Children's homes/orphanages in Wellington 1920s

[jorose]

It would be unusual for them to be sent across to Wellington to a children's home, I would have thought (as opposed to being in one in Sydney or elsewhere in NSW, which certainly might have happened if their father/the older siblings were no longer to care for them).

Were there not possibly some relatives in Wellington who were meant to be looking after them?  Whether or not they stayed with them for as long as they were supposed to might be another matter.  Perhaps they didn't get along and therefore didn't keep in contact once they were old enough to get out on their own and find work.

[Janette]

Looking at the ER's there were several Mayer's living in Wellington,maybe the came to members of their mother's family,do you have the names of their mother's siblings?
It seems odd that they would be sent over to NZ to an orphanage when that could have happened in Australia

Cheers Janette

[2shea]

I have researched the Mayer side as well and cant to date find any that came to NZ. From the ship's manifest, Thelma and Ethel are shown by their initials, stating they were born in NZ, which they werent and as domestics, they were only 15 and12. Harry is not listed by name but there is a Mr and Mrs N Barker with a 9 year old boy which I presume is Harry as there are not any other children that age listed.
I have had a search done on the school rolls but no sign of Harry or the girls, not even under Barker. Checked all the Mayer girls and none married Barker. My only hope is for an older sister called Elizabeth A Hardacre born 1894 for whom I cant find an Australian or NZ marriage or even a death. The family have no recollection of what happened during this time. From Australian death records, John William, the father died in 1932 in a mental asylum so there could have been some issues there.
Thanks everyone for the ideas and will just keep looking.
Will keep on hunting anyway.

[2shea]

Spell check, I meant to say, Baker not Barker,  slight difference.

I agree with the comments that Janette and jorose have suggested to me as to why send children away from their home, seems truely bizzare but there must have been a reason. Will relook at family members again just in case there is a family over in NZ that took them in.

[kiwihalfpint]

Thelma and Ethel are shown by their initials, stating they were born in NZ, which they werent and as domestics, they were only 15 and12.  I have had a search done on the school rolls but no sign of  the girls, not even under Barker.

Hi,

I am guessing they would have been old enough not to attend school when they arrived.  I could be wrong, but I am just going by the ages of my relatives when they left school to work as a domestic in the family home or another home or work around the farm.   I stand to be corrected on this.

Cheers
KHP

[2shea]

I did think that the girls may not have gone to school and may have been sent to work - they are listed as domestics. Was hoping that Harry aged 9 may have been sent to school.

Thanks everyone for your ideas.

[jorose]

Okay, you can see them here:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V1MY-MV7

If you go to the images, and back to image 27, Mr and Mrs BAKER, it looks to me are listed as  - N & Ch  A Mr N Baker of the same age travels back and forth several times with wife "L.M." and son "C.N." born circa 1914 - so I suspect that was not Harry.

This might be of interest - who was "Miss B Hardacre" who arrived in the Moeraki in 1919 with a 5 year old boy (says "and child" but not clear that it means that the boy was her son).
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QJDJ-KN3M

I just wonder if she was Elizabeth under the name "Bessie"!  The age of "Miss B" is right - she may have married soon after arriving to Martin John Esker - her arrival was the 5th November and marriage seems to have been registered 11th!.  They sadly both died in an accident in 1939 - death gives her as aged 44 and first names "Elizabeth Hannah".

Martin was a Canadian who served in the NZ army in WWI.  He doesn't seem to have had family in NZ as on enlistment he gave a friend "M Duggan" in Christchurch and a cousin in Saskatchewan.  He was discharged in 1917 on medical grounds, and may  have then spent time in NSW (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QJDJ-V4CJ ) - perhaps where he met Elizabeth.

They were in Christchurch and later in Ashburton - fits with Harry later being in the Timaru area (do you know where his two sisters married and resided later in life?)

So here's a suggestion:
1) In 1919, "Bessie" aka "Elizabeth Anna/Hannah" heads to NZ to marry Martin.  She takes Harry with her for whatever reason (they were close, she worried about leaving him in NSW with John William, etc.)
2) In 1922, it is arranged for Thelma and Ethel to join them in NZ - perhaps at this point John William's health was deteriorating or other family members who had been taking care of them no longer could.  Or perhaps conversely Martin and Bessie were doing well and thought they could provide opportunities for the girls.

[2shea]

Yes yes and more yes.
After my last message I went back to the basics and sorted out all the sisters, brothers and cousins, where they were married and to who.  I came up with 2 suspects, a Bessie Hardacre, cousin in England who had dropped off the English radar and Harry's older sister Elizabeth A.  I found the same entry you had for Miss B Hardacre on the Moeraki in 1919. I had also found the marriage and death of Elizabeth, Hannah and Anna can be interchangeable. I think the cousin went to America with her brother.

So when I saw your message this morning, I just cheered, as we both have it. 

Then I went onto Paperspast and found this entry:
Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 50, 1 March 1939, Page 13
CROSSING TOLL.
DOUBLE FATALITY.
FARMER AND HIS WIFE. MOTOR CAR SHATTERED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ASHBURTOX, Tuesday. A double fatality occurred at a level crossing near Fail ton. four miles from Ashburton. this afternoon. The victims were: Martin John Esker, farmer, of Dromore, aged about 5O. Mrs. Bessie Esker, his wife, also aged about 50. Both were killed instantly. The car. an open model, was proceeding over the crossing when it was struck by a special south-bound goods train, which shattered the vehicle. Mr. Esker. who was driving the car, was carried along in the wreckage and was eventually thrown clear about 50 yards from the crossing. Mrs. Esker. who was in the front seat alongside her husband, received the full force of the impact and was thrown clear a few yards further on. Mr. and Mrs. Esker leave three sons, one in Christchurch and two in Ashburton.

This also fits in with the initial family story that Harry's parents had been killed in a railway accident. Bessie and Martin were his "parents" so that fits in nicely.  Harry of course was married by this time in June to Elsie May Morris in South Canterbury.

The other sister, Thelma married in to Robert Frederick Hessell also from Sth Canterbury, so there is a tie in there although Ethel married in 1944 to Bert Tickner in Wellington.

Thanks to everyone and especially jorose for all the information and encouragement to look outside the square.  This is just great to have solved this problem.


Thanks again Rootschatters

[kiwihalfpint]

Hi

Glad it is all coming together for you.

On the 1935 E/R for Waitaki, Otago, Harry Kenneth Hardacre is a farm labourer.

On the 1919 Martin John Esker is also at the above district as a Farmer, and in 1928 both Martin and Bessie are at the same district as 1919 and by 1935 are in mid-Canterbury.

Hope that helps as well.


Cheers
KHP