New Zealand Roots
New Plymouth was the gateway for many British immigrants who settled in New Zealand during the early days of colonisation.
The first organized European settlement was established by the New Zealand Company in 1840 at Petone, near present-day Wellington. This settlement was primarily composed of immigrants from England, including timber workers and artisans. Other early settlements included Wanganui, New Plymouth, and Nelson, which were founded in the same period as part of the company's efforts to colonise New Zealand.
New Plymouth
New Plymouth was founded in 1841 by the Plymouth Company and was the Taranaki region’s first Pākehā settlement.
Named after the port of Plymouth, in Devon, England, New Plymouth's establishment was part of a broader initiative by the New Zealand Company to promote colonisation. The region offered fertile land and access to coastal trade routes, making it an attractive destination for settlers. Originally called Ngāmotu (the islands), the site of New Plymouth had previously been occupied for hundreds of years by Māori.
The ancestral home of the Te Āti Awa people who settled in the area of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour), who are closely connected to two other tribes: Te Āti Awa of Taranaki and Ngāti Awa of the Bay of Plenty and the far north. All three are descended from Awanuiarangi, whose mother was Rongoueroa.
Pākehā traders set up a trading station at Ngāmotu in 1828, but it was not until 1841–1842 that planned settlement by the Plymouth Company brought 868 immigrants from Devon and Cornwall in England to the ‘New‘ Plymouth. From 1823 the Māori began having contact with European whalers as well as traders who arrived by schooner to buy flax. In March 1828 Richard "Dicky" BARRETT set up a trading post at Ngāmotu after arriving on the trading vessel Adventure.
The European settlement began at a time when many original Māori inhabitants were absent, either because they had been taken captive by northern Māori (Waikato) warriors or had migrated south to avoid war. This was a time of tribal war, and during the early 1840s, the threat of attack on Ngāmotu/New Plymouth from the Waikato was still very real – for both local iwi and settlers alike.
The rapid growth of the colonist population, coupled with insatiable demands for land by the New Zealand Company and the dubious practices it employed in purchasing it, created friction with Te Āti Awa. In March 1860 war broke out in Taranaki (the first Taranaki War) following a dispute over the sale of land at Waitara. More than 3500 British Imperial troops poured into Taranaki during which New Plymouth was transformed into a fortified garrison town.
As an 8-year old child, our great-great grandmother, Mary Elvins FAULL (future wife of John MORGAN) was on the first immigrant ship to arrive in New Plymouth. The town was primitive back then, temporary housing sites had been established on Mount Eliot (the present-day site of Puke Ariki museum), amid flourishing numbers of rats and dwindling food supplies. John and William MORGAN would arrive nine years later in January 1850 – by this time amenities had somewhat improved.
[1] Mary, along with her parents and four siblings, sailed on the ship ‘William Bryan’ which departed Plymouth [England] on 19 November 1840 and arrived at New Plymouth on 31 March 1841.
[2] Built of rushes and sedges.
] The , as many of the first European settlers came from Devon and Cornwall.
[2] A subsidiary of the New Zealand Company.
[1] John and William’s cousin, William Henry HONEYFIELD, married Dickey’s daughter Sarah Mary BARRETT in 1853.
1] In July 1860 New Plymouth was reported to be in a state of siege; residents suffered hunger and disease. Farming was impeded and immigration and trade came to a halt
ELVINS
ELVINS is the maiden name of our maternal great-great-great grandmother Elizabeth FAULL (1804-1874) and pops up as a middle name in several of our ancestors.
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Mary Elvins MORGAN (1833-1905) - great-great grandmother
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William Elvins MORGAN (1857-1934) - great-great uncle
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William Elvins Spiers (Inky) MORGAN (1893-1968) - first cousin 2x removed
Elizabeth ELVINS (1804-1874) was born on 16 April 1804 at St. Ewe in Cornwall, England. Her parents were John ELVINS (1775-1839) and Elizabeth JAMES (1776-1838), and siblings - older brother John ELVINS (1803-1844), and younger sister Catherine ELVINS (1811-1880).
Elizabeth married Richard FAULL (1803-1844) on 12 February 1826 at St. Ewe in Cornwall, England. They had five children: Richard (1829-1860); Catherine (1830-1903); Mary Elvins (1833-1905); Elizabeth (1835-1912); Henry (1836-1909); and Nathaniel (1840-) [no records of Nathaniel can be found - he may have died at/after birth]. The FAULL's emigrated to New Zealand in 1841, on the barque William Bryan, and are one of the early immigrant families to settle in New Plymouth.
New Plymouth in 1841 was an early immigrant settlement, without any of the amenities (lodgings, shops) or infrastructure (roads) prevalent back in England. The family lived in a tent until secure lodgings could be found/built. Husband Richard, miner by trade, died not long after their arrival (1844), leaving Elizabeth to raise the five children alone.
Elizabeth died on 15 July 1874 aged 70 years and is buried at New Plymouth with her husband Richard, and son also named Richard (1829-1860), at St Mary's Anglican churchyard, Row 5 - plot 70.
