amber27 on Family Tree Circles

The third son of James and Jane CLIMO, George was born at Auckland, where he became the first of their family to be officially registered in the new Colony. At this time his father James was working in the Manakau Kauri forests and the family was living at Te Huia.
The family moved back to Tataraimaka where George was brought up until 1860 when the CLIMO?s moved south to the Marlborough Sounds after war broke out in Taranaki. Together with forestry and sawmilling, George also became well-known as a boat builder. In 1875, at the age of 25 years he married Alice Martha HOLLYMAN in Havelock. Alice, her parents and extended family had arrived in Wellington in 1870 on board the Gertrude from Liverpool, having left their home in Croydon, Surrey.

George and Alice lived in the Canvastown area for a time before following the CLIMO clan to Ormond. George and Alice had had three children when in 1880, they moved to Four Fathom Bay, taking up land which George gradually cleared for farming. This was where the remainder of his and Alice?s family of four sons and five daughters were born. George worked at his farm and his boat-building until he succumbed to a fatal illness caused by a malignant growth in the intestines. He died in Havelock on 25 September 1903 aged only 53 years old and is buried in the cemetery there.

Alice left the family farm in 1904 and went to live and work in Wakamarina, near Canvastown, where her younger children attended Deep Creek School and Sunday school. In 1907, Alice married Walter Frederick POPE, the son of her late husband?s sister Emily and Roger POPE. Walter was twenty years her junior. The marriage took place at the home of George and Alice?s daughter, Jane HOWARD, in Nelson.

The only record relating to Richard CLIMO's birth is that of his baptism on 21 March 1849 at St. Peter?s Church in Onehunga, Auckland (official records in New Zealand were not kept until 1850). The next record that exists is of his marriage: on 05 May 1871 he married Marianne Elizabeth CAMPLIN of Westport, at Holy Trinity Parish Church in Picton. Marianne was born on the Island of St. Vincent in the Windward Isles. Her mother, Angusina had been widowed soon after the birth of her second daughter. Angusina decided to leave St. Vincent so the little family set off for Sydney, New South Wales to start a new life. In 1860, Angusina married Stewart GILLON, by whom she had a son, John, before her husband was tragically killed whilst trying to intercept a runaway horse in a Sydney street. Once again, Angusina uprooted her family, this time to Westport, New Zealand. Marianne had been carefully nurtured and well-educated but in common with the CLIMO and POPE families, she and Richard lived in the sawmill settlements, moving onto new sites as the timber supply ran out. It was while they were at Hoods Bay, Pelorus in Marlborough, that their first three children were born: Annie in 1872, Richard Fredrick Johnson (Fred) in 1874 and Alice Maude in 1875.

Richard and Marianne migrated with the rest of the CLIMO family to Ormond soon after Alice Maude?s birth. Ormond was to be the birthplace of their next daughter, Angusina, who was born in 1876 but sadly, died in infancy. Ada Adaline, born in 1878 and Richard and Marianne?s sixth child, Alfred Ernest was born in Clareville, near Carterton in Wairarapa in 1880. Unfortunately at the time of his birth, Richard and Marianne had separated. A divorce followed sometime later, and in due course, each re-married.

Richard married his second wife, Fanny Ellen LUXFORD at the Fielding Registry Office in 1884. She was a widow with two daughters and one son. They lived at Halcombe, where Richard had a logging contract for Bailey?s sawmill and where their three daughters were born: Lillian May in 1884, Hazel Lylie in 1886 and Mabel Violet in 1890. It was about the time of Mabel?s birth that Bailey?s removed the saw-mill across the Rangitikei River to Rata taking the CLIMO?s with them. A new member, Roger POPE, husband of Richard?s sister Emily, joined them, as well as Richard?s brothers Robert and John and father James, as the senior manager. All went well until disaster struck. A fire swept through the mill, the timber-yards and the standing bush, putting an end to further milling in the district. So, in an effort to earn a living, Richard joined his brother John in a fishing venture at Wanganui in 1895, but this had a tragic ending. While crossing the Wanganui River Bar, their boat, which was in tow capsized. Richard and a friend were rescued but sadly, John drowned.

After his two eldest daughters, Maude and Ada married and his son Frederick went to work in the railway services Richard took Fanny and their daughters to the South Island. By 1899 they were back in the Sounds, along with the late John?s son James Henry, who had married Hettie TAYLOR, Fanny?s daughter from a previous marriage. In 1902, Richard was working at a mill in Manaroa, with Fanny in residence at Anakoha, when they crossed the Sound at Nydia Bay, re-crossing in 1905 to establish Fawcett and CLIMO?s mill at Okoha. Richard had the company of his brother James and nephews James Robert and James Henry in the mill team and Fanny was installed as Post Mistress. Soon Richard?s father, James joined them, having finally retired with his second wife, Amelia, to Havelock.

