LONG-LIVED FAMILY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20067, 26 March 1935, Page 10

LONG-LIVED FAMILY

EIGHT SURVIVING MEMBERS One of eight surviving members of a family whose ages total 667 years, Mr George Pearce, of 78 Mount Eden Road, celebrated his 90th birthday on Saturday. He was one of 12 children, and of the eight living the eldest is 92 and the youngest 73. The father, Mr Pearce, senior, lived to the age of 92, and the mother to 94, and the longevity of the family is believed to constitute a record. The surviving members of the family are Mrs H. Osborne, of Rhode Island, United States, 92 years old; Mr Pearce, 90; Mrs D. Thorpe, Rhode Island, 89; Mr L. Pearce, Trentham, 87; Mrs R. Hey wood, London, England, 82; Mrs S. Walton, Wiltshire, England, 79; Mrs E. Bolwell, Burn-ham-on-Sea, England, 75; Mrs A. Ponting, Trentham, 73. Born on March 23, 1845, at Hilperton Marsh, Wiltshire, Mr Pearce was first married at Cardiff on May 4, 1872. Shortly afterward he came to New Zealand in the ship Mataura, arriving in 1875, and set up business in Waitara, Taranaki, He remained in that town for 38 years, and occupied a number of public positions during his residence there. He was chairman of the town board for 13 years, chairman of the school committee for six years, and chairman of the harbour board. In addition, Mr Pearce held office in the Masonic and Oddfellows’ Lodges, and also in the Methodist Church. He has been a justice of the peace for over 30 years. Recalling his young days, Mr Pearce well remembers on the occasion of the death of the Duke of Wellington. He also recalls a fast day observed when the British Army was sorely pressed during the Crimean War. In 1913 Mr Pearce visited his parents in England, and on' returning to the Dominion he settled in Mount Eden.