Another look for data

Problem - where does Thomas Cleverly come from? He is not mentioned as a convict, nor is he otherwise in Tasmanian records.

AUSSIE-GEN-RESEARCH-L Archives 09 June 2001 From: Sherrie Blackman - blackman at speednet dot com dot au Subject: Re: [A.G.R. ] Cleverley, Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2001 I have Cleverley's from Wiltshire, they travelled to New Zealand, Tasmania Aust. and then Victoria, Aust. From memory I think a branch also went back to New Zealand. Thomas Cleverly (b.1808) and his wife Hannah Butler sailed to New Zealand with their 3 children. Hannah died just before the ship reached New Zealand. Children of Thomas & Hannah Cleverly: 1. Thomas James Cleverley - christened 11 Sep 1836 Chippenham, Wiltshire, England - married Elizabeth Ann Goyen 1865 2. Thurza Cleverley - b. 1839 - married George Hanslow in 1859 Tasmania 3. Louisa Cleverley - b.1841 - married Maximilian Wills in Victoria 4. Male lived 6 hours Thomas Cleverly married Elizabeth Blanchett/Blanchard around 1842. From on Sat, 9 Feb 2008 Thomas & Eliza and the three children..Thomas, Thurza, and Louisa left Port Nelson New Zealand on 20th Sep 1842 on the cargo ship "Sisters". They arrived at Port Nicholson Tasmania 9/10/1842. They were the only passengers on board. Children from Thomas' 2nd marriage are: 5. Emily Anne Cleverley - b.1843 Clarence, Tas married John Edward Wellard - 1862 6. Frederic N/Mewman Cleverley - b.1844 Hobart, Tas - married Beatrice Eliza Wills - 1901 - NOTICE FREDERIC MARRIES HIS SISTER'S (Louisa) DAUGHTER. 7. William Arthur Cleverley - b.1847 Hobart, Tasmania - wed 1876 #1664 to Julia Agnes Kierse 8. Alfred David Cleverley - b.1846 Hobart, Tasmania - married ? 9. John Lewis Bourn Cleverley - b.1849 Hobart, Tas- married Henrietta Kerr 1885 - my branch 10. Angelina Beatrice Cleverley - b.1858 St Kilda, Victoria - wed 1885 #757 to Alexander Knox McCleave from Ayr 11. George Albert Cleverley - b.1866 Talbot, Victoria - married Mary Ann Johnston 12. Elizabeth Mary Ann Cleverley - b.1854 Clarence, Tas - married ? In Australia the name Cleverly is spelt 'ly' and 'ley'. Please let me know if you see a connection. Kind regards, Sherrie Blackman. Sydney.

Hannah Butler wed 04 MAY 1833 at Heddington, Wiltshire, to Thomas Cleverly
Thomas James Cleverly 11 Sep 1836 - 26 Dec 1906 christened at Chippenham, Wiltshire, England and died at Amhurst, Victoria, Australia

Found at the website for the Fifeshire a Ship: 557 Tons Captain: Harford Arnold, Surgeon Superintendent: William Spence, sailed London 17th September 1841 & Downs 2nd October 1841 - arrived Nelson New Zealand February 1st 1842
Cleverly Thomas 34 Smith and Farrier
Hannah 29 Died on board 03/01/1842, Consumption
Thomas James 4, Theresa 3, Louiza Infant and Male Infant Born on board 31/12/1841 Died in 6 hours

Fifeshire was one of the first four ships to Nelson and on her maiden voyage when bringing out settlers of the New Zealand Company to Nelson. 'Lord Auckland', 'Mary Ann' and 'Lloyds' all set out on the same day, the 'Fifeshire' being the first to arrive. These four ships brought out 764 people to Nelson. The Fifeshire was an unlucky boat from the start. During the voyage fever broke out and 17 passengers died, their bodies being buried at sea. Until the scourge began to abate the passengers were in a most melancholy state, as they did not know where it was going to end. When navigating Cook Strait the ship nearly came to grief. The pilot took her between Stephen's Island and the mainland and, the wind failing at a critical moment, it looked as though she would go ashore, but Captain Arnold sent away a boat with a kedge, which dropped in the nick of time and the ship hauled of into safety.

