Chapter 19: 

Carew Thomas Elers (1861-1933)

3 generations between Carew Thomas Elers and James Rupuha Elers

The lives of Carew Thomas Elers and Meri Whakamairu

There have been several different opinions bandied around in different genealogy sites about the birth date and the place of birth for Carew. Allow me to present the correct information once and for all:

• The birth of Carew occurred on 16 December 1861 at Over Whitacre, Warwickshire, as was recorded in the Birmingham Gazette on Saturday 28 December 1861, on page 7. The birth notice in that paper read “on the 16th inst, at Over Whitacre, the wife of Carew Elers esq, barrister-at-law, of a son.”

• In addition, below is the Bickenhill Parish register record, testifying to the same date. An important factor here is that he was born at Over Whitacre  and that the family lived in that town as recorded in the “Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant” column.

• The final piece of evidence is Carew’s statement that he was born in Over Whitacre, was when he recorded that on the birth certificate of his daughter Mary (later in this chapter).

• Carew was the fourth child (of six) and second son of Carew Thomas Elers (1829-1870) and his wife Sarah (Field) Elers (1838-1868). He was the heir because his older brother Carew (1856-1857), had died at the age of only 1 year and 9 months.

• Both of Carew’s parents had passed away by the time he reached the age of nine so life may have been difficult for him.

• Carew’s schooling after his parents’ deaths, has always believed to have been at Charter House. This understanding has been passed down to us via our elders here in New Zealand. However Steve Elers uncovered a record of all scholars at Charter House during the period 1800 to 1879, and Carew’s name does not appear (that document appears below).

From Steve Elers - 3 May 2023:

It seems he didn't go to Charter House. Those who go to Charter House are called Carthusians (because the school was "originally founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charterhouse Square, Smithfield, London").

Here is a list of every Carthusian between 1800-1879:

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/List_of_Carthusians,_1800%E2%80%931879

Within the above link, here is a list of every Carthusian between 1800-1879 with a surname starting with E:

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/List_of_Carthusians,_1800%E2%80%931879/E

There's no Elers at all, unfortunately. 

• Instead, it was found that he attended Christ’s Hospital (note the C.H. in both Charter House and Christ’s Hospital). He was educated there from 18 May 1870 to 19 July 1877. Correspondence from Christ’s Hospital below:

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: CH Museum <CHMuseum@christs-hospital.org.uk>

Date: Fri, 5 May 2023, 7:50 am

Subject: Re: Christ's hospital enquiry Carew Thomas Elers

To: Steve Elers <steve.elers@gmail.com>

Dear Steve

Further to your enquiry, and my holding reply of 2 May, I have now completed my research and found the following details from our records unless stated. I much regret that we have no photographs featuring Carew Elers. He is the only pupil with this surname to have attended Christ's Hospital.

Carew Thomas Elers was born 16 December 1861, baptised 27 February 1862,  the son of Carew Thomas Elers (same name) and his wife Sarah Elers. The parents were married in the parish of Leamington Priors (now Leamington Spa), Warwickshire on 8 April 1855. Carew Thomas Elers of full age, bachelor, a barrister from Birmingham married Sarah Field, a minor, spinster, from I think Newbold Street, Leamington (the handwriting is obscure). Carew's father was a clergyman, also with the name Carew Thomas Elers. Sarah's father was a farmer, William Field. The boy as below was born at Over Whitacre, Coleshill, Warwickshire.

The application for a place at Christ's Hospital for Carew Thomas Elers was made in April 1870 by his uncle, Walter Waring Elers of Bickenhill Lodge, Leamington, in the parish of Milverton. He reported as petitioner that 'the petitioner is the brother of the late Carew Thomas Elers, barrister-in-law; that the said Carew Thomas Elers was married in the year 1855 to Sarah Field and died on the 12th day of January last (i.e. in 1870) leaving four orphan children, two boys and two girls, the eldest a girl aged 12 years. That his wife died in the month of August 1868. That he was entirely dependent upon his professional earnings which were insufficient to do more than maintain him and his children. That, consequently, they are now totally unprovided for and that the petitioner and the other relations of the said children are too poor to maintain and educate them, and there are no funds available thereto'.

