William and Susan Howells emigrated to New Zealand circa 1850s

[jibhauler14]

I am trying to find out when a William and Susan Howells arrived in New Zealand circa 1850 and how the got there, he was a miner from Sedgley in Staffordshire England, they would have been in there early 20s when they arrived, they were married with no children and did very well, settling in the Central Hawkes Bay area, they owned the Travellers Rest Hotel now the Commercial Hotel in Waipawa, plus other property and land in the area, on 25/11/1863 William Howells after a day at the races and having consumed a fair bit of alcohol got into a disagreement with his wife and friends, he swallowed Strychnine and died, his name is on a gravestone of the church in Waipawa, having died intestate his estate became the basis for certain judgments in law, his widow later married a James Bennett but I cannot find any trace of her from then on. 

[jorose]

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDTM-5MQ
 - I think this may be the probate record of James Bennett who married Susan Howells.

He mentions wife Susan, and adopted son William Henry James Dowd otherwise Bennett.

Susan died in 1902 (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152417733 ,
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDTM-5TQ - will leaves everything to the same adopted son, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBH19020815.2.16 )

Unfortunately her obituary doesn't give any info about when she arrived in NZ.

When did William and Susan marry, and where? When do you first have a concrete sighting of them in NZ? We might have more luck if we can narrow the time period down.

[jibhauler14]

thanks for the info, I know a lot about what happened to his estate etc--- in the following 50 odd years after his death and the problems with probate, executors, no will etc--- that resulted in several court cases, I even know which properties he owned in Waipaw and how much they sold for and Iknow of his beneficiaries who were cousins, but all I know or have found out about William and Susan is that they were born in Sedgley, were married in Sedgley he was a miner presumably coal and that they emigrated to New Zealand, they are supposed to have been in there mid 20s when they arrived as he was in his mid 30s when he died in 1863, so his birth date looks like 1830 ish... I will have to keep digging..

[TwiggyTree]

Have you already contacted the Central Hawkes Bay Settlers Museum for information?
http://www.chbsettlersmuseum.co.nz/

[minniehaha]

Just putting these snippets up, some show variation in spelling of the surname.......

Report of his death:

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBT18631204.2.9?end_date=31-12-1863&phrase=0&query=william+howell&start_date=01-01-1863&title=BA%2CDTN%2CHAST%2CHBH%2CHBT%2CHBWT


1863/2079   Howells   William   33Y

1902/4830   Bennett   Susan   82YA

Marriage:

1866/6130   Susan   Howels   James   Bennett


Minniehaha.

[Janette]

Do you have their marriage date and were they in the 1851 UK census?

Cheers Janette

[minniehaha]

This is not part of the brief but may be useful..........

[Added].......

1889/329   Isabella Mary   Carlyle   William Henry James Doud   Bennett

Report of the marriage:

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DTN18890225.2.15?end_date=31-12-1889&phrase=0&query=isabella+carlyle&start_date=01-01-1889

Cemetery details:

BENNETT, WILLIAM HENRY JAMES
Details   M: Died 02-01-1926: Aged 50:
Place   Hillsborough
Location   Area 2 Block K Lot No 107
Remarks   
Information   
Officiating   
NZSG map   
Trans number   
    
________________________________________
   [2 of 6]
Name   BENNETT, WILLIAM HENRY JAMES
Details   M: Died 02-01-1926: Aged 59: Cause of death - cancer: Date of burial - 5 Jan 1926
Place   Hillsborough
Location   Area 2 Block K Lot No 107
Remarks   
Corrections - BDM & Death Notice have age 59 not 50: Headstone: No
Information   Occuptation - traveller: Residence - Symonds St: RC: Native place - NZ: Last from Hawkes Bay: Years in NZ - 50
Officiating   Officiating Clergy - Rev Shore: Informant - C Little & sons
NZSG map   
Trans number   
 
Death registration:   

1926/426   Bennett   William Henry James   59Y

Death notice:

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19260104.2.2.3?end_date=31-12-1926&phrase=2&query=william+henry+james+bennett&start_date=01-01-1926

Minniehaha.

[jennifer c]

There is a william Howel aged 10 in the 1841 census for Sedgley with parents William and Harriet and siblings, he is missing from the family in 1851?

Jennifer

[minniehaha]

A little more about Mrs. Susan Bennett..........



Funeral of Mrs. Susan Bennett….

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBH19020818.2.28?end_date=31-08-1902&phrase=0&query=+bennett+waipawa&start_date=01-08-1902


Cause of death:

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WDT19020816.2.8?end_date=31-08-1902&page=2&phrase=0&query=+bennett+waipawa&start_date=01-08-1902


Minniehaha.