Advanced Biographies Search
Filter biographies using dates, occupations and places related to people's lives.
-
1891–1966Tailor, spiritualist, herbalist, politician
William Theophilus Anderton (registered as Theophilus William) was born on 16 March 1891 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, the youngest of five children of Henry Anderton, a forge labourer, and his wife, Sarah Ann Jarvis. On leaving school he trained as a tailor. He attended a Primitive...
Story: Anderton, William Theophilus
-
1896–1968Farmer, trade negotiator, company director
John Andrew was born at Mosgiel, Otago, on 19 August 1896, one of four children of Margaret Constance Dunlop and her husband, David Andrew, a farmer. He attended Mosgiel District High
School until his standard six year, and then worked on the family farm. Largely self-educated, he had a...
Story: Andrew, John
-
1822–1907Runholder, politician, educationalist
John Chapman Andrew was born on 9 March 1822 at Whitby, Yorkshire, England, the son of James Andrew, an Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Jane Chapman. Andrew won a scholarship to University College, Oxford; he graduated BA in 1844 and MA in 1847, and was ordained priest in 1848. By his mid 20s...
Story: Andrew, John Chapman
-
1888–1948Teacher, community leader
Elsie Euphemia Andrews was born on a small farm at Huirangi, Taranaki, on 23 December 1888. She was the youngest of twelve children, two of whom died in childhood. Her parents, John Andrews and his wife, Emily Young, were both from pioneering families in Taranaki and Canterbury.
Elsie...
Story: Andrews, Elsie Euphemia
-
1880–1952Yacht designer, builder and racer, engineer, naval officer
George Grey Andrews was born in Christchurch on 17 May 1880, the son of Elizabeth Ann Gahagan and her husband, Samuel Paul Andrews, a plasterer and member of Parliament. His father was a champion oarsman and a leading rowing administrator in Canterbury. George’s childhood was spent at Moncks...
Story: Andrews, George Grey
-
1905–1990Writer
Isabella Smith Young, known as Isobel, was born at Glasgow, Scotland, on 2 November 1905, the daughter of Jeanie Scott and her husband, James Young, a mercantile clerk. The family came to New Zealand when she was five or six, settling for a time in Bulls. After moving to Wellington she went to...
Story: Andrews, Isabella Smith
-
1836?–1916Plasterer, politician, businessman
Samuel Paul Andrews was born at Wootton, Isle of Wight, England, and baptised there on 18 September 1836. He was the son of James Andrews, a yeoman, and his wife, Jane. After being educated at private schools he emigrated to Victoria, Australia. He spent 10 years there, firstly goldmining, then...
Story: Andrews, Samuel Paul
-
1822–1886Artist, naturalist, writer
George French Angas was born on 25 April 1822 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the fourth child and eldest son of George Fife Angas and his wife, Rosetta French. George Fife Angas had taken over his father's thriving coachbuilding business, had established a shipping firm and expanded his...
Story: Angas, George French
-
1924–2005Diplomat, historian
Barbara Angus was one of New Zealand’s earliest woman diplomats, and its first female ambassador to head a bilateral post. Initially working as an historian, Angus joined the Department of External Affairs as a researcher at a time when few women held positions of influence or authority in the...
Story: Angus, Barbara
-
1893–1961Railway engineer and administrator
Percy Roy Angus was born in Wellington on 22 September 1893, the son of Matthew Angus, a railway clerk, and his wife, Ann Jane Bell, who were both originally from Auckland. He was educated at Greymouth District High School and Southland Boys’ High School (1908–10), and at Canterbury College....
Story: Angus, Percy Roy
-
1908–1970Artist
Henrietta Catherine Angus, known as Rita, was born in Hastings on 12 March 1908. She was the eldest of seven children of Ethel Violet Crabtree and her husband, William McKenzie Angus, who began his working life as a carpenter and went on to establish the major construction company W. M. Angus...
Story: Angus, Rita
-
1874–1948Architect
Edmund Anscombe was born on 8 February 1874 in Lindfield, Sussex, England, the son of Eliza Mason and her husband, Edmund Anscombe, a carpenter. The family emigrated to New Zealand when Edmund was seven months old. They settled in Dunedin, where he later attended Caversham School. In 1888 he...
Story: Anscombe, Edmund
-
1849–1926Dressmaker, draper, businesswoman
Sophia Catesby was born on 5 November 1849 in Marylebone, London, England, the daughter of Caroline Bailey and her husband, Edward Catesby, a carpenter. Nothing is known of her early life or education. On 12 January 1873 at the Church of St Martin in the Fields, London, Sophia Catesby married...
Story: Anstice, Sophia
-
1891–1927Seaman, farmer, short-story writer, novelist
A pioneering exponent of the New Zealand comic vernacular yarn in his 'Me and Gus' and other stories, Frank Sheldon Anthony was born at Matawhero, near Gisborne, on 13 December 1891, the son of Frank Sheldon Anthony and his wife, Annie McGlashan. His father occasionally received remittances...
Story: Anthony, Frank Sheldon
-
fl. 1862–1880Ngāti Awa leader, carver
Wēpiha Apanui (also known as Wēpiha Te Mautaranui) was the son of Apanui Te Hāmaiwaho and Mīria Tārei of Ngāti Awa. He was the first-born of two brothers and two sisters; the date and place of his birth are unknown. Wēpiha had family connections with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Hokopū based in...
Story: Apanui, Wēpiha
-
1901–1965Policeman
Frank Norman Aplin was born at Crofton, Wellington, on 17 September 1901, the son of local farmer William Aplin and his wife, Edith Mary Woodhouse. He worked as a shepherd and farm labourer on Brancepeth station, near Masterton, before joining the New Zealand Police Force on 9 May 1921....
Story: Aplin, Frank Norman
-
?–1937Te Whakatōhea leader, Ringatū tohunga
According to tradition, Tuakana Āporotanga was born about 1852. His mother was Mākawa, daughter of Te Āporotanga, who was a leader of Ngāti Rua, a hapū of Te Whakatōhea of Ōpōtiki. His father was Charles Frederick Leggett, an Englishman who arrived to settle in Ōpōtiki probably in the 1840s....
Story: Āporotanga, Tuakana
-
1889–1958Telegraph messenger, accountant, advertising agent, local politician, company director
William Appleton, the eldest of nine children, was born to Yorkshireman Edwin Appleton and his young Scots wife, Margaret Bruce, on 3 September 1889. They were living at Alexandra South (present-day Alexandra) in Central Otago. Edwin, a sailor turned goldminer, fashioned his firstborn's cradle...
Story: Appleton, William
-
1865–1949Baptist minister, socialist
John Kendrick Archer was born on 3 March 1865 at Thornton, Leicestershire, England, the son of Mary Kendrick and her husband, Thomas Archer, a master butcher. Thomas was a keen Methodist and Mary a devout Baptist. John was raised as a Methodist and educated at Market Bosworth Grammar School,...
Story: Archer, John Kendrick
-
1890–1974Zoologist, museum director, ethnologist
Gilbert Edward Archey was born in Marygate, York, England, on 4 August 1890, the son of Thomas Archey, a schoolmaster, and his wife, Sarah Triffitt. In 1892 the family emigrated to New Zealand, where Thomas held several teaching positions in the North Island before becoming manager of Burnham...
Story: Archey, Gilbert Edward