Carew Thomas Elers was admitted to Christ's Hospital on 18 May 1870. Information about the school is available on the website www.christs-hospital.org.uk  .It is a charitable boarding foundation, accepting especially children of families in social, financial or other need, with at this date no fees whatever for maintenance, uniform or education. Carew was presented to Christ's Hospital by the Donation Governor William Latham Esq, one of many benefactors of the school who would not necessarily have known the family personally.

Carew would have started at the preparatory school at Hertford before transfer at about the age of 12 to the senior school at Newgate Street in the City of London. Neither site remains, the boys having been moved to new buildings near Horsham in Sussex in 1902. He left school on 19 July 1877, returning to his uncle, Mr Walter Waring Elers of 35 Alma Street, Kentish Town 'on behalf of the youth's grandmother and guardian, Mrs Sarah Elers, widow, of Bickenhill Lodge, Leamington, he being provided with a clerkship at Messrs Allsopp, Brewers of Burton-on-Trent'.

No other children in this family attended Christ's Hospital. 

Kind regards

Clifford Jones

Old Blue and museum volunteer

Christ’s Hospital

chmuseum@christs-hospital.org.uk

• The table above is the 1871 Census conducted at Christ’s Hospital. Carew’s name is number 10 of the 25 children registered in that Census.

• Three years after leaving school, and at the age of 19, Carew made the decision to leave England. It is open to conjecture how he came to this decision, but he is mentioned in New Zealand historical records that he entered the country as a “Remittance Man”.

https://genealogyjourno.wordpress.com/remittance-men-in-new-zealand/

• A remittance man was a man who was sent to live abroad and supported by regular payments from his family. Typically a man of good family or position, who was disgraced and sent abroad by his family. He was expected to remain abroad in exchange for the payments. The term was used to describe men who were considered undesirable at home, such as those who were addicted to gambling or drink, or who were underachieving.

• Later in this chapter, Carew appeared in a NZ court where he was referred to as a remittance man and who had just received a large amount of money from overseas.

• In the link above from “Hunting Kiwis” by Helen Leggatt, Carew is recorded as such a man.

• Whether Carew intended from the outset to bypass Australia and head for New Zealand is not known, but travelling in the steerage class, he left from Plymouth, England on 17 April 1880 on board the ship Cotopaxi.

• Our late Aunty Tangi Maaka related to me that a William Bamfield, an acquaintance of Carew also signed on for the voyage. Interestingly, the name Bampfylde appears in the Carew family history – Bampfylde Moore Carew (1690-1758) was an English rogue and imposter, who claimed to be King of the Beggars (from Wikipedia) and is the subject of the book titled “The Life and Adventures of Bampfylde-Moore Carew.” Whether Carew and William were friends is open to conjecture, as no mention of William Bamfield is made in any NZ historical record apart from the passenger list (presumably he disembarked in Australia leaving Carew to continue on to NZ alone). Returning to the Tangi Maaka narrative: Carew had removed his name from the passenger list at a very late stage because his travelling companion had not turned up at the vessel. However he arrived in the nick of time to board, so Carew’s name was reinstated on the list.

• On the passenger list document, the Master (captain Robert Studdert) signed the statement “I hereby certify that the provisions actually laden on board this ship are sufficient, according to the requirements of the Passengers’ Act, for 225 Statute Adults, for a voyage of 90 days”

• The ship arrived in Sydney, Australia, on 1 June 1880. I have adapted the table below to just show the portion where Carew has landed in Sydney. In the expanded version, William Bamfield is similarly accounted for. Interestingly, in 1881, five other Bamfields emigrated to Australia – possibly relatives of William following him?

