Petone and Lower Hutt
Piti-one (End of the Sand)
"I travelled among unknown men,
In lands beyond the sea"
William Wordsworth 1770-1850
The new settlers first set foot in their new homeland on the Petone foreshore. At that time the whole of the district was covered in tall forest to within about a mile and a half of the beach. From there to almost the shoreline were swamps full of flax and a strip of sand hills.
What was to become known as the Hutt River flowed through the valley often spilling over into the swampland. Along the banks of the river where the soils were naturally rich magnificent timber was to be found. Where some land had been cleared of the "native" vegetation the local Maori had cultivated gardens with numerous flourishing crops of potatoes. As the settlers were to find, there was a plentiful supply of wildfowl on the river and this supplemented an equally abundant fishery.
The original settlement at Petone was actually named Britannia and had remained so until September 19 1840 when the area later to be called Thorndon was gazetted as the site of the main settlement. The name Britannia was then transferred to it. This caused more than a little confusion for some time until Petone became the recognised name.
During 1840 Captain Mein Smith surveyed the area and divided Petone into ten sections of about one hundred acres each. Joseph Percy was later to lease Section Five from a Mr R Kidd, the original owner.
Before continuing with the main story, let us take a look at the relationships between the indigenous Maori and the new settlement, in particular between Te Puni and the settlers.
During the spring of 1839 Colonel William Wakefield of the New Zealand Company crossed Cook Strait from Queen Charlotte Sound on the "Tory". He was to purchase land and to choose a site on which to start the new settlement. Accompanying him were whalers from Port Underwood and the Sounds who acted as pilot and interpreters. These men included the famous characters Dicky Barrett and Captain Jackie Love.
They were met at the entrance to the harbour by the chiefs Te Wharepouri and Te Puni who welcomed the newcomers as "protectors" from other marauding tribes. These marauders were thought to be from both the Wairarapa and East Coast as well as the more fearsome warriors of Te Rauparaha. The Wairarapa and East Coast tribes had once occupied the shores of the harbour.
Te Puni had proved his great valour in the earlier battles at Waitara (1830) when tribes form the Waikato had overrun the local tribe, the Ngatiawa. The Ngatiawa then decided to "migrate" south and had only recently settled the shores of the harbour. During the Waitara skirmishes both Dicky Barrett and Jackie Love had fought against the invading tribes. They were also related to Te Puni and Te Wharepouri by marriage. Today many of Te Puni's descendants bear the name of Love.
Te Wharepouri died less than a year after the first settlers reached Wellington. The leadership mantle was now firmly on the shoulders of Te Puni. Having made the decision to ally himself with the settlers, he never once wavered and remained staunch in his friendship and support for thirty years. For many of these years he was advisor to all; his advice constantly sought and always freely and willingly given.
The 1846 clashes in the Hutt Valley between the two races saw Te Puni ranging himself and some one hundred of his tribesmen at the side of the armed militia. In the rather quaint tradition of the day, he was rewarded with a silver cup!
In all misunderstandings Te Puni acted as peacemaker and there is no doubt that this moderating influence was to save many lives. When he died the leadership "cloak" passed to Wi Tako with these words, "Care for our Maori and Pakeha people when I am gone." Today the name of Te Puni is commemorated as the suburb of Epuni. Later in this narrative we will look at some of the business deals that affected Te Puni and the Percy family.
Now back to the family story. Probably the most important happening of the first year in the new land was the occasion of the marriage of the eldest daughter of the family, Eliza, to Alfred Renall. He was a widower whose first wife had died soon after their arrival from England. Eliza and Alfred were to raise some sixteen children including those from the first marriage. Like his new in-laws, Alfred also plied the trades of carpentry and milling both in the Hutt Valley and, after a few years, in the Wairarapa. More about the Renall family later.
The following year, 1843, witnessed the planting of the acorn on the bank of the Hutt River. Why they waited a full year before doing so appears to be a little strange, but before not many more years had passed the young oak was transplanted to a new site nearby. This famous local "landmark" remained there until 1926 when it was "cut down to within three feet of the ground". The stump was dug out of the ground and exposed to all weathers for some three months. It was then replanted by the family and continued to grow fresh shoots which by 1928 were some eight feet long.
Joseph Snr. must have carried the acorn from England - no quarantine laws to worry about! It is most likely that he did so because he wanted some memento to remind him of his birth land and the wood he so liked to work with. This oak tree would have been one of the first "exotic" plantings in the new settlement. It may have also been the catalyst to the environmental awareness shown by the family many years later.
Until about 1855 what was not beach at Petone was swamp. Flooding grew progressively worse as the stripping of the forest allowed water to "run off" much quicker. The river and its tributaries began to erode the land and to frequently change course.
Most of the secure living in the area was to be made from those trades servicing the agricultural sector and this is where the Percy family began to prosper. With their carpentry skills extended to bridge building and the erection of flour mills they were soon being utilised to the fullest.
On October 2, 1844, "Joseph Percy and Son, Builders" enter the local authority records for the first time. They were contracted by Francis Molesworth to erect a water-driven flour mill beside the Hutt River.
Another early contract signed on April 2, 1846 for the bridging of the Hutt River was to cause the company some heartache.
