Family Tree

So what do I owe to them, then,
To the strange names? Those far places?
With their clothing old fashioned and stiff
But the oh, so familiar faces?
My own face, then, my thoughts,
My health and delights - do I owe them
To those who have long ago gone,
Who have died - and how should I know them?
To what extent am I, I?
How much those who begot me,
Who formed and fashioned and led.
Who influenced, and have forgot, me?
From them I have being and life,
I have movement, decision and pleasure.
From me they have all they could ask -
Immortality now is their measure.
And such I bequeath to my own -
And to all who may follow after,
Whether they knew me or no -
Life, in its fullness, and laughter.

PS. It is a strange thought
That to a chance meeting and mating of long dead names
I owe my life,
and how much more!
I do not recognise this debt
It was an unconscious gift.
A quick deed conceived and cheaply bought.
I owe them my life
And they owe me their immortality.

Anne Jacques (nee McNeur)

James McNeur + Margaret Hunter

Much of the history of James McNeur was researched by Archibald James (Jim) McNeur, Ian's brother.

The entry of James McNeur into the World was recorded in the Port Glasgow OPR thus:

"October 1836. James McNeur, Shoemaker in Port Glasgow and Mary McGaw his spouse had a lawful son born 25th September and baptised 30th October 1836 called James".

The Port Glasgow census of 1851 lists "James, aged 14, errand boy".

This photo presumed to show James around age 12 - 14. Probably his older brother Archibald beside him, and presumably William the Mariner was at sea.

We know that James' older brother William was a mariner, and captain of the "Dunedin" at age 25. James would have been 19 when big brother William left the UK to captain the "Dunedin" to New Zealand. William returned to Scotland in 1856 for a few months, and no doubt his stories of New Zealand stirred his brothers' imaginations. William made a second trip to NZ in 1857, probably returning to Scotland sometime in 1858.

Written in the family bible held by Jim, "James left Scotland for Otago in SS Sevilla, 19th August 1859. Arrived Port Chalmers 1859"

An excerpt from Pg 159 of "White Wings" by Sir H Brett gives information on the Sevilla as follows: "This vessel, a barque of 598 tons was a new ship when she was first placed in the New Zealand trade, but never made any fast passages out. She was built in Jersey for G Turnbull + Co of Glasgow, and chartered by the new firm Shaw, Savill and Co. She made three voyages to New Zealand. In 1859 she sailed from the Clyde on the 19th August and arrived at Port Chalmers on the 1st December, three days after sighting land, and brought a large number of passengers."

According to the passenger list for this voyage, Archibald McNeur was a passenger, but James was not. For many years this caused confusion. Family stories say that Archibald followed James but now we know that brother William had been here a year or so before, it makes sense that both Archibald and James came together on the Sevilla. Perhaps James worked his way over as a crewman, and thus was not listed on the passenger list.

So, 1859 brings James , aged 23, and Archibald, aged 30, to Port Chalmers, and Dunedin.

What was life like in Dunedin in 1859?

The following letter, dated from Dunedin, 20th August 1858, having appeared in a home paper, was written by an unnamed passenger bound for NZ on the "Strathfieldsaye" - the ship Capt William McNeur took over for it's journey from Dunedin to Melbourne.