• The Sydney Morning Herald printed the following report the morning after the arrival of the Cotopaxi in Sydney: “The ship is a strong built and well-finished craft, and her voyage throughout gives unmistakeable proof that she is able to travel very fast. Captain Studdert appears to have established himself in the good favour of his passengers, for at Adelaide they presented him with a complimentary address and some plate. The voyage has been accomplished in round numbers within 38 days from Plymouth to Adelaide, within 40 days to Melbourne, and within 43 to Sydney. During the voyage three deaths occurred – a male and a sixteen year old girl died from consumption, and a woman died from erysipelas. The deceased were all buried at sea with the usual ceremony.”

• Within four days of leaving Plymouth, the Cotopaxi stopped to offer assistance to the steamer Santo which had lost her propellor. On the 8th May the Cotopaxi reached Capetown, South Africa. She then traversed the southern ocean and arrived in Adelaide on 25 May.

• At the time of writing this book, I have been unable to find the name of the ship on which Carew left Australia to come to New Zealand. 

• On arrival in NZ, Carew and Puti (Nau) Paraone begat a child, Manini circa 1880-1881.

• The question of whether Carew was in fact the father of Manini, is somewhat contentious in the opinions of some outside of the Elers family. However there has been no doubt whatsoever expressed by some within the Elers family that it is an indisputable fact. Reverend Doctor Roger Maaka has had that fact passed down to him from his mother and likewise Uncle Pani Himona made similar comments to me learned from his upbringing. Rev Maaka is also in the social circles of some of Manini’s descendants and they are also of the same understanding. There are also several family trees in genealogy websites that show Carew being Manini’s father, so it is obviously a widely-held understanding among people interested enough to research their family trees.

• Despite several attempts to persuade some of Manini’s descendants to do a dna test, the answer has been to the negative. That is ok, we accept peoples’ right to privacy.

• Soon after the birth of Manini, Carew met his future wife Meri Whakamairu, daughter of Ihaia Whakamairu and Irihapeti (Te Korou) Whakamairu.

• Meri was born on 13 September 1856 as witnessed in Irihapeti Te Korou’s Bible.

• Confusion has been created by the insertion of “1862” at the top right above “1856”. However to clarify this matter, the birth record for the first child (Mary), born to Carew and Meri, states that Meri was 27 years old at the time of that birth, and Mary was born in 1883 (see this birth record later in this chapter). So I have recorded 1856 to be the correct birth date for Meri.

• Prior to marrying Carew, Meri had had a child Meri Keri Iorns (1877-1918) with Joseph Iorns (1851-1938).

• She also had five children during her marriage with Alexander Dallas Cowan (1847-1881). 

• Those children were named Meri Ihaia Te Hopu Cowan (1874-1890), Hamuera Cowan (1876-1895), Charles Cowan (1878-unknown), Pita Cowan (1879-1913), and Pine Cowan (1881 – unknown).

• Carew and Meri were married in Masterton on 13 September 1882 (again, see the birth certificate of their daughter Mary for reference to this date).

• On December 14 1881, Carew had made application for assistance in teaching the Māori of Te Oreore (see the link below). He wished to occupy the post of schoolmaster. He was seeking books and other necessary things to impart to the Māori a sound education. He explained he was educated at Christ’s Hospital London and that he had received a sound education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. 

Download the letter by Carew to be a school master at Te Ore Ore here.