Reports in the papers of the time indicated that the original bridge built by the New Zealand Company was in a parlous state. Many complaints had been made as to what might happen to the settlers should the structure collapse. We must remember that in 1846 there had been "threatening behaviour by the natives". The militia had erected a stockade near the original bridge and the traffic over the now rather decrepit structure was considered to be very heavy. It was feared that the bridge would collapse should "the guns" from the stockade be taken across. However such a catastrophe did not eventuate and the old bridge stood long enough to be used after the new one had been completed.
The new bridge built by the family firm was of an American design. Of a simple overhead truss principle called in those days a tubular bridge, it was more or less enclosed by sides and roof. Plans for the bridge were executed by the Local Government Engineer, T.H. Fitzgerald. The "flimsy but pretty" footbridge existing on the spot was demolished and the handrails and diagonals recycled for use on the new bridge. Much of the good totara from the footbridge was used as struts when the family home in Petone was built in 1851. These struts were still in good condition when that house was in its turn demolished in 1925.
With their bid of 385 pounds the Percy's may have undercut the tender price because they rapidly got into financial difficulties. They blamed most of their problems on the tardiness of the sawyers in getting the totara logs required from the Taita Gorge. A more accurate assessment of the situation was that the sawyers had come under considerable threat from some of the local Maori. The risk of hostilities forced the raising of the militia. This in turn lessened the number of men available in the labour market.
A paucity of land had caused some of the poorer settlers to seek alternative areas in which to settle and also lessened the numbers available to work. The effect of this shortage of labour was to drive up the cost of hiring workers and that had adverse results for the contract. The builders also had to abandon the recycling of the Kahikatea decking from the footbridge because of its decay.
With the contract stipulating a completion date of September 30, 1846 and a twenty pound per week penalty to take effect if that date was not adhered to, the family had to seek an alternative.
So on February 17, 1847 a petition was sent to the Governor stating that "through unforeseen misfortunes caused by the Native rebellion on the Hutt soon after the contract was taken, they present to His Excellency's notice the difficult position in which they were placed as regards the completion of the job in the time specified."
The petition goes on to say "We have little money and too short a time to complete the work. The great and sudden advances on wages and the scarcity of hands since the contract was taken has completely ruined us, likewise the decay of all the timber of the old bridge." They also made reference to not being able to acquire totara of the full length required and that the cost of iron plates, nails and bolts had doubled in price in less than a year. The petition concluded with the words, "Relying on Your Excellency's well known humanity."
An extension of time was granted and an extra award of fifty pounds ensued. The family still claimed to have been out of pocket by £189.3.10½d! Incidentally, their in-law Alfred Renall was one of the creditors!
Unfortunately this new bridge only served its purpose until January 23, 1855 when it was severely damaged by the great earthquake. It was then "finished off" by a flood.
Another bridge was then erected and both Josephs, Snr. and Jnr. were invited by the Provincial Superintendent to become trustees under the Hutt Bridges Act. As a digression, we must wonder as to how the new settlers reacted to their first earthquake as the tremors of 1855 are purported to have been amongst the most severe ever witnessed in New Zealand.
The losses claimed by the company with regard to the bridge do not appear to have dampened their enthusiasm. In 1848 there were to be two major events involving the family and both involved the same construction, St James Church, Lower Hutt. In the first instance they erected it and then on October 23 Joseph Jnr. was to marry Annie Maria Welch. This was the young man whose apprenticeship contract forbade him to marry during its term. Church records state that the marriage took place "while the shavings were still on the floor of the building." It was the first wedding performed in the new church. In 1850 they were to erect the Catholic Chapel.
Annie's family had arrived in New Zealand on January 31, 1840 on board the "Oriental". This ship, with the "Aurora" and "Duke of Roxburgh", are considered to be New Zealand's "first fleet". Her father, William, was a publican who with his wife Ann had seven children, including one only three weeks of age at the time of embarkation. A further seven children were to be born in New Zealand. Three sons from this family later moved to the Wairarapa and formed the basis of the "clan" celebrated most notably by the Welch Family Rugby Team.
The year following the marriage of Joseph and Annie (1849) the first to bear the name of Percy was born in New Zealand. There were, however, already offspring to grace the Renall line. Joseph Henry as he was christened was to be followed by six brothers and two sisters.
In 1851 Joseph Snr's house at 125 Hutt Road, Petone, was built and was to stand there until demolished in 1925. Also in 1851, after they had finished work on Henry Petre's Woburn dwelling, the Britannia Flour Mill was built and began operations under the control of the Percy's family company.
This mill was situated by the Korokoro Stream on a site later to be occupied by the woollen mill. The property was Maori land leased originally to the Dorset family from whom they took over the lease. Numerous financial dealings between the Percy and Dorset family were to take place over the years.
The mill was driven by water from the stream for which the company paid thirty pounds per annum. When the woollen mill was commissioned they took over the water rights and the water wheel continued to operate supplying that "new" invention called electricity to the mill.
There is a strange twist to the Dorset lease. In March 1855, after the family had been dealing directly with the Maori owners - Te Puni's "mark" appears on the rent receipt - the Colonial Secretary became involved. He wrote to the Superintendent of Wellington Province granting the request of "Messires Percy" to lease the land but stipulating that it should be per the agency of the provincial government. From then until 1872 a sum of seven pounds ten shillings each quarter appears in the accounts of the provincial government as "rent to the natives of Korokoro."
