Email Beverley McInnes at beejaysbaby@gmail.com
Neil McInnes and Christy McMillan
Recent research has confirmed that Neil and Christy were indeed the parents of Donald McInnes born in 1790 on the Island of Coll, Scotland.
Donald McInnes and Ann McLean
The Island of Coll, situated off the western coast of Scotland, is where Donald (Daniel) McInnes was born. His marriage to Ann McLean of Knockleathan took place on 3rd March 1825 on the island in the Parish of Tyree. On 2nd December 1830, at Cornaig Beg, their first son Neil, was born. Another son, Lachlan, was born at Knockleathan on 27th April, 1833 when Donald’s occupation is listed as being a ‘cotter.’
It was not until 1834 that third son John, and our descendant was born on the Island of Coll. Despite attempts to clarify this fact, it has not been verified by Parish Records. At the time of John’s birth, there was no official registration of births, marriages or deaths. It was only baptisms and marriages that the church took note of and official registration did not start until 1855.
John McInnes, Marion McGilvray and Christina McCallum
It was not until 1859 that John was found with any certainty – his first marriage to Marion McGilvray on the Island of Bute and his subsequent marriage to Christina McCallum in 1861 after Marion died after giving birth to Sarah in 1860. John’s marriage produced a number of children, some of whom died early in childhood. In 1883, accompanied by wife Christina and children, Malcolm 21, Daniel 17, Christina 14, and John 12, they left Greenock, Glasgow, Scotland for New Zealand on the ‘Wild Deer’ which ultimately foundered off the coast of Ireland.
A little later they boarded the ‘Caroline’ and made it safely to the South Island port of Port Chalmers, travelling south on to Milton, Otago.
Daniel McInnes and Lucy Harriet Benbow
Daniel, at an early age before leaving Bute, was apprenticed to the trade of carpenter and joiner and followed his calling of a builder and contractor moving to the Temuka district. Lucy was born into the Benbow family at Mount Pleasant on the 1st May 1868 and on leaving school became involved with The Salvation Army where she met Daniel.
Daniel married Lucy Harriet Benbow on 8th September 1891 at Lucy’s residence ‘Ladymoor’ at Waitohi. Dan was 24 and Lucy 23 years of age. Daniel was a member of the Temuka Council for 24 years and was Mayor from 1907 till 1912. Lucy and Dan had four children, Flora Tottie 1892, John Archibald 1896, Victor Benbow 1902 and Wilbur Malcolm 1911. Wilbur was educated in Temuka and excelled in all sports but particularly hockey where he was a representative playing for South Canterbury. Wilbur married Marion Pearl Robinson on 27 May, 1938.
Henry Robinson and Mary Ann Green
Pearl’s paternal grandparents Henry Robinson and Mary Ann Green emigrated to New Zealand from Woburn Bedfordshire in England. With Captain Miller at the helm of the ship ‘Peeress’ they departed out of London on 29th March 1874 arriving in Lyttleton, then on to Timaru on 23rd July of the same year. They brought with them five children, William 11, Letitia 9, Charles 7, Mary Ann 5 and Harry 3. Two other children Herbert (1878) and Mabel (1880) were born in Temuka. Henry and Mary Ann were married at Ridgemont on 1st September 1862. Mary Ann was the daughter of William Green a blacksmith and his wife Susan. Susan originated from Nottingham. In the Woburn 1851 census, Mary Ann at age 15 years is shown to be living with her grandparents John and Ann Green and her birthplace noted as being Marcham in Berkshire.
