O'Connors in New Zealand

MY BRANCH OF THE O'CONNOR TREE IN NEW ZEALAND

O'CONNOR'S

MY GREAT GRANDFATHER MICHAEL O'CONNOR ARRIVED IN NEW ZEALAND IN 1874.
AS YET I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHIP THAT HE CAME OUT ON OR WHERE HE LANDED.
I guess one should start at the beginning. I have two brothers younger than me and when I was three, Mother separated from my Father. She married again when I was 7 and it was not until I was 15 years old that I found and met my father for the first time. I saw my father about 4 times until I was 22 when he came to visit and stayed with my wife and I for a few days which turned out to be 4 weeks during which time he did the dirty on us, so after a lot of talking I showed him the door and told him that I didn't want to see him again.
The next year I went to Australia where I stayed for 28 years and on returning I decided to really do something about my family trees.
Well one, of course ended up being "THE BATES BOOK" on my mum's fathers side and another is
"THE FRIEND BOOK" on my mum's mothers side.

Then I decided to do the O'CONNORS. It's only during the last few years that I have really found out about my O'CONNOR side, so here is the story which I found out by going to different libraries, visiting cemeteries between Wellington and Riverton, visiting courthouses from Wellington to Invercargill, and the only thing that I had to go on was the fact that I was born in Dunedin. Mother didn't know where our father was even born or what his mothers name was. So armed with my birth certificate the hunt was on.

I found out from my original birth records that my father was not Michael John Joseph Patrick O'Connor, but just Michael John Patrick O'Connor and that he was born at Timaru. I was driving through Timaru that same day and read the original record of his birth and found that he was born in 1922 and that his name was Michael John O'Connor and was born out of wedlock. His mothers name was Maud O'Connor and she was born at Otekaike, Canterbury, west from Oamaru.

I sent off about 20 letters to all the O'Connors in the area and got 5 replies and not one from an O'Connor. Some of the letters had been passed on to people who others thought may be able to help so I'm grateful for that. One arrived from a Mr Ramsay Wills who had lived at Duntroon for most of his life. He wrote about the O'Connors that lived in the area and that most of them were buried in the Duntroon cemetery.

So in January 1994, we visited Ramsay and his wife May, at Duntroon to find out more. Over a cuppa all the tales of the O'Connors came out and the notes were duly taken down. Ramsay believes that My Grandmother, Maud, was working as a house keeper for a Mr John Procter and that they later moved to Duntroon. This is where old Maud was brought up and I guess she wanted to move because most of her family was still there. Later they were to be married and Maud became step mother to John's 7 children. They were, not in order of age, Bert, Charlie, Isobel, Olive, Alice, Jack and Maude. One has to read carefully from here on. It was sometime later that young Maude Procter was to marry Maud O'Connor's younger brother Nicholas, so now we have 2 Maud O'Connors, and this made old Maud's brother, Nicholas, her step son inlaw. Jack Procter still lives in Invercargill and it was he who gave me a lot of information about the early days of my father. Old John Procter died about two years after they were married and it wasn't long before the authorities closed the house of ill-fame that Maud had turned it into and the children were taken away, some went to live with their older siblings and the younger ones went to a home for awhile. My father was 7 years old at the time and ended up in a home in Dunedin. This home was run by a Mrs. Berland at 97 Russell Street, Dunedin.
He joined the Army in 1941 and was in 6 th Battery until discharge in 1942.
He died on the 4^th October 1973 when I was in Australia, and is buried at the end, off the row, in Anderson's Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.

My name is, Michael John Francis, and I have 2 brothers,
Kevin Barry, and Edward Clifford.

I say this now so one can follow what is about to happen as I unfold the O'Connors forward from Michael O'Connor who arrived in N.Z. in 1874. I shall start with him and come forward because it's easier that way.

