Hello Mollie
We are still endeavouring to find out just when and by what means, Annie SHERWOOD came to be in New Zealand. Please don't think we have overlooked your initial question.
Yes, a lot of incidental information has been added to the thread, but that's often helpful to our searching - sometimes the smallest snippet can provide a vital clue.
Was she a cupples in Ireland and Robert moved her and her kids to NZ. then an adopted her. But why was she his servant . was Roberts wife sick.
Annie SHERWOOD's children were all born in New Zealand as far as we can tell - between 1885 and 1892.
Robert CUPPLES married in Ireland (1861 ?) - to Jemima Jane ROBINSON. She was still his legal wife at the time of his death in New Zealand in 1911 - although she had moved with some of her children to live in Australia. Robert and Jemima had one son born in Ireland (Thomas Hugh - 1862) with the remainder born in New Zealand after they arrived here in
1863. [Annie SHERWOOD was apparently still living in England in
1881 (at Berkshire.]
Robert CUPPLES, as we have learned from his obituary, was a man of means and could obviously afford to employ staff. Can find no evidence that his wife was "sick" ... perhaps her removal to Australia was because the relationship with her husband had broken down ??
We don't know yet when Jemima moved to Australia ... nor do we know or when Annie SHERWOOD became Robert's "housekeeper". Neither do we know if there was "relationship" between Annie and Robert.
I have copies of her being adopted by Robert
* Are you able to post to this thread, the copies you have relating to the adoption by Robert, please.
~ Lu