Eventually Richard and Fanny moved north to Daniel?s Mill at Masterton, leaving behind Fanny?s daughter Ada Martha TAYLOR, who had married Frank Wilson POPE, son of Emily CLIMO and Roger POPE. Their own daughter Lillian May had married her cousin Samuel CLIMO, son of Samuel (Samson) and Johanna CLIMO and settled in Havelock. In Masterton, Richard became acquainted with a Mr. John ROSSITER and the two became great friends. Later, Richard and Fanny's daughter Hazel Lylie would marry John Rossiter's son, Edwin Arthur ROSSITER.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Richard visted the three surviving members of his first family: he saw Ada and her boys at Paki-Paki, near Hastings; Fred and his family at Rata and Alice Maude on her family farm near Palmerston North. His visit to Alice Maude coincided with the final Open Day at the Rangiotu Military Camp, where the New Zealand Rifle Brigade were in training. It was here that William, Robert CLIMO?s eldest son, was in the ranks. William was overjoyed when he recognised the tall bearded figure of his blue-eyed ?Uncle Dick?. But when the war was over, Richard was not present to welcome back his nephew, for he had fallen victim to the influenza epidemic of 1918 and had passed away in July of that year. He is buried in Masterton Cemetery.

John CLIMO was born on 19 April 1846 whilst, it is assumed his parents were living in Kawhia. He was the second child (and eldest son) of James and Jane CLIMO. It is more than likely that he had been named after his two grandfathers ? John CLIMO Snr, who was still living in Cornwall and John PHILLIPS, who had died in England, sometime before 1841. His early life was spent in Manakau, then on the family farm at Tataraimaka in Taranaki. When he was aged 14 years old, he was evacuated with his family to Nelson at time of the Taranaki Land Wars, in which his father James had fought in. John followed in his father's footsteps and became a saw-miller, working mainly in the Pelorus area.
On 11 October 1872 at the Registrar?s Office in Havelock, he married Kate HARRINGTON. Kate?s family were a family of early settlers from Wellington. Kate?s father, Jeremiah had served with the 65th Regiment (?Royal Tigers?) for 16 years ? in Ireland, West Indies, Canada and England before arriving with his wife, Margaret, in the Bay of Islands in 1847. Jeremiah obtained his discharge from the Regiment in 1848 and settled his family in Wellington, where Kate was born.
After their marriage, John and Kate settled for a few years in the Pelorus area in the heart of the bush country and many trips were made between Picton and Wellington in a ?flat bottomed? boat. On one occasion, Kate lost her wedding ring while trailing her hand in the water. Their home was a typical earth floored mill cottage. It was here, in the Pelorus Sound that their first two children were born ? James Henry on 13 July 1873 and John William on 23 July 1874. In 1876 the family moved to Ormond (near present-day Gisborne), where the CLIMO mill had been established. The family continued to grow with the births of George Frederick on 08 June 1876 and Walter Richard on 20 May 1878. In 1880 the mill was taken over by William King so John and Kate made a break from the rest of the CLIMO family. They moved with their sons to Makotuku, near Norsewood where they settled for 10 years. In later years, Kate would tell her grandchildren of the time she was left alone in the middle of the bush for 3 days, with only her children for company, while John went to get provisions and how she would sit up late at night, making the boys? clothes out of unbleached flour bags.

At Makotuku, five more children were born ? Arthur on 19 June 1880, Frank on 16 December 1882, Alfred on 14 March 1885, Henry on 31 July 1887 and Elizabeth Catherine (Lizzie) on 03 May 1889. Tragedy also struck the family - in September 1882, John William and Arthur both died of diphtheria and whooping cough within a few days of each other. Then on 09 October 1885, Frank died. All three boys are buried in the Norsewood Cemetery but the whereabouts of their graves is not known. There was one bright spot with the birth of John and Kate's youngest child May, on 26 May 1891. Two years later tragedy struck yet again when Henry died at Rata from acute rheumatism and pneumonia on 21 June 1893. He was only 6 years old.

James Henry followed the same occupation as his father and grandfather and became a saw-miller. On 01 March 1884, at Hunterville, he married Hettie Fanny TAYLOR, who was the daughter of Fanny Ellen TAYLOR, the second wife of his uncle Richard.

The following year of 1895 brought another tragedy to the CLIMO family. While working at Bailey?s Mill, John had built a fishing boat which was transported by rail to Wanganui. On the morning of 21 April 1895, John, his brother Richard and another gentleman went out fishing in the boat, crossing the bar of the Wanganui River. At 5pm that afternoon, when coming back in, they asked to be ?hitched? onto a steam fishing launch, for a tow in. This caused their boat to capsize and the men on the steamer cut the line to release the boat, and allow the men to get out from underneath. John and Richard drifted away and John quickly became exhausted. He let go of his brother and drowned. Richard was able to grab the floating mast and was soon rescued. John?s body was not found until 08 May 1895 and he is buried in an unmarked grave in the Old Wanganui Cemetery. After John?s death, Kate remained in Rata for a few years while James Henry and Hettie went back to Pelorus. In 1899, James Henry was working along with his uncle Richard, as a saw-mill hand at Manaroa but he later moved on to the Fawcett & CLIMO Mill at Okoha. There was no widow?s pension in those days so to make enough money to feed her family, Kate took in washing and ran a dance in the local hall. Lizzie and May were only small girls at the time but they went along to the dances with their mother and while Kate saw to the supper, they would dance around together. Kate could only afford to buy meat once a week and it was mostly frying steak, which would be well-cooked. They also had no candles so a strip of material would be put into a tine of tallow and that was burnt for light.

