Bennett
Following an email on the Aus-Norco mailing list which referred to the Bennett family, I contacted Ann Perriman. It transpired that we have a common ancestor, so we have started swapping information.Following on from our emails I have now managed to add a little to the information that Anne provided.
The Information below is what Ann has given me.
Bennett from England to New Zealand then Australia
Eliza Plumridge was Baptised 28.02.1830 at Bix, Oxfordshire (Source: LDS) In some references it claims she was actually the daughter of the Duke of York and half sister of Queen Victoria . No factual sources found yet.
On the 18th Dec 1841 the “Clifford” sailed from Gravesend , England for Wellington and Nelson. It arrived in Nelson 11 May 1842.[1]
On it were:
# James Plumridge, Male, aged 39yrs, Gardener
# Maria Plumridge, Female, aged 38yrs, Wife (nee Maria Cross)
# Eliza Plumridge, Child, 11yrs
# Sarah Ann Plumridge, Child, 9yrs (Source KR)
Maria died 05.07.1848 . James then married Harriet Grooby in Nelson, on 21 Nov.1848
Eliza married Henry McGee on 30 April, 1849 at Te Aro Church, Wellington , N.Z [2] (source: KR)
# 1850: 11 Aug. – Anne Maria born, baptised 8 Sep (Civil & diocesan rec.)
# 1851: 19 Dec. – Alexander born (Civil rec.)
# 1852: 18 Jan. – Alexander died of convulsions
A child name ‘Eliza McGee”, not baptised, was buried on 23 Jan., date of death being given as 20 Jan. Diocesan rec.(Not sure)
# 1853: 9 Jan. – Alice born (not registered?),baptised 6 Feb. ” ”
# 1855: 11 Jan. – Elizabeth born, baptised 24 March – Motupipi? Diocesan & Civil rec.
# 1857: 8 Mar. – Catherine born, baptised 20 Dec.
# 20 Dec. – Catherine baptised – Civil & Cemetery rec.
# 1862: 27 August Catherine dies in NZ
# Eliza Plumridge was listed in the “Nelson Town Section Holders c1850
# Sarah Ann Plumridge married William Barnett [3] in (a) 1855 or (b) 29 June, 1853
# McGee accidently killed Golden Bay 13.12.1857. (How?)
# Eliza married Henry Evans Bennett at “Coldspring” Nelson on 31.01.1859
# Henry was born in Devon on Christmas day, 1823. His father was William Evans Bennett, a tailor. (Mother not known). Henry came to Australia in 1844 (?), probably as a seaman. He initially worked on ships between Brisbane and Sydney? With the goldrush, in 1851, he went goldmining in Tuross and NZ where he evidently met Eliza. (Source Bellingen and District Historical Society) He died on 7 Nov, 1902 AT Marx Hill, Bellingen and is buried at Fernmount Cemetery .
Sometime between 1863 & 1865 they left N.Z. to live in Bellingen.(As the fourth son George Evans was born in Australia in 1865, it remains to find the birthplace of the third son, William Evans.(1863?)
# Eliza had 6 children to McGee, three of whom survived & went to Australia with the family.
# The three were: Ann, Alice and Elizabeth
# Eliza had 7 children to Henry Bennett:
# Henry b 1859 In NZ
# James Evans b September 1, 1861 in Takaka, Nelson Province , NZ
# William F Evans b 1863
# George 1865
# Maria 1867 – died 1867
# Sarah Ann 1868
# Charles 1874
# Eliza died in 1884 and is buried in Fernmount cemetery, near Bellingen.
# Henry Evans Bennett Snr died on 7 Nov, 1902 AT Marx Hill, Bellingen and is also buried at Fernmount Cemetery .
# Eliza was the sister of Betty R’s Gr. Gr. Grandmother Sarah Ann. (Ref. Betty Reynolds).
# James Evans Bennett – known to his children as Evan Bennett, and evidently pronounced as “Even” was a much loved and gentle man – a schoolteacher in Northern NSW and finally at North Sydney. He retired and lived in Cammeray. (I never knew him as he died around 10 years before I was born)
# James had five children – all now dead.
# Alma married Joseph Hawton and had four children.
# Dorothy married Reginald Magee! They had two children.
# John (Jack) married Muriel Burns – no children. (He won a military medal in WW1, but was always ill due to being gassed)
# Reta Ray (my mother) who married Albert Perriman in 1929. They had two children, Anthony and Ann (me).
There would be over 20 of James’ great grandchildren living and many ggchildren.
Notes
[1] Passenger list in file: Ship Clifford.doc
[2] McGee Marriage: MSZ-0277 [St. Pauls Cathedral] records held at Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington and Registrar General’s Office, Wellington – Folio 301
[3] Sarah Ann marriage: (a) Registrar General’s Office, Wellington – Folio 245 (b) International Genealogical Index held at Family History Centres
