldn’t like to give offence to anybody. I am sorry be so long in the writing.

It is all hearsay, I have forgotten so much. My brother George could have written a great history on it, he took such an interest in it. He died 6 years ago.

Grandfather (Driver ? & Harwood others I’ve forgotten) were very handy  for the letters when they came in 1848. They supplied them with cattle pigs & fowls vegetables milk and meat. The surveyors who surveyed Dunedin and the Peninsula before the Settlement Grandfather supplied

A man called Christie  a chemist  came from Sydney in the very early days, suffering from Asthma and lived with his Maori wife near a creek  alongside the road at Lower Portobello leading to Papanui Inlet named the district Portobello, from the place where he came from near Edinburgh. He went back to Sydney as the change did not do him any good leaving his Maori wife behind him.

 

If these little bits are any use I might send more if it comes back to my memory

I am sorry at the delay in writing but the history is so far back and I have forgotten such a lot, it takes some thinking to bring it back to memory. My father and Uncle are both dead for over twenty five years; both my brothers are gone five and six years ago and have had no one since to talk over these past memories. So that I felt their loss when I came to put it down in writing, it seemed a hopeless task at first then one thing and another came up and if I been accustomed to writing I might have given it to you in better form.

The dates beat me but I think you will be able to get somewhere near by the incidents recorded.

Trusting the little I have done may be some help to you if I can bring myself to start again one of two little incidents may be put down again. I hope the history will be a success

Yours faithfully

James Geary

 

James Geary wrote this in 1922. He was 55 at the time. I have judged this date from his lettersaying"brother George died 6 years earlier".

Etahi AI

If you remember I done a drawing of what etahi might have looked like I have asked AI to turn that drawing into what you see here

 

Taranaki Whenua

 

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand (natlib.govt.nz)

1893 ISSUE 092, 1-Dec, pp 1689 (victoria.ac.nz)

Wai 143, F026.pdf (justice.govt.nz)

John Dennis Geary(pākehā)son of William Snr and Charlotte Dovey

John Dennis Geary was born in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, England in 1830.

His father and grandfather (William and Thomas, respectively) were sentenced in 1831 for stealing grain, and were transported to Tasmania (arrived 1833), and then later went to New Zealand (arrived 1836) then Otago in 1843.

John Dennis Geary was a stocking weaver by trade. He was 29 years old (1859) when he immigrated to New Zealand (on the "Alpine") to join his father, William Senior, and brother, William Junior.

John and William Junior were the first settlers in the area of Wickliffe Bay, Otago.

On 8th March 1865 John married Mary Duguid, a Scottish immigrant from Aberdeenshire, at Anderson's Bay, Dunedin. They had eleven children.

About 1884, John, a dairy farmer, successfully exported cheese to Australia and England before any factories were erected. It is also claimed that he was the first dairyman in NZ to own a cream separator.

John moved up from the South Island (Dunedin) to Taranaki. He bought 650 acres at Meremere in the 1890's and then 1100 acres at Manutahi in 1907. The road through the Manutahi farm is still called Geary Rd. Most of Manutahi was sold after his death to satisfy the daughters' inheritances and then Meremere went to Thomas, and the remnant of Manutahi went to James (eventually farmed by Robert).

 

Death of William Geary his Will & he loved Ata

William Geary 

1800 - 21 November 1866

Your Memory Lives On

Papers Past | Newspapers | Otago Witness | 24 November 1866 | News of the Week. (natlib.govt.nz)

Will of William Geary

click to enlarge

Matters of the Heart a history a history of Interracial Marriages in New Zealand

by angela wanhalla

There is a book that has been written that talks of loving relationships between Maori & Pakeha marriages

William and Etahi known as Ata are mentioned in this book

Art Works of Etahi Taputai

we do not actually know what kuia (grandmother) etahi looks like ,so we painted and drew pictures of what she might have looked like

Geary Farmhouses

Annie Emily Geary(brownie) (aged 19)with her sister Peggy Geary(aged 17yrs) and little Brother Stan Geary outside Geary Farmhouse approx 1916( assuming Stan is 5 in this picture)

 

Annie Geary, daughter of John (Hone Kere ) Geary pictured with husband William McCartney and James McCartney (Williams father)
They farmed and lived at the top of Weir Rd, Portobello.
Known to be self suffecient with a milking cow, pigs and an amazing vegetable garden.

site of old homestead 

view out to papanui inlet

Land Farmed by The Geary Family

 

William  Geary senior plot 173, 103 acres

William Geary  junior plot 207, 64 acres

John Geary plot 158, 81 acres

-------

all the land I have marked to the left of the screen is listed under William Geary..personally i think this is William snr older english born son as it is well known he farmed thru Wickliffe bay..they are 10 and 20 acre blocks

Recreation of William Geary Senior

 This is a recreation of William Snr it is taken from his Police picture drawn when he was arrested..I wanted to show him a little more life like..