Referring to the Fifeshire's arrival the Nelson "Examiner" said that as the ladies (cabin passenger) dressed in the London fashions of the 1841, were carried ashore from the ship's boats the Maori broke into loud exclamations of wonder and delight. "Kapai!" "Kapai te wahine!" Kapai te piccaninny!" said the natives, who though familiar enough with white men, had never before seen the prevailing European fashions for women and children..

After disembarking passengers and discharging cargo the ship was cleared for China but unfortunately never made it out of Nelson Harbour. On the morning of 27th February, in charge of an acting Pilot (Captain F. G. Moore-the regular Pilot was unwell), she got under way. She had nearly passed through the narrow channel entrance when the wind failed, and the tide carried her on Arrow Reef.
Strenuous efforts were made to get her off, but it was useless and at low water she was lying nearly high and dry. Her hull could not stand the strain and her back was badly broken. She was condemned and sold for breaking up.
Source: White wings. Sir Henry Brett

Our thanks to Peter Dillon of Christchurch for providing the births and deaths on boad Fifeshire

And a fancy mouse-over line, to celebrate.

3. Louisa Cleverley b.1841 - wed 1858 #2795 in Victoria to Maximilian Wills and lived at Sandridge, Williamstown and visited Tasmania

More about Nelson, and the settlement there

at The Survey - Whitby passengers
The 347 ton Whitby was one of three vessels fitted out to carry out a survey for the new settlement at Nelson. Whitby and Will Watch departed London on Sunday afternoon, May 2nd 1841. A service had been held on board Will Watch and their passeg down the Thames was marked by a 21 gun salute. Arrow did not depart until May 21st but beat the other two ships to Port Nicholson. All three ships first arived at Port Nicholson until the question of the site of Nelson had been resolved. Whitby brought to New Zealand, Capain Arthur Wakefield R N (brother to Edward Gibbon Wakefield) along with 59 officals and labourers.

At NZ bound we find
History
Captain Arthur Wakefield arrived at Wellington in 1841, in command of the expeditionary vessel, the 'Will Watch,' to found the Nelson settlement somewhere in the Middle Island, and to take his instructions from his brother, Colonel Wakefield, the New Zealand Company's agent. The Colonel wished his brother to go south to Port Cooper, where, as whalers had told him, there was a good harbour and plenty of level country. Lieutenant Governor Hobson, however, forbade the southward expedition, and limited the choice of a site for the settlement to Blind Bay; hence Nelson was for years known as "Hobson Choice." The other expeditionary vessels were the 'Arrow' and the 'Whitby' with 100 pioneers from England. A year later they were joined by their wives and children.

Port Nelson is a natural haven situated in the SE of Tasman Bay, at the top of the South Island. During 1842, over three thousand people were brought into Nelson by the New Zealand Company in twenty four ships and by 1850 four thousand had come as company settlers. The first emigrant vessel into Nelson was the Fifeshire which arrived 1 February 1842, which is considered the date of establishment of the settlement. She was a 557 tons barque and had arrived in Wellington 16 January 1842 after departing London 26 September. The Fifeshire under the command of under Captain Arnold was wrecked while leaving Nelson on 27 February 1842 when the tide carried her onto Arrow Reef named after a vessel that was part of the survey expedition.

Bibliography
Allan, Ruth. (1918-1958) Nelson - A History of Early Settlement. Wellington : A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1965 458 pp

Allan, Ruth. The History of the Port of Nelson. Christchurch : Whitcombe & Tombs, 1954. 154pp Index.

Briars, Jenny, 1956- Road to Sarau : from Germany to Upper Moutere / Nelson, NZ: J. Briars and J. Leith, 1993. Immigrants New Zealand Moutere River Valley. 166 p. Ships- 'St. Pauli' & 'Skiold'

Buckley, Barry F., 1936- Sails of suffering : the story of the "Lloyds", an original emigrant ship to Nelson, 1841-1842 Napier, N.Z. : B.F. Buckley, 1990. 79 p.

