Old Napier Cemetery. Mary Catherine Bird 1874 ,John Reginald Bird 1880-1881,and Richard Hunt Bird 1875-1887

Last week I went to the Wharerangi Cemetery Sexton’s office in Napier and met a lovely  lady who helped me sort the plethora of reference numbers attached to plots in the Old Napier Cemetery.

The Napier Earthquake has been blamed for the lack of records, despite the fact that many burials appear to be unrecorded. By accessing the data bases compiled by the Cemetery Staff and Genealogy Society members who produced a record from the Napier Court’s registrations, and with publicly available family history records from headstones, I have been able to locate the last resting places of many of the Bird family’s forebears

The highlighted area on the map

shows the position of the Hunt/Bird family plot.

The burials that I have recorded start with the burial of the infant daughter of John Thomas Bird and Johanna Hunt, little Mary Catherine who was born prematurely in Napier and died at two weeks on  March 10 1874.

The next year, Johanna’s sister, 26 year old Catherine Paterson died and was also buried here.

Sadly, five years later Johanna and Catherine’s mother Catherine Hunt (nee Lahart) died at 65 having been predeceased by her namesake daughter and grand daughter.

This was the year,1880, that Richard Hunt paid for a triple plot two days before his daughter Johanna, wife of John Bird, died aged 28 at Wallingford two weeks after giving birth to her son John Reginald.

A headstone was placed on the grave reading:

                                                  “Sacred to the Memory of

Catherine beloved wife of Richard Hunt who died January 13^th 1880 aged 65 years

Also Johan[n]a daughter of the above and beloved wife of John Bird died September 19^th 1880 aged 28 years

Also Catherine daughter of the above Richard and Catherine Hunt aged 25 years

May their souls rest in peace

Amen”

Johanna’s son John Reginald Bird died at 5 months from 

diarrhoea on February 2nd 1881 at the home of his

grandfather Richard Hunt . He was buried 2 days later in the Old Napier Cemetery probably near his mother. Little John’s Godparents were his Aunt Ellen Hunt and his father’s nephew Daniel Hunt who, having taken his discharge in New Zealand from the British Army, was employed as a Policeman.

Ellen and Daniel were also Mary Catherine’s Godparents.

Two years later on June 22 1883 at his home in Paradise Road Napier, where he lived with his father Richard Hunt , Daniel John Hunt  26 year old brother of Catherine and Johanna  died of Tb from which he had been ill for some time.

Daniel had been born in Wellington within months of his family arriving on the Lancashire Witch with the 65^th Regiment.

He was baptised at St Mary of the Angels on July 1 1857.

It was through this record that I was able to confirm that “our” Richard Hunt was Private Richard Hunt 2855 of the 65^th Regiment 

Record of Daniel's 1857 Baptism St Mary of the Angels, Wellington where Elizabeth was married 2005.

The year after Daniel's death, 1884,  Richard Hunt purchased another plot, this time 9'x3' (the previous purchase had been for a triple plot 9'x9')

Ellen Hunt married Joseph Coe in 1874,  but sadly died in 1886 at Tomoana leaving 6 children. She was buried in the family plot at the Old Napier Cemetery .

Her husband Joseph remarried  Mary Elizabeth Powley , but Ellen is still remembered by her family on the Headstone on her husbands grave in Hastings.

“In loving memory of Joseph dearly loved husband of Mary E Coe

Died 17/9/1935 aged 83 years

Also Mary

 Elizabeth beloved wife of above died 9 August 1959 aged 82 years”

Chronologically the next event marked by a  burial in the Old Napier Cemetery was the sudden death of Joseph William Nelson.

After Johanna died leaving four little children , her husband John needed help with keeping the children. In those pre social welfare days the quickest way get help was to remarry.

Joseph Nelson, a retired Royal Navy Artillery man was employed as the Sergeant major of the Hawkes Bay Volunteers (interestingly because his predecessor had been “shot on the range”).

It isn’t unreasonable to presume that Joseph was known to Richard Hunt a fellow Irishman and Catholic. Joseph lived at the Gore Brown Barracks and there was a track from Richard’s home in Paradise Road up what was known as Hunt’s Gully to the barracks.

It also lends credence to Grandpa Noel’s story that his grandfather John’s second marriage was an arranged marriage.

Mary Nelson married John Bird and Joseph was his brother in law. But not for long.

Joseph died suddenly in 1887 falling face forwards “grounding arms forever” as reported in the Newspaper of the day.

Joseph William  Nelson 1844-1887

Three months later  September 3 1887 Richard Hunt’s namesake Richard Hunt Bird aged only 12, succumbed to erysipalas (an over whelming traumatic skin infection ) and died at Wallingford.

Family legend has it that he was killed by a ram.

It was the 7^th anniversary of little John’s birth.

He was buried in a plot beside the Hunt plots and paid for by his father John Bird 8 years later….?!

The headstone inscription reads:

“Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of Richard Hunt Bird

Second son of John and Johanna Bird

Died 7^th September 1887 aged 12 years”

Richard Hunt lived to be an old man.

His grand daughter Janet Paterson, daughter of Catherine Paterson, lived with him in Napier until she married William Bernard Barry in 1896.

Richard’s sole surviving child, Winafred  lived at home until she married Henry Collins in 1890.

She is the only one of Richard’s children not to be buried in the Old Napier Cemetery.

She died on ANZAC Day 1924 and is buried in the Karori Cemetery in Wellington.

Having out lived his wife and four of his children, Richard died aged 95 on May 14 1904

The inscription on his Headstone reads:

“Of your charity pray for the soul of Richard Hunt died May 14^th 1904 aged 95 years.

Daniel John son of above died June 22^nd 1883 aged 26 years

Also his daughter Ellen Coe died November 9^th 1886 aged 29 years

May their souls rest in Peace”

This headstone has been damaged not only by the ravages of time but also by  the 1931 earthquake that took its toll on all of Hawkes Bay.

In 1907 Michael Nelson died in the Old People’s Home in Napier. He was only 65 years old. He had remained single all his life and is buried in the Old Napier Cemetery, in a plot yet to be discovered.

He was mourned by his sister Mary, second wife of John Bird. Joe Bird, Michael’s nephew mentions his parents going to visit “Uncle Michael” in his diaries.

Mary had lost both of her brothers who had emigrated from their native Ireland

This is the headstone in another part of the cemetery of Janet Paterson’s in laws

William Barry died July 30 1903 aged 86 years and his wife Susan Molloy died April 15 1918 aged 95 years

Janet’s estranged husband William Bernard Barry died July 4 1956 aged 81 years and is interred with his parents.

The inscription reads:

“ILMO William Barry who died 20^th July 1903 aged 86 year

Also Mother died 15^th April 1918 aged 95 years

RIP

 William Barry died 4 July 1956 aged 89 years”

 “M.T.

I CANNOT LIFT YOUR HAND FATHER DEAR

YOUR FACE I CANNOT SEE

BUT LET A FRIENDS TOKEN TELL

TWO STILL REMEMBER THEE

TOM”

Richard Hunt is the only father in the plot, and his only surviving child was Winifred so was it Thomas Paterson , Richard’s son in law  who installed the Memorial?

Richard Bird's Grave in the foreground with prominent Hawke's Bay Settlers' Monuments as a backdrop to the Hunt family plots.