Thames (NZ): Parawai Shops aka Fenton Street Shops

While updating the business registers for The Treasury at Thames, I came across what could be the first shops that were established in Fenton Street. Many of you that went to school at Thames South of my generation, will remember these shops in the 1960s. The rush to get there and get your ordered school lunch..maybe a filled roll plus an orange from the Grocer next door if you had a threepence/sixpence to spare.

In 1895 Mrs Henry GRUBB is reported as having established a shop and Post Office Agency on land adjoining the Maori Meeting House. The bottom photo shows the location of the shop on the corner of Fenton and Heale Streets, known then as MRS GRUBB'S Post Office Store, Parawai.

Thames Star 18/2/1895

Below:  The red arrow points to the location of Mrs Grubb's Parawai Store - on the corner of Fenton and Heale Streets.
The Yellow arrow arrow indicating the site of the Meeting House. In this later photo it is being removed to the Auckland Museum, where it proudly stands today.
Top right is the Thames South School.
(Photo: Merv Cunningham Collection - The Treasury)



In April of 1895, a notice appears in the paper that D PEAT occupies Mrs GRUBB's old premises in Heale Street and that Mrs Grubb's is in the shop at the corner of Heale and Fenton Street. Raising the new dilemma to be explored...did Mrs Grubb move along the street?

Thames (NZ): Pre 1930 Businesses

Major revamp of the Pre:1930 Business Register for Thames businesses is currently underway. These folders are held at The Treasury in Thames. Initially the goal was to collect an advertisement and photo of the shop - for businesses that operated in the first 50 year period.  Now this is being refined to hopefully have: Start finish advertisement, special events and a bio/obit for the owner where possible.  What is emerging is lots of names indicating changes of ownership and usage of shop/office buildings - this will allow for more detailed investigation of building usage somewhere down the track!

Do you have ancestors that ran a business at the Thames - if so your information/photos would be appreciated. Whether it be one of the earliest to those post 1930 - contributions are always welcomed!

 On the Kuranui Bay waterfront we have above a photo of Mr W L FILE'S butcher shop which he operated 1870-1872 . The previous owner was Mr John COOKE who established the business in 1867 and sold it to FILE c1869.

Below are the shops in Rolleston Street, Thames. A busy area often forgotten, located just south of the Thames Hospital. During the 1870s-1890s every shop genre was represented, such as: BATEMAN's Butchery, Bootmakers HODGE and HYMAN, Mrs LOCKE the Dressmaker, the ACME Bakery run by
Mrs Nash and later FULJAMES & SCOTT, and DEEBLES seed and provision shop. Plus many more...

With over a thousand shops found to date - one thing is for sure, there were a lot of families not just involved with mining in the town. While many went on to face bankruptcy, there are many who went on to have successful business ventures around New Zealand.

Thames (NZ): Current Newspaper online

For those not wanting to miss out on local news, THE HAURAKI HERALD is online - along with archived copies for the last year. You will need to just complete a short registration process.
If you after family notices for earlier years (back to 2006), these are available at The Treasury, Thames - copies can be requested via their research service.

Alternatively the Thames Library and Hauraki Herald Office has copies that you can go in and browse covering all years.

Another old Thames Newspaper that has come to light is THE THAMES SENTINEL AND MINERS JOURNAL, published by William Wood back in the 1890s.

Thames Sentinel Newspaper
Copy courtesy of J Vedder-Price

Thames (NZ): Thames-ites' war service in WWII

In the near future, when I complete work on the nurses' of Thames Hospital, the next project will be...

Collecting information on the men and women who served in World War Two, who came from the wider Thames area. In the first instance a record of those who were killed in action. Anyone with information on family members, you are welcome to email me or leave the information at The Treasury, Thames. The collection wil be held at The Treasury, where there is already information on soldiers of the South African (Boer) War.

A nurse who trained at Thames Hospital and registered in July 1932, died in a POW camp in 1945 - GLADYS LAURA HUGHES, Registered Nurse No 7365.

Auckland Star 6/10/1945

Source: Australian War Memorial Museum

Lieutenant Hughes' service number was VFX61331, in the Australian Army (Unit: 113th Australian General Hospital AANS)
Date of death: 31 May 1945  Place of death: Sumatra, Indonesia Cause of death: Illness

"She was one of sixty five Australian nurses and over 250 civilian men, women and children evacuated on the Vyner Brooke from Singapore three dyas before the fall of Malaya. The Vyner Brooke was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sunk in Banka Strait on 14 February 1942. Of the sixty five nurses, twelve were lost at sea, twenty two survived the sinking and were washed ashore on Radji Beach, Banka Island, where they surrendered to the Japanese along with twenty five British soldiers. On 16 February 1942 the group was massacred, the soldiers were bayoneted and the nurses were ordered to march into the sea where they were shot. Only Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and a British soldier survived the massacre. Both were taken POW, but only Sister Bullwinkel survived the war. Sister Hughes was one of the remaining thirty two nurses who also survived the sinking and were captured as POWs, eight of which later died in captivity. Sister Hughes, aged 33, died of illness on 31 May 1945 in Sumatra." Source: Australian War Memorial Museum

Thames (NZ): Lots of news at Paperspast!