William Double and Sarah Green
Pearl’s maternal grandfather, Amos Double was born on 18th February 1854 in Raydon, Capel St Mary, Suffolk England. He arrived in New Zealand in 1860 with his family when he was 5 years old. He died in Temuka on 16th November 1898 and was buried in the Church of England Temuka Cemetery. His occupation was noted as labourer/brewer. His parents, William Double, baptised on 30 August 1821, at Raydon, Suffolk and Sarah Green born 30 September 1821, at Hadleigh Suffolk, (daughter of William and Jane Green), with Caroline 11, Emily 8, Ann Maria 7, Amos 5, Walter Daniel 2 and infant Elizabeth Ann 5 months, boarded the 551 ton wooden ship ‘Strathallan’ at Gravesend England which carried the first significant influx of about 120 immigrants to Timaru, South Canterbury. Departing Gravesend on 13th October 1858, they arrived in Timaru on 14th January 1859, 92 days out. There were 120 immigrants who disembarked at Timaru, costing and extra 60 pounds to land there. The ‘Strathallan continued on to Lyttleton. Each of the assisted emigrants on this and 30 ther ships which had arrived in Canterbury since 4 May 1855, cost the government 6 pounds 6 shillings and eight and a quarter pence. The ‘Strathallan’ was the second smallest of the ships being used at that time. Unfortunately, during this voyage, Elizabeth Ann, infant daughter of William and Sarah, died on the day before Christmas day. Amos, at the age of 23, married Eliza Ellen King.
Daniel King and Eliza Ford
Eliza Ellen King was born in London England in 1861. When the ‘Carisbrooke Castle’ arrived in Lyttleton, NZ on 2nd September 1874, the King family were aboard. Daniel King, born in Somersetshire had married Eliza Ford. They left England on 29th May 1874 and had with them 6 children. The ‘Carisbrooke Castle’ was a sailing ship built in 1868 and eventually sold in 1889. On this voyage to Lyttleton, Captain Freebody was at the helm. The total fare paid to the government for this family to take the voyage was seventy nine pounds fifteen shillings. Eliza Ellen aged 14 and Daniel E were transferred to the single womens and mens quarters once aboard the ship. The four younger children Thomas 11, Sarah 8, John 4 and baby Eliza A at 6 months stayed with their parents. The journey took 93 days. From Lyttleton they were transported to Timaru in the ‘SS Beautiful Star’ and they settled in Temuka. Eliza Ellen King and Amos Double were married on 7th May 1877 in the Primitive Methodist Church in Timaru.
Amos Double and Eliza Ellen King
Amos and Eliza had 7 children. Agnes Louisa (1888 – 1921), Alice Maud (ca 1879 – 1899), Daniel William (ca 1880 – 1941), Charles Amos ( ca 1882 – ?), (Ada Jane ca 1884 – 1938), Ellen Matilda (ca 1886 – ?) Minnie Elizabeth Isabella (1896 – 1983).
Agnes Louisa married Herbert Robinson on 25th December 1907 and later after Agnes (Louisa) had died giving birth to their fourth child, Herbert married her youngest sister Minnie.
Herbert Robinson , Agnes Louisa and Minnie Double
Pearl was the eldest of three girls all born in Temuka; Marion Pearl born 1909, Mabis Hazel 1913 and Wanaka Joyce 1915. Her mother was Agnes Louisa Double and father was Herbert (Pompy) Robinson. A son had been born to Louisa and Herbert in the years between Pearl and Hazel however the infant died at birth. Louisa died on 26th August 1921, three weeks after giving birth to their fifth child who also died. Herbert remarried Minnie Elizabeth Isabella Double, Louisa’s sister, in 1931. The three girls were always known by their second given names and were brought up by Herbert after the death of Louisa. The girls were brought up to be Methodists but as they got older began attending The Salvation Army and there Pearl began her courtship with Wilbur Malcolm McInnes. Wilbur moved to Wellington to take up employment opportunities and Pearl followed some time later. Pearl and Wilbur were married in 1938.
Wilbur McInnes & Marion Pearl Robinson
Graeme Harry was born in November 1938 but died at the age of 15 months after contracting meningitis. Shortly after his death, in 1940, a second child was born, Herbert Benbow. There followed Malcolm Winston 1941, John Alistair 1943, Donald Evan 1945 and Ashley Neville in 1951. Herbert married Beverley Janice Grant on 19 May 1962.
Herbert Benbow McInnes and Beverley Janice Grant
Grant James Benbow McInnes 1964, Campbell John Benbow McInnes 1967, Megan Ruth McInnes 1969 – 1972, Kathleen Victoria McInnes 1972.
McInnes Family 