"We left Glasgow in the Strathfieldsaye on the 15th January, and parted company with the pilot at Cumbrae Point on the 21st, and on the 28th April saw the mainland of New Zealand. With what feelings of emotion we caught the first glimpse of land of our adoption, after being so long tossed on the mighty deep, can only be described by those who experience it. Disappointing as it was to what we fancied, instead of green hills rising in gentle acclivity from the shore, you see a rocky, rugged-looking shore, with sterile bare-looking mountains covered with snow, and extending as far as the eye can reach. This is the general feature of the country so far as I have seen; but I am told there are fine plains in the interior.
Owing to the wind, we were obliged to lie at anchor about half-a-mile off the mouth of the harbour for eleven days. On the 10th we landed at Port Chalmers, a small hamlet with about a dozen wooden houses, when the married people left for Dunedin in a small craft. The captain was caught taking liberties with one of the girls, and was so enraged at the exposure consequent upon the discovery, that he fired amongst us in the dark, the ball carried off the second mate finger, fortunately without injuring any one else, though it passed through a crowd of us, and lodged in the forecastle. We rushed upon him, and, having tied him with a rope, gave the mate charge of the ship. Next day he was sent a prisoner to Dunedin, when he was bailed for £700. He never made his appearance at court for trail, but went off with the Strathallan, by which he forfeited his bail. He was also tried for ill treatment and withdrawing our stores, for which he was fined £30, and the owners have to pay £300 for short provisions and damages sustained by the passengers. This will give you an idea of the treatment we received onboard.
On the 11th all the young people on board sailed for Dunedin, a distance of 8 miles, in small boats, and landed at 1 p.m. To give you a description of the place nothing could be more disappointing - a few straggling wooden houses without order or regularity merely temporary as if built on a ..... serve for two or three days; the streets, if they can be so termed, ankle deep with mud, their stores paltry little shops, such as you will find in a country village at home. The face of the country hereabouts bears a sterile, hilly aspect, except where covered with wood. What a feeling of disappointment is exhibited by all new arrivals to what they were led to expect from the government agent's (Mr Adam's) description! Had he been in reach of us he would have had to run hard for his life..... The Government agent was well aware when he strongly recommended young men to take wives, that they would not be able to leave the place, and if females were scarce when he left they are at a discount now, not only that they can not obtain husbands, but places. Some who came in our ship have not got the offer of a place yet, and most of those have had to go 50, 60 and 70 miles, no easy task in this country. Instead of £25 and £30, £15 and £20 are the highest wages, of which they have to do the work of two or three at home. Several left their places unable to stand it. The demand for men is equally dull, and the wages from £30 to £50; very few above £40. Characters and introductory letters are of no use.
Cabin passengers who could talk of nothing during the voyage but horse races and coursing dogs, had to shoulder the pick and off to the quarry and the road. Here you will find men of various artistic skills at the barrow, the shovel or pick; and wonderfully well content until wages were reduced to 5s. per day, when the young men struck and spread throughout the country. The poor unfortunates who cannot leave cannot be well off, owning to the rate of provisions accommodation. The meanest hut they can get is 10s a week - board and lodgings of a common description 1 a week - with one wet day weekly. we have no regular mails here, only some stray vessel once in a month and sometimes in three months."

Not an easy place to begin a new life, and far different from what they had obviously been promised! This is the Dunedin that James and Archie found when they arrived. I expect life in the first few years would have been difficult in this fledgling community.

Nothing is known of how James and Archie fared in this new land, but they were obviously working as tree fellers in the hills behind Dunedin.

The first information of the brothers after their arrival is the news of Archie's death. The "Otago Witness" of Sat 14 September 1861 reports on the inquest:

"The particulars of this sudden and fatal accident are thus stated by the deceased's mate who was working with him at the time. James McNeur, brother of the deceased, stated: on Thursday the fifth inst I was working with the deceased and Mr Renwick in Saddle Hill Bush felling a tree. Deceased and I had been working the saw together for some time and then Mr Renwick relieved the deceased. Shortly afterwards the tree showed signs of falling in the opposite direction from where we were cutting, but in falling it was checked by vines and creepers that were growing about it. The trunk of the tree swung around on the butt and Renwick and I were entangled in the vines and thrown to the ground but not struck by the tree. On extricating myself, I could not see the deceased anywhere. I called to him but got no answer. I felt almost certain that he was underneath the tree and I endeavoured to get under the mass of rubbish that surrounded the tree and after some difficulty I discovered that the tree was lying across the deceased's neck and shoulders. By the time further assistance had come to hand and we proceeded to cut away the creeper with a billhook, and we also cut the tree apart in two places, on either side of the deceased, and lifted away the portion that was lying on him. The body was apparently in a sitting position with the head bent down between the legs. When the deceased was removed we found life to be quite extinct. The accident happened on Thursday last at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon. We were just about leaving off work; the deceased had the two axes in his hand ready to take home and they were found alongside the body.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death."

Archibald was buried at East Taieri Church.

According to Lily McNeur, James worked for a Mr Edmund Bowler and also that he followed the gold diggings to Hindon, Dunstan etc and that she had a locket made from a nugget that he found at Hindon. Another locket made from a Hindon nugget is listed among the possessions of Alec McNeur's family.

The Otago goldrush started at Tuapeka in early Spring 1861 and surged through Central Otago, but by 1864 many were returning to the cities or moving on to new fields and James was probably part of this pattern. During the first unorganised rush, some disorder and violence occurred, but the gold fields settled down to disciplined and orderly hard work. A few made fortunes and some became destitute, but the average miner was making about 3 times a labourer's wage. This is presumably where James earned enough to pay for his teachers training and probably put some by for retirement. It is interesting that his first Teaching appointment was at Waitahuna, where he could possibly continue gold mining during the school holidays.

His main career of teaching was preceeded by a one year course at the Dunedin Training College, after which he taught at Waitahuna, and thence to Te Houka in 1869 at the age of 37. Te Houka was west of the Clutha River and James was it's first teacher. Three schools were opened in 1858, one of these being Inch Clutha.