John and Kate?s younger sons would have all started work at an early age. George Fredrick went to sea, working as a cook on ships belonging to the Union Steamship Company. Walter Richard chose to work in sawmills and he had a bullock team which he used to haul logs for the local mills, later going on to driving steam haulers. Alfred first started work as an engineer but in 190, went into the Dairy industry to work as an assistant at the Bulls Dairy Factory - he later became the manager of the Rata Dairy Factory. In 1905 Alfred moved to Pihama, in South Taranaki, where he was appointed manager of the Skeet Road Creamery. Alfred was a keen sportsman and he played a rugby match in which the All Blacks team was to be selected but unfortunately, Alfred had to withdraw from the game when he injured his knee.

Meanwhile, Kate moved her younger children to Hunterville, where they lived in several houses before buying a house in Milne Sreet, which only cost 400 pounds. It was a four-roomed cottage and an extra bedroom and bathroom were added on, with timber that came from the Raurimu Mill (more than likely the mill owned by James Robert CLIMO). In October 1906, John and Kate?s remaining three sons were married ? George married Bertha Mary PARRY at Wanganui on 23 October, Walter married Matilda Harriet HOWE on 29 October at Bulls and Alfred married Jane Augusta KAPPELY at Pihama on 31 October. Also in 1906, James Henry and Hettie moved their family north to work at the mills in the Taumaranui and Ohakune districts. Lizzie and May travelled on the first train on the Main Trunk Line as far as Taihape in 1908 and as a momento of their trip they each brought back an ornament for Kate. These ornaments were last known to be in the possession of May?s daughter, Dalvine.

Kate and her youngest daughter, Lizzie (who never married) ran a restaurant and also sold fish. They had a proper cart equipped with ice and Lizzie would take the horse and cart around the houses to sell the fish which had been delivered to Hunterville by train. After giving up the restaurant business, they milked a few cows and took in washing and ironing. Lizzie also took on various jobs as cleaner of the local school, library, bank etc. Kate was a marvellous ?home doctor?, treating sores with plantain leaf ointment and for any that festered, she would bind a leaf around it and it was always 100% cured. Kate was known to have a try at treating most things.
Kate died in Hunterville on 18 August 1934 and is buried in the Rangatira Cemetery.

Elizabeth Catherine CLIMO's father James could, without a doubt, proudly claim that his first-born child was the first Pakeha baby born in the new settlement of New Plymouth on 05 November 1841. Elizabeth Catherine was not only the pride and joy of her parents but she was also the first native New Zealander of the CLIMO clan ? another boast made frequently by her proud father, who had an extremely strong sense of family and his Cornish lineage.
There have been many stories of Elizabeth Catherine's early life handed down from generation to generation:

- Upon her birth she received the gift by a local Maori chief of a plot of land in the new settlement upon his seeing a white-skinned baby;
- She was nursed by Governor William Hobson while on his visit to Kawhia in 1842;
- The numerous journeys on foot and by small coastal craft with her parents as they sought employment;
- Having four brothers (one of whom died in infancy)and being nearly 11 years old before she acquired a sister. These circumstances set her apart to a certain extent and gave Elizabeth Catherine a certain maturity early in life. So it was not surprising that her marriage was announced when she was 16 years old:

"1857, April 30.In the home of Mr. James Pearce, Tataraimaka,
George POPE, 24. Sawyer, Bachelor, married by Mr. Joseph Long to
Elizabeth Catherine CLIMO, 16, Spinster. Registered 25 April 1857.
Witnesses: Mr. James CLIMO, Mr. John PHILLIPS (Elizabeth's uncle).

In 1859 Elizabeth Catherine gave birth to her first child ? William POPE - who was said to have been born at Bell Block. His birth sealed the successful establishment of the family, only 19 years after James and Jane set out on their great adventure from England. But this happy time was cruely shattered by the Taranaki Wars ? a massive blow to all the settlers, many of whom, including the CLIMO?s and the POPE's, were evacuated to Nelson and the safety of the South Island.