• In March 1898, Carew embarked on a journey to the Yukon goldfields in Canada along with his step-son Peter Cowan and brother-in-law Ropata Manihera (who was married to Meri’s sister Taraipine). The following is an excerpt of a book written by Roger Maaka about that journey:

George’s Journey to the Gold rush

This is a story about our tipuna Carew Thomas (George) Elers as told to me, Roger Carew Aritaku Maaka, his great grandson. Most of the whānau will be aware that my mother, Matangihau, was raised by her grandparents Meri and George, she regarded them as her parents and one of the many stories that Mum shared about her ‘Dad’ was his adventures on the goldfields in a place called the Klondike. Tony knew I had researched George’s journey and so he asked me to write an account for the whānau reunion booklet. Because of the restrictions of space I have had to leave out a lot of detail, including referencing my sources or producing the Māori versions of Ropata Manihera’s letters. Although this is an abridged account I wanted to include enough detail for everyone to get a feel for the sense of adventure and what a remarkable journey this was. However, before recounting his adventures, here is a short account of the various names by which Carew Thomas Elers was known. 

What’s in a name?

We all know that Elers was a registered surname, however in some records especially the Wairarapa Daily Times, Elers is often misspelt ‘Ellers’. Carew Thomas was most commonly known as George. I do not know when or why Carew became known as George, possibly Carew was too English and he wanted to merge in with the local settler population and called himself George. As a Native Agent he was known as C. T. Elers but he is listed as George Elers on the electoral roll. In Māori writing ‘George Elers’ is rendered ‘Te Oti Arete’.To add to all of this Mum told me that our whanaunga called him ‘Hore Papa’, ‘Old Baldy’ in reference to his bald head - in a bush accident George was scalped by a falling tree and lost all the hair from the top of his head. In this story I refer to him as George.

Finding out about the Klondike

As a boy living in Takapau, Klondike was as remote to me  - and I suspect to Mum - as the moon, in spite of this sense of remoteness or maybe because of it, the story remained vivid in my memory and in 1995 I took the opportunity to visit the Yukon, which is a Territory in Arctic Canada, north of British Columbia, and east of Alaska. I stayed in Whitehorse (the capital) where I was billeted at the home of Linda Johnston, head of the Yukon archives, and through Linda I had open access to the archives and met a number of historians of the gold rush and through them attended a conference at Dawson City entitled ‘Life on the River’. The conference consisted mainly of Yukon-based historians, government employees and local kaumatua. 

On my return home I found out that a colleague of mine, Margaret Orbell, had been working on some letters written in Māori by Ropata Manihera, of Papawai [Ropata also known variously as Heketa, as Pou and as Klondike, was married to Taraipine, Meri’s older sister] about his adventurous journey to the gold rush. When I followed up on these in Masterton I found out that Great Grandfather George had also written letters back to the newspapers in Masterton as had two others from Masterton, Dr Archer Hoskins and Mr Kibblewhite. From the letters I knew that the party had travelled on the ship the SS Otway to Vancouver via Hawaii. So when I was in Hawaii I visited the archives there and found not only the shipping details but also newspaper articles about the passengers from the Otway. Over this period of time I have made my own collection of books on the Klondike and now I am reasonably well informed about the gold rush. 

The Yukon goldrush

In 1896 large deposits of gold were discovered at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers. The river was called Thron-Duick in one of the local languages. The name became corrupted to Klondike (and also spelt Clondyke or Klondyke). Only a few prospectors knew about the gold at first and the world found out in June 1897 when two ships SS Excelsior and SS Portland docked at Seattle with a ton and half of gold, worth $1,550,000.00, on board, triggering off the largest goldrush in history. The mad scramble of people to the Yukon became known as the ‘Stampede’, and the people who joined the Stampede were known variously as; Stampeders, Klondikers, Yukoners or Argonauts.

Now on with the story! 

To go to the goldfields was a major decision; George was 36 with five children all under the age of 12, Peter Cowan his step-son, was 19 and probably had never travelled outside of the Wairarapa, and his brother-in-law, Ropata Manihera who was older than George and most probably had not travelled much outside of the Wairarapa either. Then there was the cost, chasing their fortune on the other side of the world (according to Google, the Yukon is 7,652kms from Masterton), was an expensive business and they clearly did not have much money as they struggled to make ends meet the whole time. Last, but no means least there were the risks: leaky boats, freezing temperatures, impossible terrain, gangs of armed criminals as well as con-men and women who fleeced gold prospectors mercilessly. 

