BIOGRAPHY
Jane Fraser, the youngest daughter of Duncan and Marjory Fraser was born at Wellington on 16 February 1848, being named after her mother's sister Jane, who had accompanied the family on the voyage to New Zealand on the Blenheim. Both Jane's and her sister Kate's birth were registered on the same date, 3 July 1848. Marjory's sister Jane was married by the Reverend J Mason at Wanganui on 7 February 1842 to Thomas Crosbie, shoemaker, which is perhaps the origin of the Crosby as a second name in later records.
In The Old Place Ralph Richardson wrote: "It has been recorded that Jane and her sister Kate, busy in the garden one day when the rest of the family were absent, were approached by a party of Maoris. In those days such native reconnoitring parties might be friendly or not but in either case they were always on the lookout for arms and ammunition. Jane told her sister to slip into the house and hide the rifles while she kept the Maoris outside as long as possible. The Maoris entered the house but soon went away taking nothing. The incident had its sequel in the evening when their father, Duncan Fraser, getting into bed, landed on a mass of disagreeably hard objects. Kate had hidden the weapons under the blankets."
In the early 1870s while visiting her sister Ann, she met James Richardson, a younger brother of Ann's husband Thomas. James was born in Hastings, Sussex, England, on 18 September 1835, the third son of Thomas and Delia Richardson. After arrival in New Zealand he attended William Finnimore's school in Wellington and later took up the building profession like his brother Thomas before him. At the age of nineteen he left for Melbourne with the intention of settling there, but returned to Wellington a short time later, starting up his own building business. He married Charlotte Waters on 22 August 1859, but their marriage was only relatively short, producing two daughters Annie and Beatrice, as Charlotte died on 23 February 1865. After the loss of his wife James decided to move north and had settled in the Marton area by 1866.
Jane and James were later married on 20 March 1871, and they moved into his home in Maunder Street, Marton which later became known as "The Old Place". Here their son Harold Hasting Richardson was born on 22 January 1872. Jane was delicate but she was able to bring up her son and also looked after her stepdaughter Beatrice.
James had joined the Marton Defence Volunteers shortly after his marriage and was appointed an ensign on 3 June 1871. On 28 October 1871 he was promoted acting Lieutenant of the Marton Rifle Volunteers. Although Marton was not directly involved with the Land Wars, there was always the threat and in 1886 redoubts were built in the vicinity Of St Stephen's Church.
Family life was cut short again for James as Jane died on 11 October 1886, at the young age of 38 years. James remained at "The Old Place" and was elected a borough councillor in 1892, a position he held until his death. For his last years he moved in with his son H H, as he was known, who lived in Bond Street. James died at Marton on 16 January 1905 and was buried beside Jane at the Fraser Family Cemetery at Parewanui.
Source: Pukehou: The Frasers of Lower Rangitikei, Ian Clapham, 1998.
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1848 - 1886 (38 years)
Has 6 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
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