The next recorded event is the setting up by the four POPE brothers - George, Robert, John and Roger ? of a sawmill in the Wakamarina Valley. The men erected their tents not far from the Canvastown Hotel at the junction of the Wakamarina and Pelorus Rivers. Here too, the CLIMO?s stayed for a time and it was while they were there that gold was first found in the Wakamarina River. Elizabeth Catherine and her mother, Jane had been washing clothes in the stream when they found glittering particles stuck to the garments. When the women showed the men, their discovery was declared to be gold! But it would be another 4 years until serious exploitation of gold began.
In the meantime, Elizabeth Catherine and George had moved on to Picton with the CLIMO?s. In 1861 they were living in Waitohi Valley where George and his father-in-law, James were working for Captain DALTON at his new mill at Koromiko. It was equipped with a circular saw ? the first in Marlborough. This mill was eventually to make way for a dairy factory and a railway stop on the line to Blenheim. In Havelock, on 21 June 1862, Henry (Harry) POPE, (my great-great-grandfather) was born. Soon afterwards Elizabeth Catherine, George and their children moved with the CLIMO?s from mill to mill as each became established and where their family continued to grow: George was born at Picton on 19 February 1866, Harriet at Mahakipawa on 05 December 1867, Frank at also at Mahakipawa on 27 May 1870 and Elizabeth Alice, at Hoods Bay on 11 September 1872. About this time it appears that George went out on his own and joined up with Mr. W.R BROWNLEE, for on 11 April 1881, while working at Brownlee?s new mill at Blackball in Havelock, Elizabeth Catherine gave birth to Mary Ellen. Another daughter, Margaret Ann followed on 06 November 1882, and James Richard, who was born on 22 November 1884, completed the family; the latter two having been born at Kaiuma.

Elizabeth Catherine and George POPE took everything in their stride, coped with all the changes of fortunes in the early pioneering days and emerged as a power in the community in which they lived. But time inevitably takes its toll and after a long illness, George Whiting POPE sadly died in Nelson Hospital on 18 August 1907. His body lies in Wakapuaka Cemetery in Nelson. On 01 June 1908 Elizabeth Catherine died and was buried in Havelock. Her father James would survive her by another 3 years and was laid to rest near her. No burial ground in the country could perhaps record more history of these two families than that of Havelock.

James and Amelia returned to Inglewood after their marriage but for how much longer they stayed in Taranaki is not known as they eventually made their way back to Marlborough. Amelia had a stabilising effect on the families in Halcombe, where Robert had married Eliza Gibbons in 1883 and Richard, now divorced from Marianne, had re-married to Fanny Ellen Luxford in 1884. In 1890, John and Kate rejoined the family and James took over as the manager of the new mill across the Rangitikei River at Rata.Though Amelia lived at Halcombe, she was able to reunite Richard's first family with their father for a time. Amelia became well-respected and much loved by many of the younger generations of Climo's who often bestowed the name 'Amelia' on their children and grandchildren.
All went well at Rata with the grandchildren ? Ada and Maudie in particular enjoyed the rides on the empty logging wagons, drawn by Uncle Bob's bullocks up into the bush along the wooden tramlines. They walked to Sunday School which was held at the home of Miss Arkwright, who taught them the Faith and gave them drinks of lemon juice before their long walk home on the dusty roads. And the men would bring back starry white clematis for the pair for ?being good girls? - with wreaths of white on their heads they were brides for a day and slept soundly in their happiness.

There was a great fire during the summer of 1894-95 which swept through the mill and timber yards. It was thought to have been started by a spark from the nearby railway and it continued to spread through miles of standing bush. Unfortunately it brought the end of all milling in the district so once again, James found himsel without any means of support for his sons. But the young Climo men were resilient and set off to try new experiences. John turned to boat-building with high hopes of a career in fishing, but in 1895, a few weeks after arriving in Wanganui, tragedy struck.
At the time, John was in the company of his brother Richard and another gentleman. The men had gone out in a whaleboat to fish, crossing the bar at the Wanganui Heads early in the morning of 21 April 1895. They fished all day until early that evening when a steam fishing launch, which had also been out, came by. The men requested that they be ?hitched? onto the steamer so as to be towed into port. This caused the whaleboat to capsize and the crew on board the steamer cut the line as a means to release the boat so that John, Richard and their friend could escape from the submerged boat. The boat rolled three times and John and Richard found themselves drifting some twenty yards away. Their friend, who could not swim, clung to the stricken whaleboat for dear life. John soon became exhausted and had to let go of Richard, who sadly never saw his brother alive again. Richard grabbed the floating mast of the whaleboat until the steamer was able to turn back and come to the surviving mens' aid. Richard was pulled safely aboard along with his friend. It would be two long weeks before John's body was recovered and that same day, 09 May 1895, an inquest was held. The verdict was that John's death was accidental drowning. John left behind his wife Katherine and their five children.
After this latest tragedy, James and Amelia decided to return to Havelock, together with Richard, Fanny and their three daughters and the late John's eldest son James Henry. James, by this time, was approaching the age of eighty years and when he finally retired in 1905, he was still regarded as a sawyer.

