I found an article in papers past tonight
"Picton 24 February 1873. A subcontractor on the railway here, named James Randall, was found drowned off the end of the wharf yesterday morning. At the inquest today a verdict of "Found drowned" was recorded. His wife and three children are expected by the Forfarshire".
why this is so sad to me: My g grandfather John Reynolds came to New Zealand on the Schiehallion with Messers Brogden and Sons with some other Cornishmen to build the railway at Picton. He is recorded as writing to his wife urging her to come to New Zealand, which she did - on the Forfarshire with some other railway workers wives whose husbands had come out at the same time as my g grandfather.
Just imagining James Randall's poor wife and children, coming all this way to start a new life in another country on the opposite side of the world only to get here to find her husband is dead. How did she survive?
The shipping list for the Forfarshire says:
Elizabeth Randle 32
Walter 16
Henry 10
Joseph 5
James 2
May help someones 'brick wall' with relatives that came to NZ
