WILSON / WYBER FAMILY
by Rhonda WILSON (nee BULLING)
My husband’s parents were Robert George WILSON and Beverly Joy Wilson nee WYBER. Robert George Wilson (known as George) was born 8/1/1930 in Clinton and died 15/12/2002 in Balclutha. His parents were George Wilson and Ethel May Wilson nee FERGUSON.
Robert George Wilson spent all his life in Clinton he drove buses for many years as well as doing shifts on trucks and then driving a bulky before he retired. His wife Beverly Joy Wilson (known as Joy) was born in Milton where she meet George and was married then moving to Clinton where she spent her life with George until after his death. She then moved back to Milton to be closer and have the support of her siblings.
According to George Wilson Senior’s marriage certificate he was born in Kaikoura to Robert Henry Wilson and Sarah Wilson nee WOODS and he was 29. But I can not find any proof of this. I know he is buried in Clinton and when, but no where can I find a birth date. Not even in the family bible.
He and his wife Ethel May were married at Clinton 19/12/1928. It also tells me that his usual residence was Gisborne so I then went looking and think I may have found his parents in a Gisborne Cemetery and that there was a small place called Kaikora North in that region.
Is anyone able to help me or able to point me in the right direction? As for the Fergusons and the Wybers they both go back about five generations in the Clutha District. More about them another time.
MY KERIN / CAIRN FAMILY
I continue to research my mother’s family. Her parents Kathleen and Owen were brought up in the South Hillend / Heddon Bush area. Owen's parents, Timothy and Janet CAIRNS as we knew them, were actually married as Timothy and Jane KERIN. Timothy came to NZ on the Duke of Edinburgh in 1874 to Canterbury, where he worked in the Tinwald area. Timothy and Jane were married 1883 in the Temuka South Canterbury Catholic Church.
They had two sons that were registered KERIN, and then all the children were registered as CAIRNS. It seems that one was registered twice in both names, and they changed their name before moving south as it was hard to get work. Timothy and Jane moved south about 1904 where they settled and farmed at Heddon Bush after purchasing part of the Heddon Bush Estate. They farmed until Timothy was killed in a farm accident in 1922. I believe the farm was taken over by the two eldest sons after Timothy’s death.
Jane on their marriage certificate is 21 years, but I have since found her birth certificate and she was only 15. This was quite a mission as I was told she was Janet, not Jane and she is Janet on their headstone. I was lead to believe her parents were Jane and John GILMOUR; they are Jane and John on her birth and her marriage certificate but after that I can only find them as Jean & John. Have I got the right people?
My next mission is to prove or disprove this. The CAIRN’s family as I know them had a ‘get together’ this year and they showed us where Granddad worked and lots of stories were told.The children took all their clothes off before jumping in the powdered lime so their mother would not know ( ha ha – not with lime in their hair)
PS. Before the weekend I printed off what I knew about each family and attached a self addressed envelope and asked if they could add or correct any missing details, and return. I have all but one back and lots of amazing photos and information.
HANORA CORCORAN
On my mothers side I am researching CAIRNS, LANGFORD, CORCORAN and GILMOUR.
My Great grandmother Hanora Corcoran came to New Zealand on the Gothicarriving in Wellington from London in July 1897 and then to Invercargill where she boarded a train to Centre Bush with only a penny in her pocket. She was met there by her brother-in-law Frank Langford and taken to South Hillend, which took them three hours. She was 22 and had come to live with her sister.
Hanora was the youngest of a family of eleven. Her mother and father were Tom and Catherine Corcoran of Laghtacllow.
She then married Frank's brother Joe and they settled in South Hillend, where the school was later built.
Joe was born in Tralee, County Kerry, in 1855. He arrived on the ship Waitangiwith his brother Bill in 1877.
Joe worked in Canterbury for some time before coming south to where his brother Frank had settled in 1885. Jo bought his farm in 1894 and married Hanora in 1897. Joe was from a family of 12, his mother and father being William and Mary Langford from County Kerry, Ireland. Joe and Hanora went on to have a family of eight, all born at the little cottage at South Hillend.
My grand mother Kathleen as we knew her (Nana) to all the kids in Tuatapere, (as in her old age she lived in a caravan and travelled around the family after granddad died) was actually named Catherine but she didn’t know this until she needed her birth certificate when she was 60.
She married Owen Cairns whose parents were Timothy and Janet Cairns from Heddon Bush. Owen was one of 16 children.
Timothy came to NZ from Ireland in 1874 at the age of 16 and was a ploughboy in Canterbury, where he met Janet Gilmour daughter of John and Jane Gilmour a pioneer in Canterbury (whom I need to find out more about).
Kathleen and Owen were married in Centre Bush in 1927 and had a family of nine, all but two are still living. My mother Veronica was brought up in Limehills where her father worked at the Limeworks and also worked on the Hommer Tunnel.
Veronica married my father Robert Edward Maxwell Bulling in Invercargill in 1952 where they lived before moving to Tuatapere. I am one of five children. My parents have both passed away and would now have 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
It is believed that two KERINS brothers came to N.Z together from Ireland but because they couldn’t get work changed the spelling of their name to the Scottish spelling. Kerin to Cairns.
And yes, Ellen Langford who lived to 106 in Southland is indeed a cousin.