James and Amelia lived their last years quietly in Havelock, in a small cottage at the back of a substantial section (later used by the Chinese as a market garden), not far from the home of James' eldest daughter Elizabeth Catherine Pope. The site today is now part of a motel complex. In 1908, when he was 88 years old, James recounted to The Marlborough Express some of his experiences since coming to New Zealand, copies of which were sent to his grandchildren. These accounts are still treasured by the family today and together, with James' obituary published in The Pelorus Guardian at the time of his death in 1911, have formed the basis of research undertaken for this story. Once account of his many experiences was recounted to The Taranaki Herald.

On 10 September 1911, James Climo died in Havelock aged 91 years old. and was laid to rest peacefully in the Havelock Cemetery. His obituary was published in The Pelorus Guardianin the days following his death. James was described as a native of Cornwall, who arrived with his wife on 01 April 1841 and that their first child ? who was also the first white child born in that town ? was born on 05 November 1841 ?
?... Next year he went to Kawhia. On returning to Taranaki, Mr. Climo was shipwrecked at the heads and lost everything. He and his wife had to carry their two children on their backs for ten days living off native food and fording rivers. They settled in Taranaki until the war broke out, when Mr. Climo was called out with the militia for defence purposes. In an engagement with the natives on 28 March 1860, he was wounded and suffered more or less ever since from the effects of it. As soon as he was able to leave the hospital, he was invalided to Nelson. After short sojourns in various parts of New Zealand, Mr. Climo went to the Havelock district and had resided there ever since.?

Three months later, on 22 December 1911 Amelia Climo died and was laid to rest beside him.

By 1882, James and Jane were in Halcombe, helping Richard , who was now a well-established contractor in the township, with his now mother-less family. However, the decision was made to return to Taranaki, taking with them Richard's daughter, Alice Maude. Why they decided to return to Taranaki, no one knows but there are many possible reasons: Jane was quite unwell by now with severe chest trouble, so perhaps she was in search of her former good health. Or, James may have had a a nostalgic desire to see the old farm at Tataraimaka and meet with old neighbours and friends. Another reason may have been that Jane wished to see her mother, Ann Phillips, who had since remarried to Mr Arthur Dawe and see the family of her sister Anne James, who had died in 1867. Or it is possible that James wanted to be back in Taranaki to defend yet another claim for compensation for the loss of his Tataraimaka farm ? claims which went on until 1902.

Upon their return to Taranaki, James and Jane settled in Inglewood, where they met Amelia Russell, a widow who also lived in the township. Amelia had arrived in New Plymouth with her sister in 1877. She was the daughter of Josiah Kingcombe, of Devon and she had been widowed two years earlier. James, Jane and Alice Maude settled into their new home with James working at a local mill ? probably as a manager. Seeing as there was a well-established school in Inglewood, Jane saw to it that Alice Maude received a good education. She would walk Alice Maude as far as the bridge over the stream and then meet her there, at that same bridge, in the afternoon. James and Jane now had fewer family commitments so they had more time to enjoy 'Maudie' as they affectionately called their granddaughter. Years later, Maudie recalled the life and scene as she knew it:

?Granny was always dressed in black, she had a constant wheeze and the cottage had an earth floor in the kitchen. Grandfather was known as an 'herbalist' ? sometimes called ?Dr. Climo? by those who knocked on his door on Sunday, seeking help and first-aid. At night he would take me on his knee and sing old songs of Cornwall and tell me tales before a roaring Rata fire. A lot of Maori people came to see him and Grandfather spoke Maori like a native; also others who came spoke 'gibberish.'? (there was a large influx of newly-arrived Poles in Inglewood at this time). The songs that Maudie passed on to her children were ?Little Brown Jug? and ?When I First Saw Sweet Molly (The Low-backed Car)? - which James sang with a customary wink and nudge at Jane. It was very much a happy, good-humoured home but in the winter of 1884 Maudie, by then 8 years old, was sent to Palmerston North to a private school.

Shortly after Maudie's departure, the family were again rocked by a great sadness. After a lengthy battle with chronic bronchitis, Jane Climo died on 01 July 1884 and was buried in Inglewood cemetery.
Amelia Russell, whom James and Jane had met and befriended upon their arrival in Inglewood, helped James look after Jane during her final illness and was there to help after her death. One year later, James returned to Halcombe with Amelia at his side and they were married at the Town Board Office on 24 June 1885.

In 1876 Ormond was little more than a well-planned town in the making, situated in a massive Kahakitea forest, through which flowed the Waipaoa River, 15 miles from the mouth at Turanga (now modern-day Gisborne). When the Climo's arrived to set up their sawmill, Ormond was a military settlement with barracks for the Armed Constabulary, who were dealing with unrest at Te Kooti. Ormond also boasted two well set-up hotels (The Ormond & The Chandos), a Post Office, a police station with a lock-up, a bakery, school, a large general store and a doctor who served both Ormond and Turanga. There was also a small sawmill and not far away was a deserted school and chapel, which belonged to the Waerenga-a-Hika Mission.
The area was in the process of being surveyed into huge blocks of land of up to 20,000 acres and alloted to those who had sufficient funds to ?develop? them. Some of these stations still remain intact today. Owing to the swampy nature of the ground near the mouth of the Waipaoa River, which was joined at this time by the Turanganui, the first surveyors had considered that the main town should be established further inland where the ground was higher and less prone to floods, than at Turanga, which they thought would be the port to service the hinterland.