This is a unique arrangement with strategic considerations the probable explanation. Whoever controlled Korokoro Corner, as it came to be known, could control the movements along the Hutt Road. By withholding the rent the government could, if necessary, put a great deal of pressure on the local Maori to conform to the European rule of law. The flour mill itself was to quickly become one of the most important industries serving agricultural interests in the Hutt Valley.
Let us digress once again. We know of the importance of Korokoro "Corner" but there were other barriers to progress erected about the same time. These barriers also controlled movement along various roads. They were toll gates! In 1877 there were placed between Wellington and Masterton no fewer than five sets of gates - Kaiwharawhara, Hutt Bridge, Kaitoke, Featherston and Waiohine. One also graced the Ruamahanga Bridge at Te Ore Ore!
Something of the structure of financial servicing of the Wellington-Hutt Valley communities can be deduced from the dealings of the Percy family with the Union Bank of Australia, and various private lenders. Letters for routine credit, mortgages and similar dealings as well as many of their business papers (1850-1870) are preserved in the National Archives in Wellington. It is pertinent to note that many of their customers were Maori and given their dealings over leases and rents it appears logical to suggest that their relationships with the Maori were very cordial. Many other settlers had great difficulty in their relationships with the indigenous race.
The business papers show that the mill had regular, and substantial, orders for a number of the commodities required for the milling operation - calico bags, oil, wheat and other grains. These were all usually imported from Australia. Some of the receipts for these items were in excess of three hundred pounds, a very considerable amount of money to outlay for that era.
There are however no references to any personal details about Joseph Snr. but he was unmistakably quite well educated. The written accounts are clear, neat, well spelt and conscientious. The range of his business activities over nearly twenty-five years suggests a man both confident and capable. There is no doubt that he became seriously ill in his last years and anticipated his impending death. Even so, his handwriting remained firm and unshaken to the end.
February 1863 brought the formal dissolution of the partnership between father and eldest son, but nowhere is there any hint of any "rupture" or antagonism between them. Nor, we might add, is there any mention of the youngest son, Henry James, in respect of the business dealings of the family. Joseph Jnr. took over the business without a break upon his father's death in October 1864.
At the time that Joseph Snr. died the family were considered to be quite prosperous. Perhaps it should be mentioned at this juncture that, according to contemporary accounts, from 1840 until approximately 1870 there were usually less than ten European descended families resident in the Petone district. The Wellington Almanac of 1865 lists the settlers of Petone as J. Sellar, sheep-farmer; W. Ridley, farmer; H. & J. Percy, millers; H. Collett, wheelwright; H. Parker, labourer; W Buick, farmer. Those readers with Wairarapa connections will especially note the names of Sellar, Percy, Parker and Buick.
In contrast, by 1882 the Return of New Zealand Freeholders records some 107 freeholders of property in Petone. This listed people by the value of their holdings and not the size of it. The largest owners from £501 upwards were only thirteen strong. They were nearly all residents and were, except for one, all of the oldest settled families namely the Buicks, Mudgways, Colletts and the Percy's.
Compared to his father, the business acumen of Joseph Jnr. is much more difficult to ascertain. There are only five years of his papers in the Archives. From his father he had inherited very orderly methods but there are signs of financial pressures later in the 1860's. An extremely complex set of deeds and mortgages, mostly in the name of his mother, indicate some desperation in the need to raise finance. Annie did in fact default on one mortgage to the Dorset family. Whether or not this financial stress was as a result of Joseph Jnr's decision to erect another mill is not stated.
This second mill, further up the valley at what is now "Percy Reserve", appears to have been erected during 1869. Letters were still being addressed to Joseph Jnr. at the Korokoro Mill until the end of that year and thereafter addressed to the new mill. The Britannia (Korokoro) Mill was then sold to John Wolland who later resold it in 1885 to the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company.
With the completion of the new mill an interesting sidelight developed. The Percy family obviously enjoyed an active social life (they still do) as within a short space of time the new mill began to host numerous dances and concerts. Accounts of these frivolities litter the records.
There is no clear indication as to how long the second mill operated for because none of Joseph Jnr's sons were described as millers. They were mainly in the old family industry of carpentry and house building. The structure of the mill itself survived albeit in an increasing state of disrepair until it burnt down, after being vandalised, in 1945. In fact the building was never painted during its existence. For it to survive so long, some seventy-six years, it must have been sturdily built. The actual machinery from the mill had been stolen some years before when the Hutt Valley deviation line (Petone - Lower Hutt - Melling) was constructed in the late 1920's. This line actually passed through the edge of the Percy holding. As stated before, the old family home adjoining the mill had survived until 1925.
Two interesting letters from England written in 1884 survive and give some small indications as to what life was like in those times.
The first of these appears to have been written to Eliza Renall as reference is made to "your brothers Joseph and Henry and your sister Eunice". If this is correct then unfortunately Eliza had been dead for some ten years. Obviously letters between the English and New Zealand cousins were not a regular occurrence even allowing for the vagaries of transportation.
