EARLY NELSON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 11 August 1928, Page 8

EARLY NELSON

COLLINGWOOD STREET CEMETERY

.AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD (Contributed by Jane A. Bond) (IL) The Ricketts family plot lies below that of the Crawford’s. The late Captain Ricketts, tlie well-known skipper of tlie “Wairoa”, was one of the descendants. \ I have in my possession a copy* of a photograph taken about the year 1805 of a newly enclosed grave which lay close to that of Dr. Bush’s. I have not yet been able to find out the name or names attached to .this grave. v ,

Some of the very old residents in reading my last, contribution thought that I had made a mistake about Mrs Bush’s death. Louisa Bush, buried in 1848 was tlie first wife of Dr. Bush. His widow who lived to be 85 years was his- second wife.

I hope readers will note how many first wives lie buried in this sacx-ed spot. They left, their motherless children to' their brave sisters of that pioneer hand. t ’i 4 ' Dr. Busli had two sons and a daughter. An olcl resident still living remem bers them as pupils at the temporary Nelson Boys’ College in Manuka street on the Newsteacl property in the ’fifties. Dr. Bush came from Bristol (England) and it is said of him that during the epidemics. that swept over the little settlement from time to time that he never • lost. a patient with diphtheria. There were no anti-toxins or trained nurses in .those;,days, either.

The additional*'names' gathered recently are the family names of Snowden, Young, Packer and Wigzell.

Mr and Mrs Snowden are two more names to be added to the Wesleyan Methodist portion of this cemetery. Mr Snowden was the brother of Mrs Foy (1869) and he died in the early ’forties when a young man. Mrs Giblin,

sour,, and Mrs Hurst, semv* both living, are the grand-daughters of Mrs Foy. IN 1842 1 regret Unit an error lias crept into my manuscript. 1. have taken very great pains to secure accurate information but 1 am publishing my notes before my investigations are completed.. The late Mr Foy siQß.fr,u?ies at waver - ley, not at Nelson, lie lived to the advanced age of 85. From Judge Broad’s history of Nelson, which was compiled with infinite care many years ago, .1. iiiul that Mr Foy was the leader of the first Wesleyan Methodist class nu'cting to be held in Nelson (1842) at the residence of Mr G. W. Lightband on the site on which “Wuinui” is now. From the same source I gather that Mr Butler, one of the earliest' of our settlers was one of a small group of Wesleyan Methodists to hold the first service in a little house in Alton street. (It- is of interest to note here that Mr Butler, of qpper Collingwood street, is a, grandson of above).

The Young family, still remembered, were very well-known early settlers who lived in tin; Wood. The late Mrs William Moyes, of this city, was a descendant. A sister of Mr Wigzell, a well-known citizen, lies buried here too. She died in the early years of her married life. 'l'lie remains of the first wife of the late Mr Packer, seiir., repose here too. Sir Packer, a Baptist, was supposed to be Nelson’s first school teacher. He taught in both the town and country schools. He was teaching at the Hope school iii 1855. For his salary, which needs some working out, see school reports for that year. It would not keep a pupil teacher in 1928. The late Mrs Edward Cowles, wife, of the late Mr Cowles of tlie Richmond public school, and one of Nelson’s most esteemed teachers, was a daughter of Mrs Packer. Miss* Packer, who lives in Collingwood street is the daughter of Mr Packer’s second wife. Old settlers have pointed out to me the south-eastern portion of the land as the burial place of several Maoris. Tlie land may have been used as a buriql place by the natives beyond the advent of pur first settlers. The boundaries of the cemetery were perhaps not very well defined in those days. (I may note here that’ no one knows the area now). It lias been said that years ago. men, while excavating- in an adjoining property, found human remains and they were thought to be those of Europeans. , The late Captain Clonston, at one time Nelson’s gaoler, found human remains on the gaol property. This is now the site of the Education Board offices. NELSON’S FIRST POLICEMAN* Mrs Ambrose Moore, still living and in Nile street, remembers, as a child, seeing the funeral of Nelson’s first, and at one tiirie only policeman, Mr W. Figgis. This first settler hail to look after the stocks also,' which were in Trafalgar street. They wore imported from Cockatoo Island and were used for runaway sailors and. other offenders. Tlie children going and returning from school- could laugh or stare at these poor fellows. Miss /Jennings, still living, remembers seeing some of them thus seated. From his name 1 should think that our worthy Figgis was interred in the Catholic (private) cemetery iir'Shel-boin-ne street which lay adjoining the Collingwood street land.