Daughter, Mary Elvins FAULL (1833-1905) married John MORGAN (1829-1916).
Elizabeth (ELVINS) FAULL
FAULL
Richard FAULL (1803-1844), our maternal great-great-great grandfather, was born on 28 February 1803 at Redruth in Cornwall, England.
His parents were William FAULL (1763-1843) and Christian [Christiana] HONEY (1766-1817). Richard was the youngest of six siblings - Henry Honey (1787-1836); William (1791-1850); Thomas Honey (1794-1863); Anne (1796-?) [may have died at/after birth]; and Nathaniel (1797-1860).
Richard married Elizabeth ELVINS on 12 February 1826 at St. Ewe in Cornwall, England. They had five children: Richard (1829-1860); Catherine (1830-1903); Mary Elvins (1833-1905); Elizabeth (1835-1912); Henry (1836-1909); and Nathaniel (1840-?) [no records of Nathaniel can be found - he may have died at/after birth].
Richard, listed on the ships passenger list as a miner, emigrated to New Zealand with his wife and five children in 1841 on the barque William Bryan. This was the first immigrant vessel to arrive at New Plymouth - organised by the Plymouth Company (its parent being the New Zealand Company), hence the city’s name ‘New Plymouth’.
Richard died on 9 July 1844 aged only 31 years. His cause of death is unknown. He is buried at New Plymouth with his wife Elizabeth, and son also named Richard (1829-1860), at St Mary's Anglican Churchyard, Row 5 - plot 70. Richard FAULL is the fifth name in St. Mary's Burial Register and his grave is the oldest 'identifiable' grave at this cemetery.
His daughter, Mary Elvins FAULL (1833-1905) married John MORGAN (1829-1916).
GARNER
The Morgan's have two connections with the GARNER family.
The GARNER family, John and Mary, arrived in Wanganui from the ship ‘Surprise’ in 1841. John was both butcher and the first Wanganui Chief Constable. An ardent Methodist, John was referred as ‘Father of Wanganui’, and generally considered to be one of the first European's to set foot in Wanganui, believed to be in 1839. John and Mary had three children: Thomas John Tyrell, Lucy, and William.
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Ellen Eleanor (Helen) PENFOLD (1839-1878) was younger sister of our great-great grandmother, Hannah PENFOLD (1834-1906). Ellen married Thomas John Tyrell GARNER (1831-1864) in 1857 – they had four children, Thomas died in 1864. Ellen married a second time to Joseph CROZIER (1846-1883) in 1870, having an additional four children between them.
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Elizabeth Miriam MORGAN (1858-1937), older sister of our great grandmother Charlotte Mary (Lotte) MORGAN (1860-1933), married Noah Baker GARNER (1859-1920) in 1885. Noah was the son of William Edmund GARNER and Elizabeth PICK [and grandson of John and Mary GARNER]. Elizabeth and Noah had four children.
Elizabeth Miriam (MORGAN) GARNER
GERSE
John Ivo GERSE (GUILLEMIJN) is the second husband of our paternal great-great grandmother Hannah PENFOLD.
After the sudden and tragic death of our great-great grandfather, William MORGAN (1831-1857), his wife Hannah remarried John Ivo GERSE (1822-1899) on 1 June 1858[1] at St Paul's Anglican Church, Wanganui. John, was born at Wakken, West-Vlaanderen (Belgium) in 1822, and was a well-known veterinary surgeon in Wanganui and the surrounding district for many years. He arrived in Wanganui in 1853, at one time was 'Mine Host' at the Ship Hotel [located on Taupo Quay] and prior to his death, Inspector at the Aramoho Freezing Works - only resigning due to ill-health.
Children of Hannah and John Ivo GERSE:
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Collette Storme Jeanette Victoria Maria GERSE (1859-1931) – married Charles LOMAX; died in Australia.
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Beatrice Frances Mansell GERSE (1860-1860) – died aged 6 months.
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Ferdinanda Henerika Penfold GERSE (1861-1946) – never married; buried at Wanganui alongside her mother and father.
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Caroline Emily Louisa GERSE (1863-1948) – married William Henry CLAPHAM; buried in Wanganui.
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Charles Long Ferdinand Storm GERSE (1865-1866) – died aged 10 months.
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Euphemia Hannah Mansell GERSE (1867-1962) – married Jabez William Mace LUXFORD; buried in Wanganui.
John died on 29 November 1899 aged 77 years and is buried at at the Heads Road (Catholic) Cemetery (Old Public Cemetery). His death leaving our great-great grandmother, Hannah, a widow for the second time.
Author's note: Sadly, I grew up without any knowledge of the GERSE side of the family. The children of Hannah and John are our great-grand uncles and aunties. My research suggests the Gerse's were a much adored side of our family, and my guess [could be wrong] is that the middle name of our great uncle 'Jack' is a nod to John Ivo GERSE.
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John Ivo (Jack) MORGAN (1894-1965) - great uncle
[1] Some narratives suggest Hannah and John Ivo GERSE married some 3-4 years after William's death - I believe this to be incorrect as Hannah and John's first daughter, Collette, was born on 14 March 1859.
John Ivo GERSE