Holdaway, Mary. "The Holdaway Family - Pioneers of Nelson" ISBN 0-473-01553-6 compiled by Mary Holdaway of "Bentworth", 31 Meehan St, Blenheim 7301, NZ. 1991 It has, 15-20 pages, on the Whitby from several people, including a reproduction of the passenger list from the A's to the start of the P's (one page). There are accounts of the entire voyage and anecdotes from some of the passengers and describes the various minor incidents, shore parties, etc leading to the founding of Nelson. The Whitby arrived in Wellington (Lambton Harbour) soon after the Will Watch and the Arrow, on 18 Sep 1841 (source Star newspaper, 1 Feb 1932). During its expedition to Nelson Haven, it was initially grounded on the point on 1 Nov 1841, and finally landed on 5 Nov 1841. The Mary Ann arrived with immigrants on 5 Feb 1842 but it had to stay in the bay for two nights before disembarking (source Ethel Holdaway's writings, Nelson archive 1969).

Eckford, H S (Bert) History of the Eckford Shipping Co. and Blenheim River Traders 1881 - 1965 94 pp Self-publication; 1995 A history of the Eckford family of Blenheim and their shipping ventures across Cook Strait.

Fell, Alfred, 1817- A colonist's voyage to New Zealand under sail in the "early forties" by Alfred Fell ; with a foreword by his son, Sir Arthur Fell. Exeter : Townsend, [1926] (Ch : Capper Press, (1973) 112 p. The voyage of the Lord Auckland to Nelson, 1841-1842. Facsimile ed.

Field, A.N. - Nelson Province 1642-1842 : From Discovery to Colonisation - Nelson, 1942, A G Betts & Son. 144pp. A history of New Zealand's Nelson Province.

Lists of Passengers to Nelson, 1841-1850 is available at Alexander Turnbull Library and the Nelson Provincial Museum. See Application and Embarkation #s

McMurtry, George, 1919- Versatile community : the history of the settlers of central Moutere / 1992

Motueka and District Historical Association: Not Without Courage - Our First Settlers. Pub. 1992 Four young men from Camborne were approached by the New Zealand Company's agent, Mr William Budge, to join the Expedition party which was going to NZ to found the colony of Nelson under the direction of Captain Arthur Wakefield. They were the Rawlings brothers - William 30 years, Richard 27 years and Thomas 22 years. The fourth was Richard Ching. They left Gravesend on 2 May 1841 on the 'Will Watch' and 'Whitby'. The wives and children followed in Feb 1842 on the infamous Lloyds. (65 children died enroute probably due to poor ventilation, malfunctioning oil lamps and overcrowding. All further vessels were sent with women and children protected by their husband's.) All three of Thomas and Elizabeth's children died en-route. They eventually settled in Riwaka near Nelson. ISSN 02112-0271

Neale, June E., 1919- Landfall Nelson : by sailing ship, 1642-1842: Anchor Press, 258 Wakefield Quay, Nelson NZ 1978, 1989. Focuses on the original four emigrant ships into Nelson: Fifeshire sailed 26 September 1841, Mary Ann sailed 24 September 1841, Lloyds sailed 11 September 1841 and Lord Auckland sailed 21 September 1841. Also Whitby sailed 27 April 1841, Will Watch sailed 27 April 1841. There are passenger lists recorded for each of the ships named.

Neale, June E. Pioneer passengers : to Nelson by sailing ship, March 1842-June 1843: Anchor Press, 1982, 1989. Focuses on the ships arriving 1842/3, and includes a voyage account and passenger lists for each ship: Bolton, Martha Ridgeway, London, Clifford, Sir Charles Forbes, Thomas Harrison, Olympus, New Zealand, George Fyfe, Bombay, Prince of Wales, Indus, Thomas Sparkes, Phoebe and the German immigrant ship St Pauli.