So what made these three guys from the Wairarapa undertake such an improbable venture? We do not really know, Ropata is reported to have been connected to some gold prospecting in the Tararua ranges and there are some curious tales about searching for gold in the Wairarapa. Other than that they had no experience of gold prospecting and like thousands of others they had no idea where the Yukon was or how to get there. The answer has to be the sense of high adventure and a chance of a fortune - they had obviously caught gold-fever. 

From Masterton to Skagway

George and the others departed Auckland aboard the SS Otway, on the 14th of March 1898. From Auckland they travelled to Honolulu, a voyage that took fourteen days. In a letter home Ropata complained how slow the ship was and George also writing home complained how they were treated:

“I must first tell you upon our leaving Auckland we were treated like dogs on board the vessel. We were stinted in rations, and what we had was not half-cooked. We put up with it for a while, until I performed to one of the stewards about it, and the rest of the passengers joined in, and we had fair rations the last three days of the voyage.(GE 18.4. 1898)”

In Honolulu the men from the Otway made a name for themselves by partying hard and playing a game of rugby. It was a notable game as it was reported to be the first game of rugby played in Hawaii, it attracted a crowd of over 400 people and Prince Cupid of the Hawaiian royal family, played in the game. The Hawaiian team won the game, four tries and a conversion to three tries and George, scored one of the tries, however in his letter home he wasn’t that enthusiastic about the game, ‘We played a match at Honolulu with their football team, but being a little stiff we did not make a great show (GE 18.4.1898).’

Leaving Hawaii on the 31st of March the SS Otway made very slow progress arriving in Vancouver on the 10th of April. George describes their time in Vancouver and the journey to Skagway:

“…we sailed for Vancouver, and there we got outfits and six months provisions each. I struck first blood there, and earned £15-0-0 in forty eight hours as commission on sale of outfits. I was auctioneering a little on board and made £3, so that was £18 altogether on top of what I had. Our outfits average about £35 per man. (GE 18.4.98)” 

The Otway was not insured so it could not go on from Vancouver so George and party changed their tickets to sail on the SS Ningchow. George writes;

“Well we arrived at Fort Wragnell, a small place the same size as Taueru, but there are about fourteen saloons there. Some of the wealthy passengers went ashore for a constitutional before breakfast, and the Yankees got hold of them. Three of them were covered with revolvers and had £600 taken from them. There are no police here, no law at all, so our party (New Zealand), except Peter Cowan, started after the gang with our shooters, but we could not find them, they got away to the bush. We are now moving on to our last port, Skagway [a port in Alaska which was the gateway to the Klondike]. We hear this place is worse than Wragnell for cut-throats and thieves. A man named Soapy Sam has about fifty desperadoes with him, and they stick the miners up, [Jefferson Randolf “Soapy” Smith, was a con-man and crook who eventually ended up getting shot by a vigilante named Frank Reid on the wharf at Juneau] but if you can get out of US territory and on to Canadian you are safe, as the police are there, etc. We do not hear anything about the gold: But I am off tomorrow with the Akura lot across the snow to find out.” (GE)

They finally arrived in Skagway and Ropata wrote home to his wife Taraipine (Pine). This is a translated excerpt from his letter.

“Last Tuesday our steamer reached this town. From here we’ll be going on by land, along with 150 other men. Today we loaded our food on to our horses, but we didn’t get together. Tomorrow we’ll all meet up and start off; there’ll be 100 packhorses. The horses will only carry our things as far as the Summit; it’s so expensive that they won’t go right on to Lake Bennett. The charge from here to the Summit is four pence a pound, whereas from here to Lake Bennett it’s eight pence. Well we couldn’t afford that, so at the Summit we’ll start pulling sledges. But all the way to Lake Bennett we’ll be going downhill. Once we get to the lake we’ll start building a boat.