The letter contains general family gossip and "complains" that they had only received one letter from New Zealand since the death of Joseph Snr. in 1864! The writer of the letter, Sophia Dennis, was still a resident of Bristol Road, Sherborne, where so many of the properties owned by the family were situated.
The second letter is far more interesting and was written by a firm of lawyers in Sherborne. It asks of Joseph Jnr., "if he is alive for a report had been circulated that he had been dead for some years." The letter deals with a lease granted to the Percy family by Earl Digby in 1829. The odd thing concerning the lease was that premises had been granted to Joseph Snr's two brothers, Richard and Daniell, and to Joseph Jnr., but not to Joseph Snr. himself. Remember that this lease was granted some twelve years before the shift from England to New Zealand and only one year after the death of Joseph Snr's father. The person entitled to hold the property for life was William Dennis the son-in-law of Richard Percy and the husband of Sophia the writer of the first letter.
There also survives a rough draft of a letter of reply from Joseph Jnr. to the lawyers. What the outcome of this interchange of correspondence was we do not know. If Joseph had gained any monetary return he would not have had long to enjoy it for he died two years later in 1886. Annie survived to 1901.
We now arrive at a very distinctive group of people, the family of Joseph Jnr. and Annie. Now this lot were different from the normal, very different.
The eldest son, Joseph Henry, was the only one of the siblings to marry. His five surviving brothers and two sisters remained unwed. One boy had died after only two days. Joseph Henry and his brothers remained true to tradition and worked in the carpentry trade although as we shall see they also had what we might call 'green fingers'.
Joseph Henry was to marry Ada Everest on February 25 1879. Another large family was produced, nine in total. Not much has been recorded about Joseph Henry but we do know that he, and his brothers, continued in business building houses and shops - and more churches.
He was to be one of 27 signatories who wrote a letter to the Colonial Secretary asking to form a club. This request was granted and in 1886 the Petone Working Men's Club and Literary Institute was formed.
In 1901 Joseph sold his share of the Hutt Road property (the Scenic Reserve) to his surviving brothers and sisters. He did however continue to live in the homestead next to the property. He died in February 1910, Ada surviving him until August 1931.
The nine children that they raised in Petone had by then begun the "trek" from the original settlement so that now the descendants of Joseph and Ada are dispersed throughout the nation.
One of Joseph's brothers had died at the youthful age of twenty-five. Frederick Richard was an interesting case. He was a seaman in the Wellington (Petone) Naval Artillery Volunteers, which had been established in March 1879, but had died in September 1883. What he died of we do not know but he was accorded a grand 'sending off' by his comrades.
Among the various notices in the press regarding his death is one for the Naval Volunteers "Members of the Brigade desirous of attending the funeral of the late Seaman Percy of the Petone Navals will assemble at the Railway station tomorrow, blue uniforms, straw hats and side arms." Free rail passes to and from Petone were also issued.
Reports of the funeral stated that, "Full military honours were accorded to the dead volunteer," and that "The beautiful and impressive service of the Church of England was read at the grave by the Venerable Archdeacon Stock, assisted by the local clergyman. The funeral was the largest that had taken place at the Hutt for several years past."
The surviving brothers, all bachelors remember, Walter John, William, James and Arthur together with their spinster sisters, Adelaide and Lucy, all lived together. The dwelling they occupied was one that their father had built and was attached to the second mill. They were to live there all of their lives.
The household quickly gained a reputation for eccentricity and reclusiveness. The sisters for example never advanced in fashion during their lifetime and on the rare occasions that they left the household they dressed in Victorian garb. "Long black taffeta, poplin or alpaca dresses sweeping the ground. Capes or shawls, bonnets and mittens, and always carrying reticules." Their hair was always styled in tight, corkscrew curls reaching to their shoulders. However they were also considered to be excellent dancers and were very popular at the frequent dances held at the mill.
Adelaide was considered to be the "brains" of the family and dealt with all the business matters. All of the brothers were very keen gardeners and considered experts in that field. This expertise often saw them being employed by other residents. The grounds surrounding the house were immaculately kept and were notable, not only for the majestic oak, but also for a very large walnut tree from which they sold the nuts at twopence per pound.
It was entirely due to the work done by the brothers that the "reserve" became a possibility. They cut and cleared the scrub and weeds, formed lakes, made paths and planted trees. Rare native specimens were also collected and replanted. Photographs show an area of great beauty and tranquillity.
During the lifetime of the family only 'approved people' were allowed to picnic there and those thought worthy considered it a great honour to have been invited to do so.
In another vein the brothers were known to have an irascible sense of humour. Perce Jennings and Arthur Lawrence, two of their nephews, would tell of their visits to the gardens. Once there they were given a torch and told by their uncles to go into the cave hidden in the forest and look for the glowworms that resided there. What the uncles did not say anything about were the giant wetas that also claimed the cave as their home! The youngsters were later seen to have exited the cave much quicker than they had entered it!
The brothers were also well ahead of their time in matters of conservation. They may lay claim to being amongst New Zealand's original "greenies".
A "Petition to Parliament" promoted by Walter John Percy in 1933 asked that, "It be made a penal offence for anyone to destroy native flora by taking it from their natural habitat." On January 1 1935 "The Native Plants Protection Act" came into force making provision for offenders against the Act to be fined for removal of "protected native plants" from certain areas. This Act has been modified over the years but has never been revoked and so still remains law to this day.
