Irene BERKAHN

1906 - 1968  (61 years)

• Name	Irene BERKAHN
  Birth	24 Nov 1906	Wakarara, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Female
  Death	11 Jan 1968	Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand   [1, 4, 5]
  Burial	15 Jan 1968	Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand   [6]
  Person ID	I106	NZ Genealogy Project | BERKAHN Descendant
  Last Modified	28 Feb 2008

  
  

  Father	Christian August BERKAHN,   b. 26 Feb 1873, Jannerup, Thisted, Denmark d. 14 May 1942, Makotuku, Tararua, New Zealand (Age 69 years)
  Mother	Matilda Maria BECK [Tilder],   b. 27 Sep 1876, Takapau, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand d. 03 Jul 1952, Dannevirke, Tararua, New Zealand (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	28 Feb 1894	Waipawa, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand   [7, 8]
  Residence	From 1911 to 1952	Makotuku, Tararua, New Zealand   [9]
  Documents		Wedding-Berkahn-Beck-1894.pdf
  Album Photos		Christian and Matilda Berkahn
  Family ID	F80	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	David JONES [Jum],   b. 26 Feb 1903, Woodville, Tararua, New Zealand d. 14 Dec 1991, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand (Age 88 years)
  Marriage	21 Oct 1925	Makotuku, Tararua, New Zealand   [1, 10, 11]
  Children	+ 1. Desmond Stanley JONES [Des],   b. 05 Apr 1926, Woodville, Tararua, New Zealand d. 10 Mar 2018, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand (Age 91 years) + 2. Clarence David JONES [Clarrie],   b. 17 May 1927, Woodville, Tararua, New Zealand d. 13 Mar 1986, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand (Age 58 years)   3. Valerie Grace JONES [Val],   b. 18 Dec 1929, Woodville, Tararua, New Zealand d. 10 Jun 2016, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand (Age 86 years) + 4. Margaret Irene JONES,   b. 07 Sep 1931, Woodville, Tararua, New Zealand d. 23 Nov 2021, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand (Age 90 years)
  Family ID	F60	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	10 Sep 2024

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 24 Nov 1906 - Wakarara, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand Marriage - 21 Oct 1925 - Makotuku, Tararua, New Zealand Death - 11 Jan 1968 - Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand Burial - 15 Jan 1968 - Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  
  

  Documents

  Birth Registration I Berkahn 1906

  
  

  Headstones

  Headstone - David and Irene Jones; Jack and Val Kennedy. In loving memory of Irene, loved wife of David Jones, passed away 11th Jan 1968 aged 61 years; David, loved husband of Irene Jones, passed away 14th Dec 1991 aged 88 years. KENNEDY. In loving memory of John (Jack), 19 February 1929 - 2 March 1980; Valerie Grace, 18 December 1929 - 10 June 2016. Plot: Area in Cemetery Q, Cemetery Block 009, Plot Location 089

  
  

  Album Photos » Slide Show

  
  

  Albums		Berkahn, Christian and Matilda (9) Photos of Christian August BERKAHN (1873-1942), his wife Matilda Maria BECK and their children.
  		Jones, David and Irene (5) Photos of Irene BERKAHN (1906-1968), her husband David JONES (1903-1991) and their children.

  
  

• Notes

  BIOGRAPHY Irene Berkahn, the fifth daughter of Chris Berkahn and Matilda Beck, was born in 1906 at Wakarara (west of Waipawa). She attended Makotuku School near Norsewood where her parents settled and farmed. Irene worked as a maid and cook in a home near Woodville after leaving school. This was where she met her future husband, David Jones, who delivered mail from the Woodville Post Office. David also played rugby with Irene's older brother Francis and their team, the Woodville Seniors. Irene married David Jones in 1925 at Makotuku near Norsewood. David obtained work at the Woodville Dairy Factory where he became butter maker. David and Irene had four children while living at Woodville: Desmond, born 1926; Clarence, born 1927; Valerie, born 1929; and Margaret, born 1931. In 1931 the Jones family moved from Woodville to Rangiwahia when David was appointed manager of the Rangiwahia butter factory. The family lived in the factory manager's house beside the factory. Irene was a skilled dressmaker and made clothes for her children. Other Rangiwahia mothers saw the children wearing their new clothes and asked Irene to make clothes for their children. The family had an automobile which allowed visits to grandparents in Woodville and Norsewood. Irene was a member of the Country Women's Institute. The children attended Rangiwahia School and both Desmond and Clarence worked in the dairy factory when they left school. Desmond was butter maker at the factory in 1955. About 1950 Irene developed rheumatoid arthritis which gave her severe pain and limited her mobility. She undertook a year's treatment at Rotorua Hospital, including injections with ACTH and cortisone, but this did not improve her condition. Irene was restricted to a wheelchair when she returned from Rotorua and the District Nurse visited to assist with bathing. In 1955 David and Irene moved to Gloucester Street in Palmerston North where David had built a house and shed. The shed was used as a factory for a knitwear business. Both Desmond and Clarance also moved to Palmerston North after having a house built, in Gloucester Street and Liverpool Street respectively. The knitwear business was managed by David, employed family members (Desmond, his wife Phyllis, and Clarence) plus two married women who lived in Gloucester Street and a traveller who sold the factory's clothing to retailers. Margaret, who married Graham Wallace in 1955, visited every day to do the housekeeping for her parents and cook a mid-day meal. Irene died 11th January 1968 in Palmerston North Hospital and was buried in Kelvin Grove Cemetery, Palmerston North. David retired in 1970, closing the knitwear business. He died in 1991 in Palmerston North and was buried with Irene. Source: Margaret Wallace, 2019.

