PIONEER SURVEYOR DEAD

Northern Advocate, 6 October 1913, Page 4

PIONEER SURVEYOR DEAD

MR JAMES IRWIN WILSON.

FIFTY-EIGHT YEARS IN THE DISTRICT. T^

By the death of Mr James Wilson, which occurred at his residence, Woodhill, on Saturday evening, NewZealand loses one of its sturdiest pioneers, as well as one of its first surveyors, and Whangarei one of its oldest and most respected residents. Deceased had been ailing for some time, and his demise was not unexpected. Mr Wilson was up' for >a short time on Saturday morning, but in the afternoon he gradually sank, passing quietly away at about 8 p.m.

Bora in a small country town in Ulster, between Glengannon and Cookstown, 81 years ago, Mr Wilsonr with two brothers, H. S. and D. , ™*). Wilson, migrated in the year 1852. Their father was a surveyor, land agent and valuer, and was agent for 21 estates in Ulster. These three boys had eleven other brothers and sisters, and the outlook in their own land was not too bright. They came out to Victoria in the immigrant ship "South Sea, , ' 'arriving in Melbourne early in 1853. The deceased was then 20 years of age, H. S. Wilson 14, and D. C. Wilson 11. The big rush to the Victorian gold diggings was in full blast when the Wilson brothers arrived in Port Philip. Eighteen ships were lying at anchor, and the crew of every one of them had deserted, the men making for the Ballarat district, where the mining fever had broken out.

It is curious that neither of the boys joined in the gold rush. Townships were being laid out at the time, and Mr J. I. Wilson went in lor surveying, H. S. became bookkeeper in a large drapery ibusiness in Geelong, and D. C. commenced to serve his time to the saddlery trade in the same town. Victoria, however, did not suit, and it was not long before the brothers turned their eyes towards New Zealand, the country which they finally adopted. ARRIVAL AT AUCKLAND. In March, 1555, the deceased gentleman arrived in Auckland, and he was followed by his b.other, H. S. Wilson, a month afterwards, D. C. WMson coming across •, two years later. Mr J. I. Wilson started work immediately as a surveyor, and for many years he and his brothers surveyed thousands of acres of native land between Whangarei and Auckland. Amongst the blocks they surveyed were the Albert Land blocks for the Nonconformists, the Paparoa and the Oruawharo blocks.

After some ten years' hard pioneering work the deceased was appointed Chief Surveyor for the Auckland province, a position he held for, many years. During the Waikato war he was District Surveyor at Ngarua--wahia. He had forty surveyors 1 working under, him at the time, and whenever the staff went near an affected area they were accompanied by a guard. After the Waikato war Mr J. I. Wilson came to" Whangarei, and it was in this district that the three brothers took up their permanent residence. The deceased became District Surveyor for North Auckland, an«i was afterwards engineer for road construction through native lands., He supervised the work of opening tip the Bay of Islands road, the survey being done by his brother, D. C. Wilson, who afterwards held the position of county engineer.

In the early sixties the deceased bought an estate near the township of Whangarei. This is now known as Woodhill. He farmed the land in addition to carrying on work as a surveyor. He was appointed agent for the Government when land was disposed of in the north under the Homestead Act. Mr Wilson resided at Woodhill ever since he took up land there, ibut the estate has been gradually cut up into town lots, and' only about ten acres of the original farm remain with the homestead buildings.

The deceased gentleman had a family of fourteen children. He is survived by his brother, Mr H. S. Wilson, now in his seventy-sixth year, eleven children and numerous grand-children. Those of his sons and daughters now living are:—« Mrs Kerr, wife of the resident magistrate at Wanganui (Mr Kerr was a lawyer in Whangarei many years ago); Mrs E. Storey, Maunu Road, Whangarei; Mrs W. A. Canruth, Whangarei; Mrs Matheson, Whangarei; Miss Annie Wilson, Whangarei; Mr Donald Wilson, district surveyor, Stratford; Mr Andrew Wilson, district surveyor, Hangitiki, Waikato; Mr Hugh Munro. Wilson, civil engineer, Remuera; Mr J. I. Wilson, solicitor, Whanparei; Mr John Wilson, settler, Woodhill estate; Mr Hamilton Wilson, dentist, Maungaturoto. Mrs Wilson i.redeceased her husband by several years. The funeral leaves the late residence of deceased for Kioreroa cemetery at 2 p.m. to-morrow. As a mark of respect to deceased many of the buildings in town are flying their flags half-mast to-day.