Michael O'Connor was born in Kerry Ireland in 1851, and arrived in N.Z. at the age of 23 in 1874. His father was, Andrew and his mother's name was Margaret. His wife Catherine Quigley was born at Kilkenny Ireland in 1860, and arrived also in 1874 at the age of 14. It was 2 years later on the 14 October 1876 that they were married in St. Patrick's Church, Oamaru. Her father was Richard and her mother was a Johanna Mackie. Richard's parents were John and Ann.

Michael and Catherine had 12 children whose names were; Margaret, Richard, Johanna, Catherine, Mary, Ellen, Andrew, Michael,a second Ellen, Elizabeth, Maud, and Nicholas.

Margaret O'Connor, was born 4-2-1878 and married John Atwood and they had 2 sons, Leo and Evan.
Leo John Atwood married Mary Elizabeth Mabey at Palmerston North. They had 10 children; Peter, still born; Joan Evelyn, 2 daughters; Jack Leonard, died aged 16; Leo (Alan), no children; Evan Alex, 3 sons 3 daughters; Ngaire Jean, no children; Brian Noel, 6 daughters 2 sons; Colin Richard, 3 sons 1 daughter; Dorothy Mavis, 1 son and 1 daughter, (Faye) Moreen, 3 sons;
Evan Atwood married Isobella and had four daughters; A stillborn daughter, Evelyn, Isobel Margaret, and Irene May. The family, (after Evan's death in 1965), lived in Leamington, Cambridge, in the North Island. Isobella continued to live in Cambridge until her death in 1984. (Thanks to Evans grandaughter, Robyn Smith for the updates.)

Richard O'Connor, was born at Otekaike on the 1-4-1880 and died with no issue on 7-6-1950.

Johanna O'Connor, was born at Otekaike on the 9-9-1882 and married Jack Schiffer. They had 5 children; Kitty, George, Molly, Frances, and May.

Catherine O'Connor, was born at Otakaike in 1884 and died 6-3-1957 with no issue.

Mary O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 29-5-1885, no more information.

Ellen O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 2-8-1886, no more information.

Andrew O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 14-1-1888 and died 4-5-1951 with no issue.

Michael O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 19-10-1889. Married Margaret McMullan on 25-3-1913, and had two children, a daughter, Eileen: and a son Hugh: who had sons Neil (electrical business) and John (works in a bank) and a daughter Valerie Ann Orr. John has a son, Wesney John; Neil has a son, Rhyrs, and a daughter Donna; Valerie Ann has a son Quentin (Orr) and a daughter, Cara.(Thank you to Paddy Maguire from Ireland, for this update)

Ellen (Nell) O'Connor,(no 2) was born at Otakaike on 26-5-1891 and died in Dunedin on 23-11-1968.

Elizabeth O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 26-6-1892 and died on 20-9-1957 with no issue.

Maud O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 20-12-1895. She had one son called Michael John, and when he was five, she married a John Procter, they had no children. She died in Christchurch on 23-12-1949 and is buried at Lyttelton, N.Z.
(Michael John) Mick as he was called, married Mary Lavinia Wilkinson from Longwood, Southland, and they had three sons, I, (Mike) Michael John Francis, (KO) Kevin Barry, and (Ted) Edward Clifford. I have 5 daughters and one son, and 6 grandchildren, KO, has 8 children and 2 grandchildren, and Ted has 6 children and 1 grandchild.

Nicholas O'Connor, was born at Otakaike on 14-11-1898 and died on 22-12-1948. He married Annie (Muade) Procter and they had 11 children. Michael, 23-12-1927, dni, 21-5-1992. Catherine, married Frederick Renwick and have 2 children. Margaret, married Gordon Brydon and have 4 children.
Vincent (Bruce), born 1931 dni 18-5-1953. Mary, married Swannie Shellew and have 3 children and 1 grandchild. Richard, born and died 1935. Shirley, married Ian Brunton and have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Kevin, married Helen and 1 son Michael. Frances, married Noel Comer and have 2 children and 1 grandchild. Therese, married Trevor Brunton and have 4 children and 1 grandchild, then married Melvin Terry and they have 2 children. Veronica, married Waitai Harrison and have 3 children.