Walter did not survive to see his petition 'bear fruit' for he died in February 1934. His obituary in the "Evening Post" notes that early in his career he was a builder and carpenter and with his brothers had built a number of houses in the Hutt Valley. It also noted that he was of a "retiring disposition", had "strong conservative political principles" but had once been a keen cricketer, rifle shot and fisherman.
The notice goes on to comment, "The Percy brothers have perhaps the finest collection of native flora to be found in one area in the Dominion, and the collection and preservation of native flora was an absorbing passion in the life of the late Mr Percy. No trouble or expense was too great for him in obtaining new specimens not only from the mainland islands but from the outlying islands as well. On one occasion he and his brothers watched over two rare seeds for three years and felt amply rewarded when at last one of them germinated." As was said, patient - but eccentric.
On the death of the last brother, Arthur Welch Percy, who incidentally was a noted oil painter, the land and buildings of the mill and gardens were bequeathed to the nation. This was 1939 and war clouds were gathering. The government of the day, with rather more important things to worry about, then passed them to the Petone Borough Council. The land lay neglected until 1942 when the council, aided by the Department of Lands and Survey, began to put the gardens in order and resolved to preserve what remained of the mill building. Unfortunately as we have already seen, the mill was to burn down.
In early 1949 "Percy Reserve", as it was now to be officially called, was opened to the general public and it quickly became a popular site for weddings and family picnics. These activities remain in vogue today.
Before we end this section about the Percy family in Petone, there is one unusual sidelight albeit rather humorous. In January 1879 one William Percy was charged in the Wellington Magistrate's Court with having no visible means of support. It transpired that two constables found Percy, "an emaciated looking being", living in a cave at Lyall Bay. He was clad only in a shirt and had no possessions save for empty bottles (of what was not revealed) and kerosene tins. He was feeding off shellfish, stewed moss and seaweed.
The accused explained that, "He had chopped his hand two years ago; he was mending his clothes when the constables arrived; he was in the habit of collecting bottles and tins which he then sold. He occasionally caught fish and had been living in the cave for some six weeks." He also stated that he had no doubt that he could continue to support himself by these means as there were plenty of people in the district who would buy the bottles and tins that he collected.
What became of this character is not recorded, nor is the sentence that he received. Who he was we do not know but we note that one of the bachelor brothers was a William Alfred Percy (1854-1933) and that he was considered to be mildly eccentric. However as the family was quite prosperous we should rest assured that it was not he.
We now move on to the individual family members brought forth by Joseph Henry and Ada Everest.
Family of Joseph Henry and Ada
We have now reached that generation of the Petone line of the family that decided to leave their home soil of Petone and the Hutt Valley to "trek" to other more far-flung areas of the nation.
Annie Caroline Percy was the first born of the family and for many years lived with her parents. After her father's death she remained with her mother until some ten years had elapsed. In 1920, at the age of forty, she married a thirty-seven year old native of Scotland, Thomas Clark. There were no children from this union.
Tom had gardened at many of the fine houses in England. Letters of appreciation attesting to his skills from these establishments enabled him to migrate to New Zealand where he became head gardener at Orongorongo Station, south of Wainuiomata. He was regarded by all those who met him to be a wonderful gentleman, humble and polite but still fiercely proud of both his, and his wife's heritage.
In 1955, some seven years after Tom's death, Annie went to live with her younger sister, Beatrice, in Avondale. They moved to Glen Eden in 1962 but Annie had but one year only in her new home before dying in 1963.
The second child of the marriage was christened Beatrice Lucy. A very bright, busily energetic woman all her life, she was an inspiration to all she came into contact with. Born in 1881 she later married William Henry Jennings (1905). Henry, as he was called, was a market gardener in Taita in the Hutt Valley. He was tragically killed in a road accident in 1909 after fathering two sons, Joseph ("Perce") and Martin. Unfortunately Martin died soon after being born.
The year 1912 saw Beatrice remarried to another market gardener, John Dolphin. Together they worked their gardens in Epuni before moving north, first to Otorohanga and then in 1920 to Avondale. By this juncture there were four more children, namely, Ethel, Beatrice ("Beat"), Ralph ("Bill") and Robert ("Bob").
After the premature death of John in 1929 at the age of forty-nine, Beatrice continued to crop the twenty-two acre garden with the help of all her children. The business concern at that stage traded under the name of B L Dolphin but was changed in 1954 to B L Dolphin and Sons.
"Bill" and "Bob" both served overseas during the Second World War. "Bill" was taken prisoner on Crete after seeing duty both there and in Greece, while "Bob" was posted to the Pacific Theatre. During these years of conflict Beatrice employed local labour to supplement the work being done by the rest of the family including her daughter-in-law Mary Jennings ("Perce's" wife).
The gardens continued to be worked following the war and in 1947 the company was deemed confident enough to invest in their first tractor. In fact this was the first tractor to be used in any of the market gardens that then flourished in the Avondale area. Photographs show that first tractor in action with one of those shown, "Perce" Jennings in the middle of his stint of duty at the gardens which lasted from age fourteen until the gardens were sold when he was fifty-six. It appears very evident that the children of the two marriages of Beatrice were fully supportive of each other, not only in those days, but today as well.