James established his sawmill with his sons John, Richard, Sam and Robert; also George for a time and young James (Jim), following his adored Sam as his shadow. But soon tragedy struck when Richard and Marianne's daughter, 4-month old Angusina died. But four more of James and Jane's grandchildren ? John's two sons, George's daughter Elizabeth Catherine (Lizzie) and Richard's daughter Ada Adeline were all born at Ormond (the births were registered at Turanga), but the families were having other difficulties. The mill houses still had dirt floors and through the stripping of the bush from the hills nearby, the houses became damp and it wasn't long before Jane developed chest trouble.

There were great floods in the winters of 1877 and 1878, which blocked the road to Gisborne for months at a time. Robert's bullocks were rendered immobile and soon, the log supply for the mill ran out. Sam's venture as a coachman ended in disaster, while Robert lost 3 fingers in a sawing accident. But even worse was the growing unhappiness between Richard and his wife Marianne - she was finding the hardships of life more and more unbearable as each day passed. The final straw was the great fire at Makauri which demolished King's Mill, 20 houses along with the greater supply of timber for the Climo's mill. So in 1879, after enduring one hardship after another, the family decided to move away from Ormond. However, there was one bright spot - this being Sam's marriage to Johanna Gallagher at the New Year. By 1880, King had taken over Climo's mill and the family scattered far and wide.

Unfortunately, Richard and Marianne, went their separate ways. Richard spent time, firstly in Masterton before spending time in Carterton and Halcombe, while Marianne went to Clareville, Wairarapa to stay with her mother. Six months later, Marianne & Richard's sixth child, Ernest Alfred, was born.

George and his wife Alice returned to Canvastown and Sam took Johanna to the Sounds, in the company of youngest brother James, now a young man of 17-years. John and his wife Katherine (Kate) went to Makotuku, near Norsewood. They stayed to help with the establishment of a new sawmill at a new Scandanavian settlement.

Robert moved on to Masterton where he, and for a short time, Richard, continued driving a bullock team, hauling logs and timber for the first Waingawa truss bridge and sleepers for the line. A story that has been told in Robert's family over the years is of James, once again, walking from Auckland to the Wairarapa, carrying a screw-jack. This could have been to help his grandson, Harry Pope (my great-great-grandfather) who at one time set up a mill near Carterton. But it has been difficult to trace the exact dates as so much mill history was lost when the closures took place - the sites thus obliterated and the workers moving on to other areas.

When James, Jane & their family settled in Pelorus Sounds in August 1860, they found themselves in the company of the Honourable C.H Mills, on that gentleman's first visit to the area. Upon landing, they found the site of Havelock covered in snow. James quickly went to work for David Wells across the bay. At the same time, Mr William Wells was keeping an accommodation house in Havelock while Mr. John Wilson had one in Canvastown.
There was no road in those days between Blenheim and Havelock, only a bridle track. James and a friend went out to the Kaituna and using a pit-saw, cut the first timber for Messers Bashford and Wylie. In December 1860, James and his friend left Picton where James had to pay 10 shillings per week for a room that was about 12 ft x 10 ft ; through the walls of which he could push his fingers and where the men could not rest at night due to the mosquitoes. But James soon got work in the district, being one of the first to work for Captain Dalton at his mill in Mt.Pleasant, Koromiko, four miles out of Picton.

In August 1862, James undertook another of his walking adventures, heading south to Lyttleton, in the search for suitable employment. This time he was accompanied by his son John, who was now a young man of 16 years old. They stopped at a place known as Giggerego, situated between Flaxbourne and the Clarence. James and young John sawed timber for an accommodation house and a school for a Mr. Tittley before continuing on to Lyttleton, where they took a ship back to Wellington and eventually returned to Piction. In 1863 the family moved to Pelorus Sound, living at Kaiuma, where James worked for Messers Cornfoot,Robertson and Parker's Mill and the children resumed their schooling. James had now made sawmilling his life's work and in time moved to Mahakipawa and then to Hoods Bay, to where rafts of logs were towed from surrounding areas to Dive's Mill. It was customary for mill owners and the workers to get together in the erection of a school building for which the Education Board would supply a teacher. This was common practice at most of the sawmill settlements, the classes only going as far as the 5th standard; but all the children and grandchildren were well-schooled at these establishments.