  
  

• Sources

  [S76] Margaret Wallace, Wallace Family Details, (April 2002). [S2] New Zealand Registrar-General's Office, NZ Register of Births - Indexes. Irene BERKAHN 1907 #473 [S1] New Zealand Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages, NZ Birth Certificate. Births in the Registration District of Waipawa. Born 24 Nov 1906 in Wakarara. Name: Irene, female. Father: Christian August Berkahn, Farmer, 33 years, born Denmark. Married 28 Feb 1894 in Waipawa. Mother: Matilda Berkahn, formerly Beck, 32 years, born Takapau. Informant: Christian August Berkahn, Farmer, Wakarara [S10] New Zealand Registrar-General's Office, NZ Register of Deaths - Indexes. Irene Jones, 61, palmerston North, 1968 #1009 [S9] Death Notice. DEATH. JONES, Irene. - On January 11, 1968 at Palmerston North, dearly loved wife of David Jones, of 15 Gloucester Street, Palmerston North, and loved mother of Desmond and Clarance (Palmerston North), Valerie (Mrs J Kennedy, Masterton) and Margaret (Mrs G Wallace, Palmerston North). Service at All Saints Church, Palmerston North, on Monday January 15, at 1.30 pm, thence to the Lawn Cemetery, Kelvin Grove. - (Thos. Griggs and Sin Ltd). JONES, Irene. - In loving memory of our dear mother and grandma, who passed away January 11, 1968. "Softly the leaves of memory fall, Gently we gather them all." [Inserted by Margaret, Graham and family.] JONES - Irene. - In loving memory of dear mother who passed away on January 11, 1968. "Close to our hearts she will always stay, Loved and remembered every day." [Inserted by her loving daughter Valerie, Jack and Steven.] [S80] Palmerston North Cemetery & Cremation Database, (Palmerston North City Council), none. Surname JONES; First Names IRENE; Gender F; Occupation MARRIED; Address 15 GLOUCESTER STREET; Age at Death 61Y; Date of Death 11/01/1968; Date of Internment 15/01/1968; Cemetery Kelvin Grove Cemetery; Area in Cemetery Q; Cemetery Block 009; Plot Number 087; Plot Type Grave; Plot Purchaser MR A JONES; Funeral Director GRIGGS; Notes LAWN. [S36] Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages New Zealand, NZ Death Registration. [S129] Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages New Zealand, NZ Marriage Certificate. Marriages in the district of Waipawa. Married 28 Feb 1894 in office of the Registrar, Waipawa. GROOM: Christian August Berkahn, 21 years, farmer, bachelor, born Denmark, residence Whakarara. Father: Fra??z Berkahn, farmer. Mother: Mary Berkahn nee Painlsen??. BRIDE: Tilder Beck, 18 years, spinster, born Takapau, residence Whakarara. Father: Mathias Peterson Beck, stockman. Mother: Anna Maria Beck, nee Ansen. Married by Registrar in presence of Teresa Mary Shomby, Waipawa, dressmakers and Francis Joseph Shomby, Waipawa, coachbuilder. [S604] Diane Wilson, NZ 1911 Electoral Roll, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc., 2010). [S86] New Zealand Registrar-General's Office, NZ Register of Marrages - Indexes. David JONES and Irene BERKAHN 1925 #9731 [S84] [email removed for privacy], RootsWeb: Genealogy - A Never Ending Quest, ( RootsWeb, 22 Apr 2002 ), none.