In 1962 the local government authority altered the "zoning" at the Avondale area to industrial and, with the gardens being sold to property developers, the family business was wound up. Beatrice and Annie Clark moved to Henderson. After Annie died Beatrice moved back to Avondale and lived in a house that stood opposite the property she had once owned and farmed. She died in 1965.
That, however, was not to be the end of the family's involvement in market gardening. "Bob" Dolphin moved to Waimauku, west of Auckland City, where for the next ten years he, his wife Norma and their children, continued to work the gardens. Stories abound of the very early morning starts to harvest the vegetables before trucking them to the city market for auction.
As a footnote to the life of Beatrice, we see that there are three streets in Auckland named respectively, Beatrice, Lucy and Dolphin. Lucy Lane, near the old Victoria Street Markets where they sold the vegetables for all those years, is named for Beatrice Lucy Dolphin. A signal honour to a courageous and industrious lady.
The surviving child from the first marriage of Beatrice to William Jennings, "Perce" Jennings, married Mary Mitchell in 1938 and they produced three daughters - Elaine, Jocelyn and Glenys.
The eldest child from her second marriage, to John Dolphin, was Ethel. She married Leonard Paulger from which union Ralph, Colin, Gillian and Richard were born. Then Beatrice Margaret was born but she never married. Ralph (Bill), the eldest boy, married Elsie Boniface and had two sons, John and David. Robert was the youngest son. He married Norma Rufford and that match yielded five daughters - Ngaire, Marcia, Judith, Elizabeth and Roberta.
Joseph and Mary Scott
The oldest boy in the family of Joseph Henry and Ada was named Joseph William but was known to all and sundry as "Wiri". Born in 1883 he moved to the Wairarapa at an early age where he gained a deserved reputation as a ploughman. No tractors then, this was work behind a team of horses - hot, dirty and at times decidedly smelly. This was something that the Jennings and Dolphin families could also vouch for. Most of "Wiri's" working life was to be in the employ of his cousins at "Thornton Park", Te Ore Ore, near Masterton.
"Wiri" had an avid interest in sport, being a good rugby player (as were many of his "Wairarapa" relations) and he carried on this love of sport all his days. In 1910 he married Mary Scott in Masterton. Mary was a Scott of Scotland and very proud of her ancestry. For her there was nothing better in life than "the pipes" or her other joys, euchre and patience. Another thing about Mary - she didn't like "Tories" and for many years was an ardent supporter of the Labour Party.
"Wiri" and Mary raised five sons, Arthur "Bill", Ian, Roderick, Kenneth and Ronald. They were also raised to be lovers of sport, both as participants and later as administrators, but mostly as critics! There were divided loyalties however. Some followed the tradition set by their "Wairarapa" cousins, and their mother, by supporting the Red Star Club. The others joined the Masterton Rugby Club which pleased their father. A very competitive family. Today they would have been disappointed as the two very old clubs, formerly great rivals, have amalgamated!
Three of the boys, Ian, Rod and Ken all served in the armed forces during the war. "Bill" was adjudged medically unfit because of lung problems but was "manpowered" into various Ministry of Works projects including the construction of the Makomako Ammunition facility. Ron was too young for participation in the hostilities.
After the war the boys began to scatter about the North Island. "Bill" remained in Masterton as a stoker at the gas works. He had previously "done his time" with the Ewington family at the Masterton Foundry before following his father to "Thornton Park".
He unfortunately fell foul of the "depression" and endured many difficult years. With his wife, the former Annie O'Brien, and a young family, he tried to eke out a living on various Wairarapa farms and at the flax mills at Foxton. A friendly, open and likeable personality was Bill, with penchant for hard work (he was a stoker at the Masterton gas works for some twenty years) and a great liking for the social side of life. In the latter role he was often sought after to play the piano for the dances at Te Ore Ore. Not that he was the only Percy who enjoyed a party - or a drink - or two!
One curious point regarding Bill. His given first names of Arthur Cameron meant that he was the first of the oldest sons of the oldest son not to have Joseph as one of his names for five generations. This was given to his younger brother, Ian Joseph. Nor did Bill see to it that his oldest son was christened Joseph. His grandson also did not bear this hereditary moniker either, but his great-grandson has had the name reinstated.
The marriage of Bill and Annie produced three sons - Shirley (now known as Kevin), William and Graeme. William lives in Auckland, the other two have settled in Napier.
Ian Joseph Percy returned from war service, married Monica Gadsby and "won" a serviceman's ballot for a farming block at Bideford which he named "Glencrief". This property was in fact not far distant from those of his cousins at "Tividale", "Dursley" and "Waterfalls". Like so many of those small balloted blocks, the farm eventually proved to be only marginally economic especially when commodity prices began to decline. By this stage his two children, Trevor and Janice, had finished their schooling and had moved away from the fold.
Ian sold his interest in "Glencrief" and moved back into Masterton where he finished his working days as a stockman at the Waingawa Freezing Works.
