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Thomas Francis O'Byrne was born at Westbury, near Launceston, Tasmania, on 30 August 1871, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants Ellen Esther Ryan and her husband, Thomas O'Byrne, a farmer. Young Tom attended Cluan…

Edward Richardson was born in London, England, probably in 1830 or 1831, the son of Elizabeth Sarah Miller and her husband, Richard Richardson, a merchant. Edward was educated at the City of London School. He trained as…

David Alexander Cecil Low earned world fame, and the particular hatred of Adolf Hitler, in the years leading up to the Second World War for his cartoons attacking European fascism and the Nazi regime. Born in Dunedin on…

Henry Gilbert Bennett (better known as Harry Scott Bennett) was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, on 1 June 1877, the son of a radical carpenter, James William Bennett, and his equally radical wife, Charlotte Mary…

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…

John Lomas was born in Disley, Cheshire, England, on 27 February 1848. He was the son of Ann Burgoine and her husband, George Lomas, a collier. Tradition has it that he began his working life in the nearby potteries at…

Gordon Holden Mirams was born in Christchurch on 9 March 1909, the son of Leslie Haywood Mirams, a travelling salesman, and his wife, Mary Elvire Webb. A regular film-goer from the age of 10, he received his secondary…

James David Salmond was born in Queenstown on 1 May 1898, one of eight children of Sarah Cockburn and her husband, John Salmond, a carpenter. His parents were active in the Presbyterian church and the community, setting…

Samuel Johnson was born at Manchester, Lancashire, England, on 16 March 1827, the son of Thomas Johnson, a saddler, and his wife, Hannah Cope. On 5 June 1848 he married Thereza (Thirza) Mellor at Glossop, Derbyshire.…

Barzillai Quaife was born at Lenham, Kent, England, on 29 December 1798, the son of Thomas Quaife, a farmer, and his wife, Amelia Austin. He married Maria Smith on 4 November 1834, in the parish of St Anne, Soho,…

Charles John Thorn, with his wife, Frances Edwards Perriam, and their four children, arrived in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1875. Charles was 28 years old. One of his brothers had preceded him to the colony. Born on 14…

Robert Wilson was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland, probably on 16 December 1832 and educated at the local school. His parents, Robert Wilson and his wife, Margaret Allen, farmed flax for the linen trade at Omagh.…

Henry Samuel Chapman was born in Kennington, London, England, on 21 July 1803, the son of Henry Chapman, a civil servant in the Barrack Department, and his wife, Ann Hart Davies. He was educated in schools at Bromley,…

Elizabeth (Bessie) Reid Henderson was born at Kaiapoi on 19 November 1873. She was the eighth of nine children of Alice Connolly and her husband, Daniel Henderson, a storeman. A few years after her birth the family…

James O’Brien belonged to the cluster of Australian labour activists who reached New Zealand in the first decade of the twentieth century, as the nation’s trade union movement was beginning to assert itself industrially…

John Macfarlane Ritchie was one of the most influential commercial figures in Otago's history. He was born in Rousay, Orkney, Scotland, on 29 December 1842, the eldest of three children of Isabella Anderson and her…

John Lochiel Robson was born at Halcombe, near Feilding, on 4 June 1909, the son of John Templeton Robson and his wife, Margaret Catherine O’Brien. His father was a teacher, as was his mother before her marriage. After…

Born at Cramond, near Edinburgh, Scotland, on 20 June 1824, David Bruce was the son of a carpenter, also named David Bruce, and his wife, Margaret Robertson. The family moved to Perthshire, where David attended parish…

Edwin Edwards was born at Camberwell, Surrey, England, on 5 April 1862, the son of Edwin Edwards, a ship broker's clerk, and his wife, Rachel Tyler. He was educated at Rutland College and was then briefly in business in…

Patrick (Paddy) Charles Webb was born in Rutherglen in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, on 30 November 1884. He was one of nine children of George Webb, a miner, and his wife, Mary Ann McNamara. The family established…