Whatever happened to Mary Watson FERGUSON?

[Johnf04]

Mary was born in about 1853, either in Ayrshire, Scotland, or Victoria, Australia, to Alexander FERGUSON  and Grace WATSON. In 1877 she married John WARD at Kyneton, Victoria. The couple had one child in Victoria, then moved to Southland, New Zealand, where further children were born. Mary had 5 further children with John WARD named as father, and 2 children where she gave the surname MAWER, and named Charles Henry MAWER as father. The last I have found of Mary is in the 1905-06 NZ electoral roll, where she is living with her husband John WARD and two of their sons at Scott St, St Kilda, Dunedin. I have traced the fates of her children, and John WARD died of influenza in 1918, in Dunedin. I have been unable to find a death, or a further marriage, for Mary. Does anyone have ideas for further searching?

[minniehaha]

A bit of background about Charles Henry Mawer........

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19160823.2.93?phrase=2&query=charles+henry+mawer&snippet=true

1897/4484   Sarah Ann Emily   Gibbs   Charles Henry   Mawer

Minniehaha.

[Johnf04]

Yes - that was after his association with Mary - the last child Mary had was born in 1890 (Mary Henrietta Rose MAWER). Mary Henrietta died in 1908, her death was registered as Henrietta Rose WARD.

[minniehaha]

Henrietta Rose Ward was buried in the Southern cemetery, Dunedin. Any useful clues to be found on the death printout, if you have this?

Minniehaha.

[Johnf04]

The Wards are on a distant branch of our tree (John WARD was a 2nd cousin twice removed of my wife) so we haven't spent any money on printouts. Thanks for the suggestion, though, Minniehaha.

John

[minniehaha]

John if you live in the Edinburgh of the South maybe you could call at or contact the Anderson's Bay cemetery, where I think they hold cemetery archives, not just for Andy Bay. There may be something helpful to be discovered about the Ward/Mawer family. Perhaps...


Minniehaha.

[Johnf04]

That's indeed where I live, Minniehaha. I doubt that any more information is available about burials in Dunedin, than what can be found on the DCC cemetery search. They include a lot more information than most other places. It seems the Wards were too poor to afford headstones, unfortunately.

John

[Jamjar]

An online tree has her as wife of Charles Mawer:

August 29, 1949, Age 96
Death of Mary at South Island Dunedin, New Zealand
Burial of Mary: Anderson Bay Cemetery, New Zealand

Jamjar

[Johnf04]

Hi there Jamjar - unfortunately there is no death registered in New Zealand for a Mary Ward, Mawer or Ferguson in 1949, and there are no burials for her in Dunedin cemeteries. It is possible Mary married again, but trees that I've found on Ancestry giving a death in 1949, or 1967 give no references, and no suggestion of her surname at death.

John