As a former Wairarapa Representative Rugby Captain, Ian maintained his interest in the sport, both in the Armed Services, where he was a battalion representative, and later in the administration of the sport both at club and provincial level. He was to become heavily involved with the Wairarapa Union before their amalgamation with their northern neighbours, the Bush.
Whilst on the subject of sport, we should perhaps note that a number of the extended Percy family have excelled in a variety of sports. From "Os" Percy in the 1880's who was written up as being "a strong, sturdily built forward who played his football with an intelligence rarely seen in the game." Joseph and Bill Percy of the same era, who like "Os" played for Red Star, were thought of as "that good type of club man on and off the field." Bill Percy of the early 1900's was "an honest grafter never known to indulge in that rough kick and punch type of football."
All of the above quotes came from that grand old doyen of sport in Masterton, Ben Iveson, or "Uncle Ben" as he was more commonly known by those in the Red Star Club.
Coming forward we have the Kjestrup boys from Gladstone and Wairarapa and the Percy family from Tinui and the east Coast Club which on at least one occasion saw father and son (hooker and halfback respectively) playing in the same Senior "A" side.
Other sportsmen to excel include David Percy at golf and Ron Percy at athletics. The three sons of Arthur - Kevin, William and Graeme - all represented Wairarapa at hockey at the same time with Kevin gaining the ultimate accolade when chosen to represent his country.
Another "sport" has seen the Percy family excel, both as competitors and administrators, and that sport is ploughing. The great tradition began at "Thornton Park" 130 years ago has been carried on by Joe Percy at "Kahikatea Farm" the only portion of the original holdings in Te Ore Ore still farmed under the Percy banner.
Countless other family members have played sport, in varying degrees of competence, and all have enjoyed the "heat of the battle". Of more importance however is that they have all participated and have enjoyed the fellowship and comradeship that sport brings.
Enough of these digressions and back to the family of "Wiri" and Mary. The third son, Roderick, also started his working life on farms in the Wairarapa before moving to Foxton.
After a stint in the army, Rod and his wife, Gwen Sexton, were to stay in Foxton for some years while their children, Brian, Margaret, Murray and Keith were in their formative years.
Later Rod and the family were to move to Kihikihi close by his place of employment at Tokanui. Rod, by this stage, was engaged in the psychiatric nursing arena. Being a typical product of his age, he would these days have been considered as rather "politically incorrect". When asked of his workplace experiences, he would usually respond with a fund of often very humorous stories concerning the patients. It goes without saying that there was never any mention of the names of the unfortunate individuals who were the parties in these stories.
Once ensconced in the Waikato, Rod became an ardent "mooloo" fan and was not averse to a little bit of "borax throwing" at his Wairarapa and Bush based brothers' expense.
Ken, the fourth boy in the family, was another with agriculture to the fore during his working life but his was to be on the processing side of the industry with a long stint at the Konini Dairy Factory near Pahiatua.
After serving in the army, Ken was to marry Olwyn Jones in 1948. Three children resulted from this marriage, Lance, Adrienne and Nadine.
It was while Ken was at Konini that his love of sport produced another sidelight to Ken's life. This time it was to be as rugby correspondent for the local newspaper very aptly titled "The Bush Telegraph," a name that the paper retains to this day.
Not one to mince matters, another Percy trait, Ken was not averse to criticise anyone on the field of play including the rather parochial local referees. Also firmly in his sights were the administrators and even the supporters on the sideline. No person at the game could consider themselves safe from Ken's barbs. It therefore would come as no surprise that he earned the sobriquet of "Poison-Pen Ken"!
After retirement from the dairy factory, Ken and Olwyn moved to Foxton Beach to live, not very far away from one of Ken's cousins as we shall soon see.
The youngest of the family of "Wiri" and Mary was Ronald. He was an outstanding track athlete in his teens and early twenties and the numerous trophies that he won bore testament to his considerable ability. After leaving St Joseph's College in Masterton, Ron entered the grocery trade whilst still living in Masterton. After marriage to Lona Olsen he moved to Palmerston North where he remained in the retail shopping trade until shortly before his death in March 1997. Alas, all of his brothers had predeceased him.
Tragically, his oldest son, Kevin, had also died at this stage. The other children from the marriage - Sharon, Brian and Michael - as well as Lona, remain resident in the Manawatu.
Ethel Alice and Frank Percy
Ethel was the fourth of Joseph Henry and Ada's children. Her subsequent marriage to her cousin Frank and shift from Petone to Te Ore Ore will be covered in more detail when we delve into the realm of the Wairarapa Percy family.
Coralie Ada and Alfred Lawrence
The next of the dynasty was Coralie. Born in 1886, Coralie also moved to the Masterton area where around 1907 she married Alfred Edward Lawrence. They produced a family of four boys and a lone girl.
After moving to the Waikato with the children, Alfred was critically injured in a shooting accident and was to die of his wounds in hospital. Coralie then moved back with her children to the Wairarapa and went to live with her elder sister, Ethel. Coincidentally, Ethel had also been widowed recently following the untimely death of Frank. Ethel's farm "Ellesmere", was to be Coralie's home for the next twenty-nine years.
Of the five children of Alfred and Coralie, only two chose to marry. Edith married a Mr G Jensen and Arthur David wed Margaret McLeod. Neither of these two marriages produced any offspring so that with their demise and that of the three bachelors - John, Frank and Hector - the Lawrence line of the family ceased to be.
