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John Ballance was born at Ballypitmave, near Glenavy in County Antrim, Ireland, into a comfortably off but not prosperous family. His date of birth is said to have been 27 March 1839; he was baptised on 7 April that…

Inez Isabel Maud Peacocke was born in Devonport, Auckland, on 31 January 1881. She was the daughter of Emily Frances Mitchell and her husband, Gerald Loftus Torin Peacocke, a Madeira-born English barrister, later editor…

William Edward Vincent, one of the founding printer-proprietors of the Wellington Independent, was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England, probably on 17 September 1823, and was baptised on 20 July 1829. He was the fourth…

Sidney Duigan was born in Wanganui into a notable local family on 4 November 1918. Her father, Charles Lowther Duigan, a sharebroker, was also managing director of the Wanganui Herald Newspaper Company, and her…

Henry Brett was born at St Mary Magdalen, near Hastings in Sussex, England, on 25 February 1843, the son of Henry Brett, a tailor, and his wife, Mary Ann Elizabeth Hallows. Henry was initiated into publishing in his…

Essie Summers, New Zealand’s most celebrated writer of romantic fiction, was born Ethel Snelson Summers in Christchurch on 24 July 1912. She was the daughter of Ethel Snelson and her husband, Edwin Summers, a butcher.…

Henry James Fletcher was born at Denton, near Rochester, Kent, England, on 28 February 1868, the son of William Fletcher, a journeyman carpenter, and his wife, Jane Sally Fawcett. Henry was the fourth son of a family of…

Frederick Pirani was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 3 December 1858. He was the son of Henry Cohen Pirani, a merchant, and his wife, Louisa Levy. The family moved to Hokitika, New Zealand, in 1864. Henry Pirani worked…

Carl Gustav Schmitt was born on 9 December 1837 at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the fifth child of Aloys Schmitt, a celebrated composer, pianist and teacher, and his wife, Auguste Caroline Wohl. His uncle, Jacob Schmitt…

Edward Shillington was born in Belfast, Ireland, and baptised there on 15 March 1835. He was the son of Margaret Little and her husband, Edward Shillington, a labourer. Little is known of his early life, but he spent 21…

Tudor Washington Collins was born on 9 March 1898 at Towai, Northland, one of 10 children of Henry Collins, a small farmer and general labourer, and his second wife, Sarah Wilson; Henry also had six children from his…

William Lane was born at Bristol, England, on 6 September 1861, the son of Caroline Hall and her husband, James Lane, a gardener. William attended Bristol Grammar School, leaving at 14 to work as a clerk. He also showed…

Thomas Bracken, the son of Margaret Kiernan and her husband, Thomas Bracken, was baptised a Catholic at Clonee, County Meath, Ireland, on 30 December 1841. His mother died in 1846, and his father, a postmaster, died in…

James Mackay Drummond was born in Thames, New Zealand, on 17 October 1869, the son of John Drummond, a surveyor, and his wife, Annie Mackay. He received his secondary education at Napier Grammar School, was apprenticed…

One of New Zealand’s most eminent horticulturists, James Anderson McPherson devoted his life to the development of public gardens throughout the country. He was born at Dunedin on 3 June 1900, the son of John McPherson…

William Arthur Sewell was born on 9 August 1903 in Goole, Yorkshire, England, the son of William John Sewell, a chemist, and his wife, Ada Mary Hill. Arthur's family were devout Methodists, and from the age of seven he…

Elizabeth Chadd was born on 1 August 1836 at Lymm, Cheshire, England, the daughter of Mary Clayton and her husband, William Chadd, a bricksetter. On 2 May 1859 at St Mary's Church, Manchester, Elizabeth married George…

Hugh William Segar was born at Liverpool, England, on 31 January 1868, the son of Robert Segar, a journeyman baker, and his wife, Sarah Liddy (née Hughes). He was educated at Liverpool Collegiate Institution. At 16…

Edward Musgrave Blaiklock was born on 6 July 1903 in Birmingham, England, the son of Florence Tromans and her husband, Edward Blaiklock, a foreman in the electrical department of a local steam engineering firm. The…

Louis Albert Johnson was born in Wellington on 27 September 1924, the son of Albert George Johnson, a police constable, and his wife, Louisa Murray Betts. By 1930 the family had moved to Manawatū, where Louis attended…