Person Page - 393

Maud Williams was born in Kumara, Westland, on 2 November 1880.^1,2

Maud died on 25 December 1892 in Kumara, Westland, at age 12.^3,2

Maxwell Alan Williams was born in Akaroa, Canterbury, on 2 July 1927.¹

Maxwell died on 1 August 2008 at Rivervale in Perth, Western Australia, at age 81.² He was cremated at the Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium in August 2008.²

Mona Caroline Williams was born in Pakaraka on 18 December 1900.^2,1,3

She married Geoffrey Evelyn Cotterill in New Zealand on 20 October 1926.^2,1,4,5

She was widowed at age 87 on the death of her husband Geoffrey on 31 July 1988.^2,6

Mona died on 29 March 1991 in New Zealand at age 90.^2,1,7

Percy Williams was born in Kumara, Westland, on 7 October 1895.^1,2,3

He married Meme Crump at Ocean Bay in Port Underwood, Marlborough, on 11 March 1929.^3,4

Percy died on 17 December 1973 in Port Underwood, Marlborough, at age 78.^5,3 He was buried at the Karoro Cemetery in Greymouth.⁶

Peter Temple Williams was born in Gisborne on 28 August 1903.^2,1,3

Peter died on 19 September 1911 in Matahiia at age 8 from measles.^2,1,4

Ray Sarah Alison Williams was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, on 14 July 1921.^1,2

She married Ernest Percy (Sandy) Sanders.

She was widowed at age 80 on the death of her husband Ernest on 21 October 2001.^3,4

Ray died on 9 December 2007 in Auckland at age 86.^5,4

Rebecca Williams was born in Ballarat, Victoria, circa 1854.²

She married George William Hobbs in New Zealand in 1871.³

Rebecca died on 12 February 1896 in Christchurch, Canterbury.⁴ She was buried on 15 February 1896 at the Linwood Cemetery.⁵

Samuel Williams was born circa 1819. This birth date is based on his age at death - it is unclear where he was born or the exact date. As his nickname was reputed to be 'Yankee Sam', he may have originated in the USA or even Canada.

He married Ann Mahoney.¹

It appears that Samuel left New Zealand for the Ballarat goldfields (which date from 1851) and returned to New Zealand with a wife and daughter (Ann and Rebecca), but the full details are somewhat cloudy.¹

Timaru’s first resident arrived in the person of Samuel, around 1857. It is believed he was returning to Timaru having been a member of the Weller brothers whaling gang in 1839 when they established a station here. With him was his wife Anne MANRY and their daughter Rebecca.¹

He was widowed on the death of his wife Ann in 1860.²

Samuel died on 29 June 1883 in Timaru, Canterbury.^1,3,4 He was buried on 2 July 1883 at the Timaru Cemetery in Timaru.⁵

Simon Dow Williams was born in Gisborne on 9 September 1935.^2,1,3

Simon died on 20 July 2017 in Taupo at age 81.^3,4

William (Bill, also Samuel) Williams was born in Timaru, Canterbury, on 22 September 1856. Note that this date is suspect, as he was supposedly 25 when married, and 81 at death; however a birth date of 1854 would clash with his parent's movements and the birth-date of his sister Rebecca.¹

It is unclear why his marriage record and the birth records of some of his children use the name 'Samuel', especially as his nickname seems to have been 'Bill' throughout his life.
He is regarded as the first white boy born in Timaru, in the old Rhodes' cottage.
At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a builder in Christchurch, but left and walked with a party over the Southern Alps to Kumara on the West Coast (he spent his 20th birthday in the alps).
He worked in the Kumara goldfields on a sluice, and later on the construction of tunnels through the alps to Christchurch (but not the Otira rail tunnel).
The Hokitika Museum holds a medal he won for rifle shooting, and a cup for running - he was also a member of the Kumara Brass Band, the Fire Brigade and various school committees.¹

He married Sarah Ann Shimpleton, daughter of (--?--) Shimpleton and Sarah Moffat, in Kumara, Westland, on 24 December 1879. Given Sarah's age, her mother provided a consent form for the marriage.^2,1

William died on 10 July 1936 at Greymouth Hospital in Greymouth, Westland, at age 79.^1,3 He was buried at the Karoro Cemetery in Greymouth.⁴