ceyes on Family Tree Circles

George White Bennett was one of Wellington's first settlers, arriving from England on board the New Zealand Company ship Cuba on 3 January 1840. His future wife, Mary Jane Hebden, arrived just over a month later on board the Duke of Roxburgh. They married on the 20th of November that year.

Mary Jane Hebden was baptised on 11 December 1816, at Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire, England, the eldest child of Mary and William Hebden. Her father was, by family tradition, the squire of the village of Dacre Banks, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

George was born on 2nd March 1814 at Whickham, County Durham, England, one of six children of George Bennett and Ann White.

In 1852 George Bennett began what was to become a family tradition of lighthouse-keeping at Pencarrow. His wife, Mary Jane Bennett, took on the role after his death in 1855, while their youngest son, William Bennett, was an assistant keeper during the 1880s.

They were the first lighthouse keepers in New Zealand, and Mary Jane was the first and only woman lighthouse keeper.

Mary Jane's official biography
Pencarrow lighthouse beginnings
Mary Jane and children

Richard, his wife Mary, and son Henry migrated from Yorkshire to New Zealand on the "Gainsborough" in 1877, arriving in February 1878. Although their planned destination was the West Coast of the South Island they first appear in Wellington, based on research to date. Henry was my great-grandfather.

Robert Jillett, a whaler from Tasmania, came to New zealand c1837, working from Kapiti Island. Initially working for The Fraser brothers, he began his own station on the island in c1843. During this period he began his family with Etara Morere.

Thomas Windley and Sarah Ann (Oldknow) came to New Zealand c1862(when they were married) and 1866 (newspaper report on Thomas, and birth of child). They farmed in the Porirua area, north of Wellington, and the family have a school and a street named after them. Link Porirua locations

Before Thomas married Sarah Ann, he fathered Henry Gaskin to Julia Gaskin in c1857. I discovered this through an approach from a descendent of Henry, who contacted me via Genesreunited. Since then another distant relative has posted the record below, with the same information.
Tree link

I understand Henry married an Amilia Lowe b. 7 Jul 1855, Derbyshire, England, died 1945 in the same area. Henry died on 10/06/1944, also in Debyshire.