Pine, you have to pay unbelievable prices for things brought in here—you pay for the steamer, the cartage by land, the wharves, the duty. You never stop paying. The best thing to do is not to buy things, but get here first and then buy everything here. That way it’s less trouble. There were lots of things we didn’t have when we got here, and since the ground is all covered in snow it was quite easy pulling the sledges. "(RM 21.4.1898)

Excerpts from these two letters give us some insight of what they faced. From Skagway they had to take a year’s worth of supplies by packhorses through the White Pass to the goldfields. There is not sufficient space here to describe how difficult this passage was, -  just to give you some idea - from Skagway, at sea level, the land rose 2,800 feet in 20 miles to White Pass which included ‘Dead Horse Gulch’ where more than 5,000 packhorses died. At the summit the prospectors crossed the border from the USA to Canada and had to register with the North West, Royal Mounted Police. George and party registered as: ‘Geo Elers, Peter Cowan, R. Manihera N. Zeal, 623’. 

From the summit people and goods were sled down to Lake Bennett, a boat building town where, ‘During the winter 1897-98, 20,000 people built 7,000 boats’. From there they had to travel 60 miles east down the Yukon river to Fort Dawson. To do this they had to build their own boats, the details are sketchy but with Hoskins and the others from Wairarapa two boats were built, the ‘Huia’ and the ‘Pakeha’, and the entry on that register is ‘Jun 3 1898, Elers, C., Masterton, NZ; Boat 541’.

It was at this stage they were joined by Iriatara Kingi (Isaac King) a cousin of Ropata’s from Papawai. There is no record of how he got there but he had been swindled out of all of his money and was looking to join up with his whanaunga. The weather turned on them and they stayed three days at Lake Tagish, finally reaching Dawson City on the 10th of June.

The goldfields

The only record of their exploits on the goldfields comes from Ropata and a summary of a letter from George that was published in the Wairarapa Daily Times, 6 September 1898.

Ropata wrote:

Pine, there’s lots of gold coming out from here, and lots of Pakeha on their way back. Some got it and some didn’t, and some are coming out because they’re hungry—they’re fetching food, then going back in again. Many people have come out because they’ve used up their money. They couldn’t manage to pay the duty.

There’s been gold found right here, on the roads we’ll be going over. Some Pakeha who can’t buy the proper gear have stopped and worked here. So far they haven’t got much. Yet the entire river in this town has gold. It has all been staked out by the Pakeha, right up to its headwaters (RM 21.4.98).

George’s letter:

A letter received from Mr G. Ellers … states that they have just returned from prospecting for gold on the Indian river, but their efforts were unsuccessful.... At present Ellers and his party are going to Dawson city to look for work. They have very little money and only sufficient provisions to last four or five months. They cannot do any more prospecting until they can earn money to buy provisions with. Ellers states that he has walked over 280 miles with his swag on his back prospecting…Ellers concludes his letter by hoping that their search for work will be successful, otherwise, when their supply of provisions is exhausted, he does not know what they will do (Wairarapa Daily Times 6.11.1898).

The Return Home

Not long after he wrote that letter George must have decided to leave, and he and Peter started on the return journey home. Ropata on the other hand decided to stay, and from the tone in his letter, dated 30 September, he was not pleased with George for leaving:

Kua hoki noa atu a Teoti rāua ko Pita, ko au anake tēnei, e ki ana te whakatauki a ētahi o o tātau tipuna, ‘E kore e hoki i te waewae tutuki, ma te upoko pakaru e whakahoki’.

George and Peter have gone back and I am on my own, repeating to myself the saying of our ancestors, ‘You don’t turn back just because you stumble, it takes a broken head to make you give up (RM 30.11.1898)

Ropata and Iriatara stayed on in the goldfields for some time but by accounts from others they did it really hard and barely managed to survive. Eventually they found their way to California and were still there in 1905, their arrival back in the Wairarapa is not recorded. 