The Children of William Geary and Charlotte Dovey

Sarah Geary (pākehā) 1825 -1900
Elizabeth Geary (pākehā)1826-1883

William Geary (pākehā) 1828-1901

John Dennis Geary(pākehā)

1821830-1909

The Children of William & Etahi Geary

 

Baby Girl born 1844 ( miscarriage/stillborn)
Baby Girl 1846 (miscarriage/stillborn)

age approx 80 taken c1928

John Geary is posed sitting on the running board of a motor car.age approx 80 c1928

age approx 35yrs  taken 1883/85)

John (Hone Kere) Geary 1848

No Known Photos of Thomas

Thomas(Pire Aotaka) Geary 1850

William(Wiremu) Geary 1853

Porikapa Te WareWare

Our whanau believe that Porikapa TeWareWare is the brother of our ancestor Etahi Taputai

But on further investigation I have come across parts of his family tree

and this is how it appears it might be and how he may be related to our whanau

if this is true he would be my 1st cousin 5x removed(5xtimes removed means 5 generations )

--------------------------

Below is snippets of Information I have found on Porikapa

--------------------------

During the Land Wars Ngarongomate served with the British army.
  After the surrender of Ngā Mahanga in 1865, Ngarongomate appeared at the  Oakura  Compensation Court.
  The  compensation  court was formed  to determine loyal and  rebel
  Māori during  the Land Wars, and award grants to land confiscated  under the New Zealand  Settlements Act 1863. Claimants from  hapū in
  Ngā Mahanga  were  asked  to record the  names, kinship details and claims to land on the printed form
  ‘He Pukapuka Tono  Ki  Te  Kooti Whakawa Māori, Kia Whakawakia  Etahi Take Whenua’ (Haami 2004).
  Two hundred and  seventy claimants applied for over 200 sites, and referenced  at  least 30 hapū  within  Ngā Mahanga a Tairi,
  and claimants came from the Chatham Islands, Waikanae, Pōneke and Te Tauihu.
  Even though Ngarongomate and Porikapa asserted that these people,both men and women,

-------------------


  

Date

1860

By

Ngarongomate, Ropata, active 1850-1870; Porikapa, active 1860-1880s; Kupe, Maihi, active 1860; Kahawai, active 1860; Tohi Te Ururangi, -1864; Toetoe, Wiremu, 1827?-1881; Te Awaturei, William, active 1860; Te Manga, Ihaia, active 1860

  ------------------
 This hapu takes its name from two brothers, Moeahu (hence Ngati-Moeahu) and Tai-hawea, who were twins, which is the meaning of the hapu name.

   

Porikapa Rd is at Warea, a few kilometres south of the coastal town of Okato. It is named after Porikapa, a chief of the Nga Mahanga a Tairi hapu in Taranaki, who was born about 1798 and named Te Wiri Wiri.

Te Wiri Wiri became a deacon of the Anglican Church and took the name of an early Christian martyr, Polycarp, so became known as Porikapa.

He wore a full facial moko and lived at Parawaha Pa on a sea cliff near Okato. All that remains of Parawaha Pa today is a large midden on the Mangakino Stream and a urupa.

Porikapa saw himself as a peacemaker between Maori and European. At the beginning of the land wars in Taranaki, he wrote a proclamation signed by him and three other chiefs. They placed it on the gate of the Rev Henry Handley Brown's house making it tapu (sacred), so Maori wouldn't come on the property. This ensured the safety of Brown, his family and 35 others who were sheltering there during the Battle of Waireka.

On October 21, 1876, Porikapa Te Wiri Wiri and Ruhira Takutae of Kaihihi were married by Archdeacon H Govett in St Mary's Church.

Porikapa died at his home on December 4, 1888, aged about 90. Rev H H ("Parson") Brown officiated at his tangi, which was attended by more than 500 people. He was buried in the urupa at Parawaha. The urupa was fenced off until about 1928, when stock were allowed in to graze by the lessee. By 1960, the headstone had been broken and the iron surrounds ruined.