Wow, how lucky we are having such a great resource as Paperspast!
Today there are two new releases:
New Zealand Herald: 1863 to 1884
Auckland Star: 1927 to 1945. This means coverage now from 1870 to 1945. Amazing!

The New Zealand Herald has lots of items on Thames and the goldfields; plus articles related to people in the community. An item on my GGGrandfather Clement Augustus Cornes, for  a wager gone wrong at the Thames Races - is just one of the wonderful finds. All of which help give some colour and bones to the Thamesites we are researching.

New Zealand Herald 28/1/1882

Thames (NZ): Bella Street Pumphouse

Whether you live in, or are visiting Thames, the BELLA STREET PUMPHOUSE MUSEUM - is well worth a visit! Situated on the corner of Bella & Cochrane Streets, it is open Saturday and Sunday (10am to 3pm). The admission price as at June 2012 was: Adults $5, Children $2, Family $10.

From the outside you may wonder what it has to offer, perhaps even think it is just for the pure mine enthusiast. How wrong you would be. Inside the building it is impressive, with a wide range of displays and working models. Volunteers take you on a tour of the remains of the outside pump site and a full guided tour around the building. The bonus is the wonderful collection of old Thames photographs that adorn several side rooms - these alone make the visit worthwhile.

History: The building housed the "Big Pump" that was used to remove water from the mines at the northern end of the town. Built 1897-98 and it could remove 2000Litres of water per minute from depths of 300 metres. It ceased operation in 1914. It is registered as a category II building with New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
(Source: NZ Historic Places Trust)

NB. Information on the first BIG PUMP can be found at The Treasury Journal: "The Big Pump site revisited 2012" By D Wilton

Thames (NZ): R Buckley Saddlemaker c1900

The Bank of New Zealand archives in Wellington has supplied some photos and information on records available (this will be covered in following posts). Due to the excellent quality of the photos, it was possible to identify another business - that of R Buckley, Saddlemaker of Brown Street. A much needed occupation at these times.

The Cyclopaedia of Auckland 1902 has the following informatiuon on Mr BUCKLEY.
Buckley, Roland, Saddler and Bootmaker, Brown Street, Thames. This business was established in 1896, in Albert Street, and was removed to Brown Street in 1900. There is a convenient shop with a large show window, and a workshop behind. Mr. Buckley keeps a well assorted stock of boots and saddlery, and undertakes the manufacture of either line on the premises. He was born in 1874 at the Thames, where he learned his business.

Top: R Buckley
Above: R Buckley's shop in Brown Street

Thames (NZ): Borough Centenary 1973 and first landing 1867

A great photo of the Borough Commemoration medal on a local auction site.
This was for the centenary of the towns of Shortland and Grahamstown being reunited as one, from then on known as Thames. There are interesting reminders in the papers of people being reminded to address their letters as THAMES, and not just Shortland or Grahamstown! One speculates it was an identity that many didn't want to give up, without a fight.

The book published for the centenary has been noted in a previous posting.

In fact the township of Tararu was also included, as reported in national newspapers of the time.

West Coast Times 24/11/1873

While searching for this info, I came across the details of the first goldfields landing.

New Zealand Tablet 16/8/1873

Thames (NZ): Transit of Venus

With the nearing of another 'Transit of Venus' it is time to recollect the event on the Thames Goldfields, many years past. Of course it would remiss not to mention the earlier event that brought Captain James Cook to our shores in 1769.

Thames Star 7/9/1874

In 1874, a man named H A SEVERN, used good old kiwi ingenuity, to make a telescope to view the event. Some details on this are above and the full article explains more.

Thames Star 2/12/1874

Later the paper publishes full details on the planet and its wonders, plus the calendar of the cycles for viewing the transits. Disappointment filled the hearts of the local folk alas, as the day was cloudy and dull and there were no successful reports from the 'Thames observatory.' A full account of the day as seen from Professor SEVE(R)N's observatory were supplied to the Thames Star 16/12/1874.

The early Thames-ites didn't have to wait long, in 1882 the excitement was approaching again. (Thames Star 2/12/1882) The weather was much better for this event and successful sightings occurred.

Thames Star 7 Dec 1882

Thames (NZ): Wilton Family Reunion March 2013

Posting on behalf of organiser:
A reunion for descendants and family of John & Elizabeth WILTON and Fred & Emma WILTON will be held in Thames weekend of 16-17th March 2013.

John Moore Wilton, b. St Neot, Cornwall 26 Aug 1844, Elizabeth Jones b. Wednesbury, Staffordshire 1856;   m. Thames NZ 4 Nov 1874 (8 children).

Frederick George Wilton b. St Neot 18 Mar 1857, Emma Amelia Jones b. Wednesbury 16 Apr 1865;
m. Auckland NZ 17 Mar 1882 (13 children).

 John and Fred were copper miners in Cornwall and gold miners in Thames.
Information on the family can be found in this article at The Treasury Journal:
John Moore Wilton, Miner of Cornwall and Thames

For further information:
Contact: David Wilton email d.r.wilton@massey.ac.nz

Overlooking Thames, looking south to Totara and Hauraki Plains
(Photo part of Cunningham Collection at The Treasury)