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Isaac Mason Hill was born in Birmingham, England, on 28 December probably in 1815 or 1816, the son of James Hill and his wife, Deborah Mason. He was educated at a Quaker school and worked as a machine fitter before…

Wiremu Tako Ngātata, usually known as Wī Tako, was born around the beginning of the nineteenth century at Pukeariki pā in Taranaki. His father was Ngātata-i-te-rangi of Te Āti Awa and his mother Whetowheto of Ngāti…

Hugh Francis Carleton was the son of Francis Carleton and his wife, Charlotte Margaretta Montgomerie, of both Clare More, County Tipperary, and Greenfield, County Cork, Ireland. He is said to have been born on 3 July…

William Gisborne was born probably on 13 August 1825, the third son of Thomas John Gisborne of Holme Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire, England, and his wife, Sarah Krehmer. The Gisbornes were among Derbyshire's pre-eminent…

James McPherson is thought to have emigrated to New Zealand about 1865, probably from Britain. Of his background and family nothing is known. One of the few items of personal information is recorded in a letter he wrote…

Archibald Dudingston Willis was born on 20 June 1842 at London, England, the son of Matilda Wills and her husband, John Willis, who died soon after Archibald's birth. At the age of 12 he was employed by a prominent firm…

James Edward FitzGerald is said to have been born in 1818 at Bath, England. He was the youngest son of Gerald FitzGerald, landowner, of Kilminchy, Queen's County, Ireland, and his second wife, Catherine O'Brien. Though…

John Holland Baker was born on 4 December 1841 at Chilcomb, Hampshire, England, one of 10 children of Catherine Mathias and her husband, Thomas Fielding Baker, an Anglican clergyman. He was raised by his grandmother for…

John Patrick Fitzgerald was born in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland, probably in 1815, to Patrick Henry Fitzgerald and his wife, Anne Dunoyer. He graduated MD from the University of Glasgow in 1839, completed…

Karl Pallo was born at Reinu, Pärnu, Estonia, then part of the Russian empire, on 17 February 1896, the son of Henry Pallo, an engineer, and his wife, Anna Martinson. His father acquired interests in a generator factory…

Thomas Burns, the most important religious leader in the early settlement of Otago, was baptised at Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland, on 17 April 1796, the son of Gilbert Burns, a farmer and estate manager, and his wife,…

Frederic Alonzo Carrington was born in Chelmsford, Essex, England, and baptised there on 26 July 1808. He was the third son of Elizabeth Peters and her husband, William Henry Carrington, Royal Marine barrack master at…

Stanley Dallas was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 31 October 1926, the son of Mary Elizabeth McManus and her husband, William Cruikshanks Dallas, a tiler. The family emigrated to New Zealand the following year and…

George Moonlight, later known as George Fairweather Moonlight, was born at Newmill, Glenbervie, Kincardineshire, Scotland, on 5 August 1832. He was the third child of James Moonlight, a farmer, and his wife, Jane…

Lorelle Henderson Corbin was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 3 June 1916, the daughter of Horace Hugh Corbin, a lecturer in forestry at the University of Adelaide, and his wife, Kathleen Mary Henderson. The family…

The matriarch of the Wong Doo clan in Auckland, New Zealand, was born sometime between 1873 and 1875 in Xinhui county, Guangdong province, China. Her given name was Chan Yau-nui, which was later simplified to Unui. She…

Josiah Martin was born in London, England, on 1 August 1843, the son of Charlotte Bromley and her husband, Josiah Martin. His father was a melter, and later an actuary. The young Josiah's first job appears to have been…

Samuel Revans, New Zealand's first commercial printer and newspaper proprietor, was born probably in 1807 or 1808, third of the six children of John Revans, a surgeon of Kennington, London, England, and his wife,…

Edith Mary Statham was born on 13 April 1853 at Bootle, Lancashire, England, the daughter of William Statham, a solicitor, and his wife, Ellen Allen Hadfield. Edith came to New Zealand with her parents and her two…

Richard (Dicky) Barrett's date and place of birth, and his parents' names, are unknown. It is possible that he was born in Durham or London, in England. His colourful, readable journal and his connection in Durham with…