While at Hoods Bay, the Climo children grew into adulthood. Elizabeth Catherine and her husband, George Pope had initially settled in the Wakamarina with the rest of the Climo family until they eventually made their permanent home in Havelock , establishing a centre for the family's life. Emily was next of James and Jane's children to marry, in 1867, followed by Richard in 1871, both John and Jane in 1872, and George in 1875. Elizabeth Catherine, Emily and eventually Jane each married a Pope and each went on to have a large family. Life for the women would have been anything but rosy ? living in hastily built mill cottages with dirt floors, camp ovens for cooking, supplies arriving at infrequent intervals, no domestic help except that of equally burdened relatives, hard-working men to feed as well as small children to tend, sew and mend for. The men, dependant on water transport to a doctor or a shop or Post Office, with a tide of up to 11 ft in the Sounds, learnt to build their own sturdy craft and carefully ?read the weather? before making a trip to Havelock. That there were so few tragedies is nothing short of miraculous.

For the next decade or so, the Climo's and Pope's lived and worked in the Pelorus area, mostly as a family, until their names were to be found throughout the Sounds and as far as Canvastown and the Rai Valley. In 1865, James received a Crown grant of 107 acres ? sections 43 and 44 in Kaiuma Bay. He held this for ten years but, upon failing to untilise this asset, probably from lack of capital and from growing competition from other well-established millers, the land was conveyed by a Supreme Court order to the mill owner, W.R Brownlee, who promptly built a sawmill on the property. It was partly through this injustice that James broke his ties with the Pelorus and moved his family to ?foreign parts? - to Ormond in Poverty Bay, on the East Coast of the North Island.

In true pioneer fashion, James and Jane went to work establishing their farm with the help of neighbours whom they helped in return. It seemed the perfect spot with magnificent Mt.Egmont towering behind and the Tasman Sea before them. James?s work experience was put to great use as he felled great Totaras for timber and fencing material and Rata for Jane?s home-fires. Even though they were struggling like most families, no one ever went cold or hungry. James and Jane welcomed their sixth child, Emily, in 1852, followed by Samuel (Samson) in 1854, Jane in 1855, Robert in 1857 and Ellen in 1859. By the time of Ellen's birth, James and Jane?s lease reached its second stage ? their rent rose from 4/- to 7/- per acre per annum, as was agreed. Maori unrest was growing over illegal land sales and by 1858, James was being drilled and trained for military jury. This did not stop him from having built the framework of a new two-storey house (as described by their friend and neighbour, Robert Brookes).
Meanwhile, romance was blossoming ? Elizabeth Catherine was now a young woman of 16 years and on 30 April 1857 she married George Pope at Tataraimaka. After the wedding, the young couple continued to live on at the family farm. The Pope family had arrived in New Plymouth on the ship Timandra, in 1842 when George was nine years old. In 1859, George and Elizabeth Catherine welcomed their son, William. James and Jane?s first grandson was said to have been born at Bell Block and it was an event of great joy to both families.
In 1860 there was a sudden turn of events ? the call to arms, the building of redoubts,the arrival of a gunboat with British forces and the evacuations of outlying homes and farms. James? farm cart, which would more than likely have been used to transport women and children, was abandoned near Omata Redoubt as people flocked to New Plymouth for safety. During this turmoil, James and Jane?s daughter Ellen tragically died from water on the brain, aged only 14 months. She was buried on 22 March 1860 in Henui Cemetery, four days before the first battle at Waireka, where James was subsequently wounded in the leg. In April 1860, proclomations by the Military Authority were published in New Plymouth, which was then thought to be endangered. People were being urged to take necessary precautions and to be ready for evacuation to Port Cooper in Lyttleton, in case of attacks on New Plymouth by rebels. It is not known when James was discharged from hospital. Luckilu this did not happen but Jane, Elizabeth Catherine and their families were taken to Nelson for safety along with many other non-combatants. It is not known when James was disharged from hospital but he joined them in Nelson when he was fit enough to travel - it was here that he made his recovery from his wounds. James sent to his good friend, Robert Brookes, an inventory of possessions he left behind at Tataraimaka. James also asked Mr. Brookes to make out his claim for compensation and this is what Mr. Brooks wrote back:

"The house was burnt. It had been built about six years previously. It was built of posts fixed in the ground on which weatherboard was nailed, 32 ft by 12 ft, thatched roof, cob chimney. (James had intended to use it as a barn when the new house was completed). The frame of a new house was up and complete. The house was to be 20 ft by 20 ft and two storeys high. (Its value was estimated to be between 45-50 pounds and was put up by carpenter, James Corbett).
Three cows, which were good dairy cows, were in milk when James left New Plymouth. The young cattle were aged from 9-12 months old. James had ninety-six sheep brought to Omata from time to time from Tataraimaka. No one had heard or seen any stock with James? brand however Robert Brookes saw some of James? stock being caught by soldiers at Kaikiki. There were also three pigs ? two were large barrow pigs, fit for fattening for the winter, while one was a stip. The plough was an iron plough in good condition with a new skim cutter and cockscomb spare. The harrows were near new. The saws Robert Brookes valued at 5/- per foot. The saws were 19 ft, 17 ft, 16 ft, 16.5 ft ? a total of 28.5 ft:

28.5 ft @ 5/.7.2.6
Crosscut saws 1.0.0
Wedges and Butte 17.6
9.0.0
Climo?s cart was left by Mr J. Northcote on the flat above Weston?s Iron Store and was taken away. The turnips were a light crop, estimated by Brookes at 10 ton per acre. Potatoes were in about 2 acres, a moderate crop. Barley was in the stock, coming off 3 acres, a light crop. Oats came off 3 acres, it was in the stack. Brookes helped cart the oats and barley. The grass was English rye grass which Climo had been saving for his own use. It had been weighed. The fencing was new fencing lying in a heap. It was enough for fifteen chain. Brookes was told by Mr J. Pearce that it was burnt.
Fern would eventually spring up in consequence of the stock being ? and thistles would also eventually spread over the land. There was 100 chain of fencing damaged by cattle and the Maoris, estimated at 2/6 per chain. Mr Pearce saw the farm and stated the fencing was broken down in places.
The lease of about 200 acres from Mr. Cutfield was set at 4/- per acre for the first seven years, 7/- for the second period and 13/- for the third period. The rent due for the second period was probably not paid up since the war broke. About 145 acres was in grass and would be worth about 1 pound per acre."

Even though she had lost her home and her infant daughter Ellen, Jane was once again pregnant. It is thought that the new baby, Louisa Ellen, was born in Nelson but New Plymouth and the year 1860 have always been looked upon as her birthplace and year of birth (though it has never been officially registered).
James and Jane meanwhile had a decision to make - do they go home to Taranaki or stay in Marlborough? That they chose to move forward and not look back shows the courage and hardihood of those affected during those troubled times, which continued throughout the North Island for another four years. James must be given credit for deciding that the South Island was a safer place for his wife and family. He was given a medal for his part in the battle of Waireka.

Jane Climo gave birth to Elizabeth Catherine Climo (my 3rd great-grandmother) on 05 November 1841. Elizabeth Catherine's birth was a great event in the New Plymouth settlement and in the lives of James and Jane. Elizabeth Catherine was the first 'Pakeha' (European) baby born in Taranaki and tradition has it that the local Maori were so amazed at seeing a white-skinned baby that their chief bestowed upon her a plot of land. (Unfortunately, James was obliged to sell this land at a later date in order to feed and clothe his growing family).

Meanwhile, James was fast gaining knowledge and experience essential for survival. He learnt the arts of the Maori, their language, customs, foods and remedies; he learnt how to cross and ford rivers, how to provide fire and shelter; he learnt how to snare and shoot birds and waterfowl, how to fish and he also learnt the many uses of bush plants and timbers. His sole aim was to secure a plot of land and become a farmer, in accordance with the Company's promises but the Company's inability to buy land from the Maori and grant titles to land was an unsettling blow to all. Work in New Plymouth became harder to find as more emigrants were arriving - this prompted an exodus of settlers, some going as far away as Auckland, others as far away as South Australia. In 1842 James and Jane joined the exodus and headed north to Kawhia, where it is assumed that James continued to work on a chain gang. It is not known how long they stayed in Kawhia but as an old man, James would tell of a visit from the Governor William Hobson to Kawhia and how he had nursed a baby Elizabeth Catherine during his visit.

They stayed in Kawhia for a few years and Jane gave birth to their eldest son John in 1846. On their return trip to New Plymouth a short time later, they were shipwrecked at Kawhia Heads. They lost all their possesions, but managed to save their two children. James and Jane carried on on foot, carrying Elizabeth Catherine and John on their shoulders for 10 days, during which they forded rivers and lived off native foods. They were shown hospitality in most Maori villages but when they arrived at a Mission station, they were sent on their way again, without even being offered a cup of tea! James later claimed that they walked for 150 miles.

James and Jane's third child, James was born in New Plymouth in 1848 but sadly died shortly afterwards. By now, James was still landless but was an experienced bushman so he decided to try his luck in Auckland. Whilst James set off on foot, Jane and the children sailed on the coastal schooner, Ellen, on 15 January 1849. When the ship reached the Manakau Heads 5 days later, it hit a sandbank. The ship was initally in grave danger as water was breaking over the decks but she soon worked her way into deeper water, much to Jane's relief!! Another watery disaster avoided! Meanwhile, James found work at the Manakau Kauri Mills where he would stay for the next 3 years.

James and Jane's fourth child, Richard, was born in Auckland on 12 February 1849, and George followed the following year, with his birth being recorded as 12 August 1850. James had no trouble keeping his job as many men got caught up in the Californian Gold Rush. Meanwhile, in Taranaki some progress had been made towards land settlement and the Company was finally prepared to allocate sections to the original settlers. By 1852, James was walking back to Taranaki whilst it is assumed that Jane and the children travelled by boat. It had taken just over a decade but the Climo's finally had their piece of promised land - a 200 acre block of bush-covered land at Tataraimaka, 15km south-west of New Plymouth.