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Robert Clarke Shearman was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, during March 1825. He was the son of Charlotte Bennette Clark and her husband, Thomas Shearman. Under the patronage of his uncle, William Hobson, first…

Cecil Walter Wood was born at Christchurch on 6 June 1878, the sixth of nine children of Robert Haswell Wood, a merchant, and his wife, Margaret Amelia Tribe. His mother died when he was seven and his father later…

Mary Elizabeth Grenside Hewett, the first principal of Napier Girls' High School, was born on 24 May 1857 at the parsonage, Thringstone, Leicestershire, England. She was the daughter of John William Hewett, an Anglican…

Douglas George Ball was born in Wanganui on 19 October 1895, the son of John Ball, a journalist, and his wife, Emma Agnes Shaw. He was educated at the Victoria Avenue primary school and Wanganui Technical School. He…

Alfred Jerome Cadman was born in Sydney, Australia, on 17 June 1847, the son of Jerome Cadman, a cabinet-maker, and his wife, Ann Hildyard. The family came to Auckland, New Zealand, in 1848. Jerome Cadman owned and…

George Hogben was born in Islington, Middlesex, England, on 14 July 1853, the first child of George Hogben, a commercial clerk and later a Congregational minister, and his wife, Mary Bennett McLachlan. He was educated…

Patrick Moran was born at Rathdrum, County Wicklow, Ireland, and baptised there on 24 May 1823. He was the son of Anne Doyle and her husband, Simon Moran, a farmer. Privately tutored until the age of 12, Patrick…

John Christopher Bradshaw was born at Adlington, Lancashire, England, on 23 June 1876, the son of John Bradshaw, a chemist, and his wife, Louisa Ward Jackson. He was educated at Rivington Grammar School and studied the…

William Sanderson La Trobe was born in New Zealand at Ngaroto, near Te Awamutu, on 15 October 1870. He was the son of Samuel La Trobe (who used the name Trobe), a military settler at Paterangi on the King Country border…

Neil McArthur was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 19 March 1898, the son of George McArthur, a blacksmith, and his wife, Margaret McTavish, a dressmaker. He emigrated to New Zealand with his family around 1907 and settled…

Emily Jean Burgess was born to Fanny Eleanor Hollard and her husband, Alfred Henry Burgess, a farmer, on 3 September 1900 at Stratford. Her parents later grew fruit and flowers at Kaiti, Gisborne, and Jean attended…

Emily Louisa Merielina Rogers was born probably on 1 May 1839 at Beyton, Suffolk, England, the daughter of Emily Eliza Blake and her husband, Michael Edward Rogers, an Anglican clergyman. Emily's first 24 or so years…

William Griffin was born in Britain probably in 1810 or 1811, the son of John Griffin and his wife, Ann Bolt. Very little is known of his life in Britain, but he is said to have been active in the Chartist movement. He…

Job Osborne was born at Road, Somersetshire, England, on 26 April 1842, the son of Mary Tucker and her husband, George Osborne, a labourer. Job walked to London at the age of 13 or 14 and worked in a candle factory…

The son of a carter, Alexander Walker Reid was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 14 September 1853. His parents, Helen Reid and her husband, Alexander Reid, emigrated to New Zealand with young Alexander in 1860…

Harold John Finlay was born in Comilla, India (now in Bangladesh), on 22 March 1901, the son of David Finlay and his wife, Emma Matilda Thomson, who were Baptist missionaries from New Zealand. He was left a paraplegic…

Geoffrey Sylvester Peren was born at Streatham, Surrey, England, on 30 November 1892, the son of Ethel Mary Fleming and her husband, Robert Henry Peren. His father came from a farming background but after attending the…

Eileen Fairbairn was born at Andersons Bay, Dunedin, on 27 June 1893, the daughter of Ada Pilkington and her husband, Andrew Fairbairn, a commercial traveller. Her father was a keen climber, and Eileen developed an…

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…

George Grey is believed to have been born in Lisbon, Portugal, on 14 April 1812. His father, Lieutenant Colonel George Grey, had been killed eight days before, during an attack by the Duke of Wellington's army on…