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Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Where was Mear’s farm?
I am not an expert in searching property titles, especially historical ones. The Gallery has a watercolour made by William Eastwood (1821-1877) on 2 January 1864 of Mears Farm near Mount Eden. Does anyone know where this property was?
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Might just be a red herring, but on Papers Past there is an article entitled 'Government Land Sale' (Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2843, 5 September 1866,Page 4). Might be worth researching whether the records of the Waste Lands Office are still extant. Nat Lib catalogue has a digitised copy of this doc: Auckland Waste Lands 1866 No.23 but there are no maps associated with the record unfortuantely.
In the Auckland East Electoral Roll for the year 1865-66 one Abraham Mears is listed as residing at "Crum Cottage, Mt Eden Road". In fact, this information was already out-of-date at the time because Abraham Mears had died on 20 December 1864.
There's a Mears Place in Epsom, off Golf Road, from Manukau Road. The Auckland Libraries street names database records: "Named in 1951, after Abraham Mears, a member of the Auckland Provincial Council 1859-1861, who lived in the vicinity."
This could be fairly accurate. Mears's farmland might have stretched quite a distance westwards from what's now Mears Place across what's now St Andrews Rd to Mt Eden Rd.
The most extensive biographical information I can find on Mears is his obituary in the Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2317, 23 December 1864, Page 4:
"The remains of the late Mr. Abraham Mears, who expired at his residence, Mount Eden, after a brief illness, on Tuesday last, were yesterday conveyed to their last resting place. The deceased was a very old and respected settler. For many years he carried on the business of a corn factor and hay dealer in Auckland, and had acquired a comfortable competence. His activity and business capacity kept him to the shop, and even so recently as a week ago might have been seen following his usual avocation in the enjoyment of moderate health. He had been actively engaged making hay during the fine weather of the past fortnight, exposed to the poweiful sunlight and heat which have characterised the present season, and is thought to have over-exerted his strength. His health had latterly been declining, and these causes are supposed to have accelerated his death by inducing an affection of the liver. He was attended by Dr. Day and others, but every effort to alleviate his sufferings and prolong life proved unavailing. His death is deeply regretted by a large circle of relatives and friends, and he leaves a wife and family to deplore their loss. Deceased was for years, we are informed, a consistent and useful member of the Wesleyan Church, and a large number of members of this denomination followed his remains to the grave. He was for some time a member of the Auckland Provincial Council and on the resignation of Mr. Joseph May, he became a candidate for the vacancy with Mr. Bassett, and received very large support, although Mr. Bassett was the successful candidate. Many of the members of the Provincial Council attended the deceased's funeral, and several places of business were partially closed during the day, out of respect to him. The funeral cortege, which was a large one, left the residence of deceased at half-past four o'clock, and the interment took place at the Wesleyan burial-ground, Symonds-street, the service, being impressively given by the Rev. Mr. Buddle, assisted by the Rev. John Warren."
Abraham Mears was my third great grandfather, so I am very interested in anything regarding him, his wife - Charlotte Strathey Wilson and any of their off-spring. Abraham was originally from county Fermenagh, Ireland, and Charlotte was from Scotland. The Joseph May mentioned in Iain's comment I believe would have been the husband of Charlotte's sister Hellen Wilson.
According to my family records William and Margaret Mears owned a farm in Epsom taking in Golf Rd and Ngaroma Rd (which apparently was named after his yacht). In all 44 acres at Greenwood Corner. They gardened some of it to supply a florist shop in Queen St. His trustees subdivided the land. Mears Rd was apparently named after his brother Abraham Mears who may have been his neighbour there. Williams home was 29 Golf Rd.
I am not an expert in searching property titles, especially historical ones. The Gallery has a watercolour made by William Eastwood (1821-1877) on 2 January 1864 of Mears Farm near Mount Eden. Does anyone know where this property was?
4 comments:
Might just be a red herring, but on Papers Past there is an article entitled 'Government Land Sale' (Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2843, 5 September 1866,Page 4). Might be worth researching whether the records of the Waste Lands Office are still extant. Nat Lib catalogue has a digitised copy of this doc: Auckland Waste Lands 1866 No.23 but there are no maps associated with the record unfortuantely.
In the Auckland East Electoral Roll for the year 1865-66 one Abraham Mears is listed as residing at "Crum Cottage, Mt Eden Road". In fact, this information was already out-of-date at the time because Abraham Mears had died on 20 December 1864.
There's a Mears Place in Epsom, off Golf Road, from Manukau Road. The Auckland Libraries street names database records: "Named in 1951, after Abraham Mears, a member of the Auckland Provincial Council 1859-1861, who lived in the vicinity."
This could be fairly accurate. Mears's farmland might have stretched quite a distance westwards from what's now Mears Place across what's now St Andrews Rd to Mt Eden Rd.
The most extensive biographical information I can find on Mears is his obituary in the Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2317, 23 December 1864, Page 4:
"The remains of the late Mr. Abraham Mears, who expired at his residence, Mount Eden, after a brief illness, on Tuesday last, were yesterday conveyed to their last resting place. The deceased was a very old and respected settler. For many years he carried on the business of a corn factor and hay dealer in Auckland, and had acquired a comfortable competence. His activity and business capacity kept him to the shop, and even so recently as a week ago might have been seen following his usual avocation in the enjoyment of moderate health. He had been actively engaged making hay during the fine weather of the past fortnight, exposed to the poweiful sunlight and heat which have characterised the present season, and is thought to have over-exerted his strength. His health had latterly been declining, and these causes are supposed to have accelerated his death by inducing an affection of the liver. He was attended by Dr. Day and others, but every effort to alleviate his sufferings and prolong life proved unavailing. His death is deeply regretted by a large circle of relatives and friends, and he leaves a wife and family to deplore their loss. Deceased was for years, we are informed, a consistent and useful member of the Wesleyan Church, and a large number of members of this denomination followed his remains to the grave. He was for some time a member of the Auckland Provincial Council and on the resignation of Mr. Joseph May, he became a candidate for the vacancy with Mr. Bassett, and received very large support, although Mr. Bassett was the successful candidate. Many of the members of the Provincial Council attended the deceased's funeral, and several places of business were partially closed during the day, out of respect to him. The funeral cortege, which was a large one, left the residence of deceased at half-past four o'clock, and the interment took place at the Wesleyan burial-ground, Symonds-street, the service, being impressively given by the Rev. Mr. Buddle, assisted by the Rev. John Warren."
Abraham Mears was my third great grandfather, so I am very interested in anything regarding him, his wife - Charlotte Strathey Wilson and any of their off-spring. Abraham was originally from county Fermenagh, Ireland, and Charlotte was from Scotland. The Joseph May mentioned in Iain's comment I believe would have been the husband of Charlotte's sister Hellen Wilson.
According to my family records William and Margaret Mears owned a farm in Epsom taking in Golf Rd and Ngaroma Rd (which apparently was named after his yacht). In all 44 acres at Greenwood Corner. They gardened some of it to supply a florist shop in Queen St. His trustees subdivided the land. Mears Rd was apparently named after his brother Abraham Mears who may have been his neighbour there. Williams home was 29 Golf Rd.
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