In 1872 at the age of 35, James married 36 year old Margaret Hunter, daughter of a coal mining family from Bothwell, Lanarkshire. Coal mining was a brutal business, with women and children working in the mines alongside their men.

Margaret had left Glasgow in June 1870 on the "William Davie", arriving on 06 September 1870 in Dunedin, and went to join her sister Susan, wife of Robert Neil, schoolmaster of Wangaloa. After this she became housekeeper at Pillan's home "Myres" at Inch Clutha. She probably had to go upriver to help at Pillan's Manuka Island station near Te Houka, where James was teaching, and that is presumably how they met.

Margaret's family story is told in a booklet "The Hunter Story", so we will not repeat it here. Kathy McCormack (nee McNeur) has a copy of this if anyone would like one.

James McNeur was chosen from 9 applicants to take over the Inch Clutha school in 1873. The roll was 59 and the average attendance 32. All children were taught singing, but no sewing was taken. James' salary was £157 pa. He received glowing reports of his work, such as:

"School and residence now co-joined. Playground and garden beautifully kept. School admirably taught in all respects. Master intensely devoted to his work and has infused the same spirit into his pupils, a number of whom are far advanced for their years and attendance".

In 1878 a big flood swept the school away and debris was later washed up on the North Otago coast. The school house was threatened and the family, including 4 day old baby Archibald, were lowered from the attic window into a dray and evacuated by boat. A new school was later erected but the original schoolhouse still stood until 1984, when it was destroyed in a fire. By coincidence, Ian's daughter Kathy's first husband actually lived in this schoolhouse as a baby and young boy, and she saw it several times before it burnt to the ground.

James and Margaret had 6 children; 5 boys and 1 girl - more on them shortly

James ran the District Library, was auditor for the Matan Road Board and a member of the Sterling Athenaeum Committee. He was also registrar of the North Molyneux District; see his beautiful copperplate handwriting on the sheet of entries on son Archibald's birth certificate. James was also a faithful elder of the Presbyterian Church with a deep and abiding faith in God.

Apparently he was not completely cured of the gold bug, as his son Alec recalled that he used to go off by boat to Australia fossicking for gold in the school holidays. At some stage James and Margaret moved from Inch Clutha to the Sterling School about 12 km north, and younger sons Willie and Alec were born there, with David being born at Port Molyneux.

When James left Port Molyneux school (held in the church building) on 02 April 1885, the district presented him with a gold watch and the Sunday School gave him a gold fob to go with it. He retired in 1899 after 30 years of teaching and took up a farm "Parklea" at Wairuna about 3 km from Clinton, which he worked with the help of his sons.

Her son Alexander (Alec) remembered Margaret going to the polling booth the first time women were allowed to vote. She considered it a solemn occasion and dressed in her best clothes, even though the booth was just over the lawn from the house.

After the death of his wife Margaret in 1909, James sold the farm and moved to 14 Millar St, North East Valley, Dunedin, close to Knox College where his sons attended Theological College. Daughter Mary looked after him until he died on 03 Sept 1913 at the age of 77 years. He was buried in the family plot in the old Balclutha cemetery.

James' obituary from "The Outlook" says:

"Mr McNeur's life was comparatively uneventful in the ordinary sense of the word, but it attained a higher excellence; it was a life of quiet usefulness and strong faith, such as noone who was brought into close contact with him could question. He had inherited a blessing, for his father, who was engaged in business in Port Glasgow, was an elder of the church and universally esteemed as a man of prayer and good works. When Mr Archibald McNeur was at Home a few years ago, after his preaching at Port Glasgow ,a number of the old people came to him and said "This is in great measure the answer to your grandfathers' prayers."
"The writer of this notice enjoyed for many years the privilege of Mr McNeur's friendship and it was no ordinary privilege. He was a man of few words and his feelings were under habitual control, although the "perfervidum ingenium Scotorum" which slumbered in him could awake when occasion called. He was much interested in the young and took an active interest in their Society of Christian Endeavour."

Our Mother
When fields were green and ships were blue,
And flowers were decked in brightest hue
And bees hummed where sweet heather grew
Then you were born, Our Mother.

Now fields spread out their furrowed earth
Awaiting Spring's renewing birth
To usher in with cheering mirth
To brighter days, Our Mother.

Once more we join to wish you joy
And golden years without alloy,
Filled with bright hopes and kind employ
Til resting time, Our Mother.

For whether 'mong the heathered hills
Of fair Zealandia's snow fed rills
Or plain where Chinese peasant tills
We aye remember Mother.

May God whose love has made us one
Where 'ere we dwell beneath the sun
Grant us the strength our race to run
As having such a Mother.

And when at length our sun has set
And each the others once more met,
Where partings cease within heaven's yett
We'll all meet there, Our Mother.

A staunch Presbyterian Family