One of the family stands out. When Frank Lawrence returned from war service overseas, he also went to "Ellesmere" and remained there until 1956. His willingness to help out with any task, big or small, was always evident. To all of his nephews and nieces he was a source of both wonder and amusement. His response to the many practical jokes played on him, and the quips about him, was always one of humour and generosity. He was a genuine character.
Recollections of the Lawrence family are of a group with a strong work ethic, reliable and honest, but with a rather conservative outlook on life. They were what a lot of people would today call "the salt of the earth". There was also just that hint of eccentricity of their bachelor uncles from the family at Petone.
Eunice Adelaide and Rupert Neill
Eunice, the sixth daughter, was born in 1901. Christened Eunice Adelaide, she married William Rupert Neill in 1930 when she was twenty-eight. No children resulted from this marriage.
Little is known of Eunice. Of her likes and pastimes we know nothing. She was to die in 1951.
Kathleen Ellen and Rupert Hatch
The sixth child of the family of Joseph and Ada was to be christened Kathleen Ellen. She married Rupert Victor Hatch and bore him two children. The son, Stuart, more usually called Dick, married Alva and they produced three children, namely, Doreen, Glynne and Leigh.
Joan, the only daughter, married Jim Welch. We know already that Ethel Percy and her husband Frank were cousins and so too were Joan and Jim, though rather more distant. Jim was a descendant of the William Welch whose daughter Annie Maria had married Joseph Percy Jnr back in 1848 at Petone, so forming the Petone branch of the family.
Joan and Jim lived out their lives in Masterton where Jim gained no little renown both as an artist and illustrator, but also as a fine teacher of art at Rathkeale College.
During the Second World War, Jim had served overseas and had been taken prisoner. During his enforced stay, he delighted his fellow inmates with some pungently witty cartoons, many of which grace the book "Sometimes Free" by Fred Stuckey. Jim and Fred, and another Masterton identity, Graham Coleman, had shared the "comforts" of Stalag 383.
Joan and Jim were to produce four children - Graeme, Denis, Jennifer and David.
Arthur Everest Percy
Leigh Percy
Number seven and eight of the family both had their lives cut short at tragically young ages.
Arthur Everest Percy was to die in 1914 before he reached his twentieth birthday. His younger brother, Leigh, lost his life while serving overseas for his country during World War One at Bapaume in France. The real tragedy of his death was that it occurred only ten weeks before the armistice ending the conflict came into effect on 11 November 1918.
John Hewlett Percy and Yohanna Cohr
The youngest son of the family bore the names John Hewlett. Born in 1900 he married Yohanna Cohr ("Auntie Yohy") in 1924. They were also people of the land and settled in the Opiki district near Palmerston North where they raised their family of four, two girls and two boys.
Like so many of their Wairarapa cousins, John and Yohanna were farmers and for many years milked cows. John was to die in 1950.
Their eldest child was christened Joan Barbara. She married Ken Maul who at that stage also worked on the land. He was later to become a stock and station agent, a pursuit he continued until his retirement. There were to be three offspring from this marriage - Jeanette, Carol and Ken Jnr. Joan and Ken Snr now live at Waitara.
The second oldest of the family bears his father's names, John Hewlett, but he preferred a career in business to one of farming.
In 1952 John Jnr married Jill Jolly who worked as an osteopathic nurse. They were to bring forth nine children - Jennifer, Liann, Jachqueline, Peter, Kathryn, Paul, Tracey, Michelle and Helane. John and Jill are now retired and living at Foxton Beach. Their children, like those of Joan and Ken, predominantly reside on the west coast of the North Island.
The second son of John and Yohanna is Joseph William, more usually called Bill. He has also spent most of his working life attached to the land, though in his case it is the servicing side of the industry. Bill has lived for many years at Pahiatua where he has driven stock trucks. A man of rough good humour, Bill enjoyed life to the fullest. One sidelight to his career was that he enjoyed the breeding of dogs, in particular, Fox Terriers.
Two daughters, Raewyn and Pauline, from his first marriage to Noelene Sims, were to be followed by sons Jarrod and Dwayne from his second marriage to Cheryl Mettam.
The youngest of John and Yohanna's family was Shirley Jane. She was born in 1936 and was to marry Lawrence George Wenham. Five children were to result from this marriage - Gary, David, Bruce, Kevin and Maria.
Both Shirley and Lawrence have passed away.
That almost ends this saga on the "Petone Percy's" but before we move on to outline the beginnings of the second major "line" of the family, the dynasty of the Renalls, there are a couple of points we should dwell on.
Firstly, remember the church that the Percys built in 1848 and Joseph Jnr and Annie Welch were married in. Well, it stands to this day, though not on the same site, nor as a church, nor in the same form as originally erected. Today it is the scout hall for the St James Scout Troop.
The second point is that a number of years ago the Petone Borough Council named one of its thoroughfares Percy Avenue. It is situated just north of the bifurcation of the rail lines to (a) Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa, and to (b) Lower Hutt and Melling, and it intersected with the Hutt Road but not the nearby Western Hutt Road. It is a very short street, all but lost in the industrial maze of the area.