George explained to Mum that he wanted to leave before he became completely penniless and had to appeal to the New Zealand government for assistance. He and Peter hitched a ride on a boat belonging to two cowboys, who were engaged in the illegal trading of sugar to the local Indian people along the way. They eventually arrived back in Vancouver where they managed to get jobs on board a ship to pay their way back home. George worked as a stoker and Peter as a cabin boy. They eventually made it home on 14th November 1898, and a short notice in the Wairarapa Daily Times next day announced:

Messrs George Elers and Peter Cowan returned to Masterton last night from Klondyke. They are in good health but altogether ‘failed to strike it rich’. 

A very inauspicious note on which to end what must have been an adventure of a lifetime.  In his letters George understated his adventures whereas Ropata seem to be more of a storyteller although he also did not convey the real dangers they faced, maybe they did not want to have people at home worry about them. However, later in life they must have dined out on their experiences, Mum recalls there was a photo of George and one other dressed in what she described as Eskimo clothes and of course he recalled his adventures often enough for Mum to remember them and pass the stories on to me. Also whenever the Wairarapa Daily Times published an article about George, his journey to the Yukon gets a mention, it was even included in his obituary. When I was telling Aunty Beana (Tarapine) Gillies from Carterton about her grandfather Ropata Manihera and his adventures in the Yukon, she remarked, “As a girl I always wondered why he was called Klondike,” Ropata obviously talked about his adventures often enough to get a nickname. 

Unfortunately for us – hey, we might have been a rich whānau – our tipuna, like the vast majority of the ‘Stampeders’, never struck the bonanza. 

Heoi anō ra, e te whānau, kua mutu te kōrero maumahara a to tātau tipuna, a Hore Papa, tuku atu te pakiwaitara nei ki a tātau uri, mokopuna, nā rātau tēnei kōrero.

Tēnā tātau i roto i ngā manaakitanga a te Atua,

Roger

• Carew operated his business as a Native Agent in Queen Street, Masterton as witnessed by the following advertisement from the Wairarapa Age, volume XXX11, Issue 10142, on 13 Dec 1910, page 3.

• His office was situated “upstairs, buildings opposite J.L. Murray’s”

• According to the 1905-06 electoral roll, Carew and Meri were living in Hardinge Road Napier. An assumption could be made that they had moved north from Masterton due to the pregnancy of their daughter Elizabeth Matangihau who bore a son (James Rupuha Elers) to George Henry (Harry) Waite – see details of that birth further on. Carew is listed  as working as a surveyor’s assistant.

• The 1908 Electoral Roll shows they were back in Masterton and living at 12 Sussex Street.

• Carew and Meri later lived at 127 Bideford Road, Te Oreore. In his will he stated “I give devise and bequeath my interest in Ahitainga no.1, no.7A” to his wife Meri (see his will later in this chapter).

• In the document below, it appears that Meri, (the alienor, i.e. one who transfers property to another), is transferring the property title at Bideford Road to Carew (the alienee, i.e. one who is being granted a property transfer).

• Another ten acres sale of land by Meri appeared in the Wairarapa Daily Times on 19 May 1900, volume XV1, issue 6555, page 4, column 3:

• In July 1914 Carew took alleged grievances to Parliament on behalf of the Porangahau land owners associated with the Mangamaire Block. The following article was published in the Wairarapa Age, volume XXX!!, issue 10142, on 13 December 1910, on page 3:

REPRESENTATIONS TO PARLIAMENT.