After a visit to the gravesite in February 1965 by Taranaki Museum director Rigby Allan and Okato Anglican minister Rev Paul Reeves, a new headstone was erected, using the original inscription. It ended with the words "Blessed be the peacemakers".

-------------------
  

  

----------------------

Porikapa Te Wareware
  was an ordained Anglican minister from Ngā  Mahanga  who  lived at Parawaha  Pā  (at the bottom  of  Hampton Rd).
  During  the  Land  Wars,  Porikapa declared his  neutrality  and sheltered French  and Portuguese settlers

----------------------

Presumably, Tohu-roa was a son of the Taranaki woman who fled
from her first husband, Eua-roa, and married Takirau-o-whiti, the
Ti-tahi leader, for he, together with the few survivors who escaped
the massacre, fled back to Taranaki, and were there allowed to settle
down at a place called Papaka, situated on the coast two miles west of
the present Pihama village and close to Otu-matua. From these

2o8 HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OP THK TARANAKI COAST.

people descend the present Ti-tahi hapu of Taranaki, and, says Mr.
Hammond, ** it is remarkable how many leading men of both Taranaki
and Ngati-Rua-nui have Ti-tahi blood in them. Te Whiti (the
prophet), Tohu (a prophet), Motu, Tautahi, of Taranaki; Titoko-
waru, Hone Pihama, Nga-hina, of Ngati-Eua-nui ; Kauika and
Kahu-kaka, of Nga-Eauru, are all descendants of the Ti-tahi people,
and all are characterised by some undesirable qualities, such as
selfishness, love of position, and other evil propensities."

Mr. Hammond omits from the above list the chief Tai-komako , of
Oeo, who is the direct descendant of Takirau-o- whiti, and Mr Skinner
adds these : " The late Porikapa and Minarapa, of Taranaki." Tau-
tahi, mentioned above, was the Taranaki leader in the war against the
white people' in the sixties of last century ; and it was Titoko-waru who
drove the Europeans out of the Patea district in 1869. Hone Pihama
(whose Maori name was Te Ngohi) was a great warrior, who fought
against us in the early sixties, but eventually came over to our side,
and proved b}' his ability and courage a most able ally of the
Government. He was a very kindly, hospitable man, and the firm
friend of all Europeans in the trying times of 1868-70. ---------------------------

--------------------------

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=phZU0Os4ntAC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=porikapa&source=bl&ots=hR0gkQQ-BO&sig=ACfU3U2jfgj_oG6uiI57tpP8Q4qEG3-6yg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwkPyk-7jlAhUM6XMBHbCPDw84PBDoATABegQICBAB#v=twopage&q=porikapa&f=true

--------------------------

Marae

Marae

A place of gathering that brings families, communities and tribes together, the marae is fundamental to Māori life and stands as the beating heart of our culture.

The marae is made up of a number of buildings and the wharenui (main meeting house) is the centre of it all

Video of Oakura Marae and surrounding area found here 

Ōākura marae (also known as Okototua) is located in Ōākura, at the mouth of the Ōākura River. Its principal hapū are Ngāti Tairi and Ngā Mahanga (or Ngā Mahanga a Tairi) of the Taranaki iwi.

The wharenui is named Moana Kaurai; it replaced another named Te Mata Pu-o-te-wheke-Oakura. The marae connects ancestrally to the waka Kurahaupo. 

The people who belong to a marae do not live there full time, but will come and stay during important occasions..like a funeral,wedding & family gatherings.

Intricate carvings across the marae tell the stories of the tribe to be preserved for future generations. Before the arrival of Europeans, Māori had no written language, so carving, weaving and performance were used to perpetuate history. These carving throughout the marae provide the tribe with sense of identity.

Daily life on the Marae
Traditionally, the day began early, with prayers and singing to worship the rising sun.
The daily life of the community was based around getting food, so most people spent their days in activities such as:
planting and tending crops in communal gardens
fishing or gathering seafood hunting moa, other birds or seals
Children and adults worked alongside each other, and chiefs worked together with their people.

The first meal of the day was around mid-morning.
As the sun began to set, workers returned to the village and food was prepared and eaten together.
The rest of the evening was spent in games and conversation. Sometimes there were prayers to the setting sun.

https://teara.govt.nz/en/daily-life-in-maori-communities-te-noho-a-te-hapori

to go along with our life on marae..we built and painted a little marae

and painted little peg people

Pencil drawing of Oakura Marae