75 YEARS IN DOMINION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24106, 27 October 1941, Page 9

75 YEARS IN DOMINION

DEATH OF MRS. R. SINCLAIR

The death has occurred of Mrs. Rebecca Sinclair, of 35 Walters Road, Kingsland, who was a very old resident of Auckland. Mrs. Sinclair was born in Killylea, County Down, Ireland, nearly 92 years ago, and came to New Zealand with her elder sister in the vessel Bluejacket in 1866. They landed at Lyttelton and were passengers on the first train through the Lyttelton tunnel.

For some time Mrs. Sinclair stayed frith friends in Christchurch, but later went_ to the West Coast, where she married Mr. James Sinclair, a mining engineer, who took part in the early search for gold on rhe coast. After the death of her husband more than 50 years ago, Mrs. Sinclair came to Auckland. Until about three years ago she did all her housework, but she broke both her arms in successive foils, ller death on Saturday was the result of a further accident a week ago, when she fe.l and broke a leg: Mrs. Sinclair was related to Robert Burns, who was her great-uncle. Her father, mother and grandmother all Jived to be over 100 years of age. Of her family of 15. two sons and two daughters survive, and there are about 40 grandchildren and great-grand-children.