Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

The Pritchard Family

The New Zealand Connection


 

JOHN JAMES PRITCHARD ALBERT PRITCHARD

The first child born to John and Mary Pritchard in New Zealand, Albert was born at Howick April 9th 1849. He went as a 12-year old, with the family, to Napier.

On 22nd January 1881 he married Jessie Gordon at the home of her father, Henderson Gordon, Taradale. Albert probably met Jessie when visiting his family in Napier as he must have already been working in the Gisborne area because the "Poverty Bay Herald" reported on May 12 1880 - "Wairengaahika Races; A. Pritchard. n.s.

b.g. FLY 11st. 61b. Clerk of the course".

The 1881 Electoral Roll lists Albert as a settler at Makauri.

Extracts from the Poverty Bay Herald:
October 30, 1893 — The statement of the bankrupt Albert Pritchard shows a deficiency in the estate of £90.2.9d. The assets consist of a house valued at £70, two colts and a pack-saddle valued at £9. The amount owed to the creditors, all unsecured, total led £169.2.9d.

In January 1894, in estate of A. Pritchard, tenders were called for the purchase of the goodwill of lease of allotment no. 30 of the Hika Native School estate containing 5 acres 9 perches, with dwelling house thereon. (ex Patricia Burden).

Their first child, Jessie Louisa, was born the following year at Te Karaka on January 25. She was followed by nine more children, Clara Florence, Albert, Edith Mary, James, John Tyler, Daisy, George, Heber, and Gwen Doris.

Unfortunately, as happened so often in those days, not all the children survived. John Tyler died November 9 1892 aged 8 months, Daisy died March 2 1895 aged 13 years, George died July 6 1895 aged 1 day, and Heber died in 1907 aged 10 years after a fall from a horse.

Albert lived in the Gisborne area until he died in January 1912.

Clara Florence married Arthur Pilcher, and Jessie Louisa (Lulu) married his widowed brother, William Pilcher. Both families later moved to Auckland where the two large families, 8 and 9 children respectively, grew up.

Albert served at Gallipoli and in France during WWI and won the Military Medal. Back in New Zealand he later married Ethel Watkins who had also won distinction during the war in the Nursing Corps, and they had one son, Manning Albert, but sadly he died in March 1924 aged 5 days. They later adopted a son but he died in his late teens. Albert died in Auckland in the late 1970’s, having lived nearly all his life in the Gisborne area.

James married Clara Tiggins and when widowed married Daisy. James left no issue.

Mary married Syd Martin and had a family of five, two girls and three boys.

Gwen Doris married Harry Griffith Cook and they had 2 sons and 2 daughters.

Return to Home Page