John "Smith" FURNESS was a carpenter from Halifax, West Yorkshire
- son of William FOURNESS (Cordswainer) and Hannah KING

He emigrated to Wellington, New Zealand in 1842

He married Mary PATTERSON in St Pauls Wellington in 1846
- Mary was a daughter of William and Ellen Patterson from London. She had emigrated with them and her siblings on the 'BIRMAN', also in 1842

Smith died in 1884 aged 59 by drowning in the Nelson Harbour
- he left a note
... Grey River Argus, 3 March 1884 - LOVE and INSANITY, Nelson, March 2
At the inquest on the body of John Smith Furness, found drowned, the following letter, posted on Friday evening to Mrs Furness, and which had been obtained from the post office by a son-in-law with permission of the widow, who is in Wellington, was read:- "Mary, when you receive this I will be no more. Sam and Sarah are as Judas Iscariot. They betrayed a man by saying 'Whomever I put my finger on, take him.' I forgive all your unkindness to me - Signed, S. Furness." The jury returned a verdict of drowned while suffering from temporary insanity.
(the Sarah & Sam mentioned in the note was his daughter & son-in-law)
- he is buried PLOT 261.R - SECTION: PUBLIC at Bolton St., Cemetery Wellington

Mary died 7 July 1902 in Palmerston North
COLONIST, 11 July 1902 DEATH - FURNESS - At Palmerston North, on the 7th inst., Mary, relict of the late Smith Furness, aged 82 years. (Deceased was mother of Mr S. J. Furness, of the "Marlborough Express")
BUSH ADVOCATE, 8 July 1902 Mrs Mary Furness, one of New Zealand`s early pioneers, died at Palmerston North last night. Deceased was aged 82 years, and was the mother of Mr J.S. Furness, proprietor of the Marlborough Express

The children of SMITH & MARY
... 1
1846 - 1868 William Furness
- he died aged 22 in Wellington


... 2
1848 - 1894 Robert Cole Furness
- he was also a carpenter
- he married Sohpia Jane BILLS from Stepney Middlesex
- he died in Thorndon Wellington aged 46


... 3
1849 - John Edward Furness
- John died as an infant


... 4
1850 - 1926 Mary Furness
- she married Edwin Walter WOODHOUSE IN 1871
- she married John HOLMES in 1885
- she died in Wellington in 1926 aged 75


... 5
1852 - 1921 Smith James Furness
- he was the proprietor of the BLENHEIM EXPRESS (or Marlborough Express) newspaper in Marlborough
- In 1905 he was in court with a libel action - George Edwards v. S.J. Furness for a claim of ?1000 damages for the publication of a paragraph reproducing from the "Mercantile Gazette" the notice of a mortgage of ?250, transacted by the plaintiff.
The case took all day and when the jury returned it was a verdict of one farthing damages, each party to pay its own cost - In November of 2009, exactly 104 years later, that one farthing damages cost was worth about 35 cents!
- Smith married Emily Eva HOUGH in Nelson in 1870 & had 6 children
- he died in 1921 in Wellington aged 69


...6
1853 - 1953 Emma Furness
- Emma died aged 10 days


... 7
1856 - 1938 John Furness
- he married Ellen Louisa GREY in Wellington in 1877
- they had 5 sons in Wellington then moved to Auckland
Ellen died in Auckland 17 Dec 1928 (see John's link)
John later moved to Sydney, Australia & died in Newtown, Sydney in 1938 aged 81


... 8
1857 - 1906 Robert Henry Furness
- he was on the Wellington City Council
- he was married to Elizabetha Martha ASHBRIDGE in St Peters Church Wellington in 1881 by the Venerable Archdeacon Arthur Stock
- he died in Wellington in 1906 aged 49


... 9
1859 - 1936 Sarah Jane Furness
- she was married on Xmas Day 1876 to Samuel READ
- they had 8 children, 7 boys & a daughter
- she died in 1936 aged 77


... 10
1863 - 1945 Albert George Furness
- Albert married Amelia Mahala 'Minnie' GRANDIN in 1894 Victoria, Australia
Minnie was born in 1868 in Emerald Hill, Victoria, a daughter of Andrew GRANDIN & Amelia Jane BATES
AMELIA Furness died the following year in Essendon, Victoria aged 27
(big thanks to Tonkin for that info, see comments at FURNESS on PECK of Taita)
ALBERT next married Emma GEORGE (1871-1955) in 1899 in Victoria
- born in Flemington to Thomas GEORGE & Mary Paul LARCOMBE
ALBERT Furness died in Blackburn, Victoria in 1945 aged 81
EMMA Furness died in Caulfield, Victoria in 1955 aged 83


... 11
1867 - 1949 Arthur Edward Furness
- he married Miriam TOWNSEND in 1893
- Miriam died giving birth in Oct 1893
- he next married Margaret LOW in 1896
- he died in 1949 aged 82

see also: the FURNESS on PECK of Taita