Granddad Cairns, Eugene Owen Cairns served in the 1st World War but I don’t know any details…..
by Rhonda WILSON (nee BULLING)
My husband’s parents were Robert George WILSON and Beverly Joy Wilson nee WYBER. Robert George Wilson (known as George) was born 8/1/1930 in Clinton and died 15/12/2002 in Balclutha. His parents were George Wilson and Ethel May Wilson nee FERGUSON.
Robert George Wilson spent all his life in Clinton he drove buses for many years as well as doing shifts on trucks and then driving a bulky before he retired. His wife Beverly Joy Wilson (known as Joy) was born in Milton where she meet George and was married then moving to Clinton where she spent her life with George until after his death. She then moved back to Milton to be closer and have the support of her siblings.
According to George Wilson Senior’s marriage certificate he was born in Kaikoura to Robert Henry Wilson and Sarah Wilson nee WOODS and he was 29. But I can not find any proof of this. I know he is buried in Clinton and when, but no where can I find a birth date. Not even in the family bible.
He and his wife Ethel May were married at Clinton 19/12/1928. It also tells me that his usual residence was Gisborne so I then went looking and think I may have found his parents in a Gisborne Cemetery and that there was a small place called Kaikora North in that region.
Is anyone able to help me or able to point me in the right direction? As for the Fergusons and the Wybers they both go back about five generations in the Clutha District. More about them another time.
MY KERIN / CAIRN FAMILY
I continue to research my mother’s family. Her parents Kathleen and Owen were brought up in the South Hillend / Heddon Bush area. Owen's parents, Timothy and Janet CAIRNS as we knew them, were actually married as Timothy and Jane KERIN. Timothy came to NZ on the Duke of Edinburgh in 1874 to Canterbury, where he worked in the Tinwald area. Timothy and Jane were married 1883 in the Temuka South Canterbury Catholic Church.
They had two sons that were registered KERIN, and then all the children were registered as CAIRNS. It seems that one was registered twice in both names, and they changed their name before moving south as it was hard to get work. Timothy and Jane moved south about 1904 where they settled and farmed at Heddon Bush after purchasing part of the Heddon Bush Estate. They farmed until Timothy was killed in a farm accident in 1922. I believe the farm was taken over by the two eldest sons after Timothy’s death.
Jane on their marriage certificate is 21 years, but I have since found her birth certificate and she was only 15. This was quite a mission as I was told she was Janet, not Jane and she is Janet on their headstone. I was lead to believe her parents were Jane and John GILMOUR; they are Jane and John on her birth and her marriage certificate but after that I can only find them as Jean & John. Have I got the right people?
My next mission is to prove or disprove this. The CAIRN’s family as I know them had a ‘get together’ this year and they showed us where Granddad worked and lots of stories were told.The children took all their clothes off before jumping in the powdered lime so their mother would not know ( ha ha – not with lime in their hair)
PS. Before the weekend I printed off what I knew about each family and attached a self addressed envelope and asked if they could add or correct any missing details, and return. I have all but one back and lots of amazing photos and information.
HANORA CORCORAN
On my mothers side I am researching CAIRNS, LANGFORD, CORCORAN and GILMOUR.
My Great grandmother Hanora Corcoran came to New Zealand on the Gothicarriving in Wellington from London in July 1897 and then to Invercargill where she boarded a train to Centre Bush with only a penny in her pocket. She was met there by her brother-in-law Frank Langford and taken to South Hillend, which took them three hours. She was 22 and had come to live with her sister.
Hanora was the youngest of a family of eleven. Her mother and father were Tom and Catherine Corcoran of Laghtacllow.
She then married Frank's brother Joe and they settled in South Hillend, where the school was later built.
Joe was born in Tralee, County Kerry, in 1855. He arrived on the ship Waitangiwith his brother Bill in 1877.
Joe worked in Canterbury for some time before coming south to where his brother Frank had settled in 1885. Jo bought his farm in 1894 and married Hanora in 1897. Joe was from a family of 12, his mother and father being William and Mary Langford from County Kerry, Ireland. Joe and Hanora went on to have a family of eight, all born at the little cottage at South Hillend.
My grand mother Kathleen as we knew her (Nana) to all the kids in Tuatapere, (as in her old age she lived in a caravan and travelled around the family after granddad died) was actually named Catherine but she didn’t know this until she needed her birth certificate when she was 60.
She married Owen Cairns whose parents were Timothy and Janet Cairns from Heddon Bush. Owen was one of 16 children.
Timothy came to NZ from Ireland in 1874 at the age of 16 and was a ploughboy in Canterbury, where he met Janet Gilmour daughter of John and Jane Gilmour a pioneer in Canterbury (whom I need to find out more about).
Kathleen and Owen were married in Centre Bush in 1927 and had a family of nine, all but two are still living. My mother Veronica was brought up in Limehills where her father worked at the Limeworks and also worked on the Hommer Tunnel.
Veronica married my father Robert Edward Maxwell Bulling in Invercargill in 1952 where they lived before moving to Tuatapere. I am one of five children. My parents have both passed away and would now have 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
It is believed that two KERINS brothers came to N.Z together from Ireland but because they couldn’t get work changed the spelling of their name to the Scottish spelling. Kerin to Cairns.
And yes, Ellen Langford who lived to 106 in Southland is indeed a cousin.
Granddad Cairns, Eugene Owen Cairns served in the 1st World War but I don’t know any details…..