Libraries
Nelson Provincial Museum & Library, located at Isel Park, Stoke, Nelson ph 3-547- 9740, is run by the Nelson City Council. Email Appointments are necessary for photographic or library research. Holdings. Best to contact them several weeks in advance if you are researching a particular surname. Researching in the photographic section is complicated as their large collection consists mainly of negatives, not prints. The museum has a research fee. Isel Park was donated by Thomas Marsden, landowner and prominent citizen in Stoke. The name Isel is from his birthplace in England. He and his son James spent their lifetime landscaping the grounds of Isel house with trees from throughout the world. The house is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Research services will close at 4 pm on Monday 23 Dec. 2002. The library and archives will re-open at 12 noon on Monday 6 January 2003. Normal hours of Mon-Fri 12-4 pm will continue from this date.

Ship Diaries at the NPML:
John Gibson 'Fifeshire' 1841
Kater William Henry (ships surgeon) 'Sir Charles Forbes' 1842
J. Hounsell 'Bard of Avon' 1863
George Page 'Arethusa' 1879
Edwin White 'Adamant' 1874

Passenger Lists at the NPML:
New Zealand Company 1840-1850 (passenger application numbers enable you to find the place of origin) A large microfilm of applications by emigrants that covers a large number of vessels 1839 to 1850 that were under the NZ Co. scheme. Gives the actual street address of their residence when they applied in some cases and the county in others. It also states the relationships, sister, nephew etc. of various passengers.
Nelson Provincial Government 1853-1867
New Zealand Government 1874-1880
Local newspaper shipping columns are available and include coastal and Trans-Tasman shipping

The Attic (library) at the Wakapuaka Cemetery, Atawhai Drive, Nelson is were the Nelson branch of the NZSG meet and have a library. Open 2.00pm to 4.00pm on Sunday.

Nelson also has a Historical Society (meets at Founders Park) and a Family History Center on Nayland Rd in Stoke. On display at the Founders Historic Park, 87 Atawhai Drive, Nelson. ph 0-3-548 2649 are scale models of the Edwin Fox, the Fifeshire and the Lord Auckland.
1842 Fifeshire to Nelson 16 dying of fever
1842 Lloyds to Nelson. 65 children died

Return of Births & Deaths
on board the emigrant ship FIFESHIRE during the voyage from London to the settlement of Nelson - National Archives - NZC 36/8 Fifeshire papers, enclosure 5337/458, p.3 (some writing in this document is difficult to decipher and is therefore open to interpretation)

BIRTHS :
Name of Mother Date of Delivery Sex Remarks
Elizabeth GIBSON 1841 Nov 13 male
Mary MAGGARY 18 male
Anne BIRD 26 female
Isobel MOORE Dec 5 female
Elenor DILLON 21 male
Hannah CLEVERLY 31 male Died in 6 hours
Mary Anne JONES 1842 Jan 13 female Died in 28 hours
Fanny RICHARDSON 14 male
Elizabeth PENNELLS 18 female
Jane 26 male

DEATHS :
Name of emigrant Age Date Nature of disease
Infant daughter R. CARTER 14 wks 1841 Oct 6 Diarrhoea
Infant daughter W. RICHARDSON 1½ yrs 9 Disease Mesentine?
Son of W. PENNELLS 1½ yrs 14 Diarrhoea and
Mary HARPER 35 16 Abdominal inflammation
Daughter W. JONES 16 mths 22 Water on the head
Do Mr PENNELLS 1 yrs Nov 10 Do
James DRAPER 28 26 Inflammation of brain
Son W. DRUMMOND 3 29 Disease of Mesentine glands
Josiah WILLEY (WILLINGS?) 27 Dec 17 Fever
Mr A. WILLINGS 21 22 Do
Son of E. JONES (JAMES?) 2 25 Do
Hannah CLEVERLY 29 1842 Jan 3 Consumption
Edward JAMES 37 4 Abdominal Inflammation caused by a worm? perforating small intestines
Daughter W. JONES 8 16 Putrid sore throat
MAGGARY (MARGARY?) Feb 1 Consumption 4 hours after landing, 8 hours after ship arrived
"The foregoing returns are correct. Wm SPENCE Surgeon Superintendant."
Also see NZC/34/-/5/pp150-162 : various FIFESHIRE papers including passenger lists plus Deaths & Births at sea.