Mr C.T.Elers, native agent, of Masterton, visited Wellington this week and interviewed members of the House of Representatives regarding certain alleged grievances on the part of natives. He pointed out that the Government had purchased land in the Mangamaire Block, at Porangahau from the native owners, at from 5 pounds to 7 pounds per acre, when a private individual was offering 9 pounds per acre for it and could not purchase, as the Government had decided to take the land. This purchase, he stated, had not to be confirmed by the Ikaroa Land Board, but the natives had simply to sign a transfer and obtain their cheques. Mr Elers pointed out, further, that the same tribe of natives – the Hawera tribe – were refused a confirmation of transfer when they applied to the Native Land Board in respect to other properties, because they were supposed to be landless. In two instances the natives were owing moneys on homes purchased from Europeans, to enable them to live away from the native pah. This was explained to the judge, who insisted upon the proceeds of the sale being handed to the Public Trustee at four per cent. Mr Elers alleges that the mortgagees will now close upon the homes of the natives, and they will be turned on the road like gypsies.

• There were several instances during Carew’s lifetime in New Zealand, that he had court cases filed against him. Some of these can be seen in the “Footnotes” at the conclusion of this chapter. With the approval of Roger Maaka I include them on the proviso that they are as reported in reputable newspapers and not in gossip editions. Roger expressed his opinion to me that we should not be “precious” in preserving the memory of Carew. Rather his story should be told in full.

• Meri pre-deceased Carew when she died on 22 June 1930, aged 75.

• In the same edition of the Wairarapa Daily Times, Carew posted the following obituary to his wife:

• Carew posted the following In Memoriam notice in the Wairarapa Daily Times on 1 August 1931, a full 40 days after the I year anniversary of her death. His words reflect those of a man who has had a year to reflect on his life and has concluded that he has lived the latter years of his life in a manner that maybe he let Meri down. He talks about having failed, and that his life was weary and lone. Had the relationship soured in later life due to his behaviour as outlined in his court cases? Why was Meri buried in the same plot as her daughter, rather than have a plot reserved for herself and her husband? It is conjecture only, but maybe she departed this earth involved in an unhappy marriage.

• Meri was buried at Archer Street Cemetery, Masterton. Her grave is located in site plan 11, plot no. ME, site name row 9. She is buried in the same plot as her daughter Ethel Louisa (Elers) Donaldson.

• Meri’s mother Irihapeti Whakamairu (nee Te Korou) is also buried at Archer Street Cemetery. She died on 18th or 19th August 1891, aged about 70 years, of a paralytic stroke.                 

• The passing of Carew Thomas Elers was reported in the following obituary in the Wairarapa Daily Times on 5 July 1933.        

OBITUARY

MR C.T. ELERS

Mr Carew Thomas Elers, a familiar figure in Masterton and district for the past 44 years, was found dead in bed shortly before 9 o’clock this morning, in his home at Te Oreore. The discovery was made by a grand-daughter on going to his bedroom to call him for breakfast. Dr. N.H.Prior was called, but on arrival could only pronounce life extinct.

It appears that the late Mr Elers, when retiring to bed last night, complained of pains in his chest, but thought it was only a touch of indigestion.

Born at Stratford-On-Avon, England, 72 years ago, the late Mr Elers was the son of an English County Judge. He came out to New Zealand at the age of 17 years, landing at Wellington. For a few years he was engaged in farming on a property in the Kaitoke district. At 28 years of age he came on to Masterton, and resided here since then up to the time of his death, with the exception of a short period, when he went to the Klondyke during the great gold rush days with two Maoris named Peter Cowan and Bob Manihera. Mr Elers conducted the first Native school at Te Ore Ore, and later became a Native Agent. He took a particular interest in the Maori race, and was a well-known personality in the Native Land Court, in which he conducted cases on behalf of the Maoris with great success. His excellent work in the Native Land Court was, on many occasions, the subject of appreciative references by the judges. He possessed a wide knowledge of Maori history and customs, and was a fluent speaker of the Maori language. His services were very frequently availed of as interpreter.

The late Mr Elers was an extremely well-educated and well-informed man on many subjects. Throughout the greater part of his life he devoted his exceptional gifts to the cause of the Maori race. 

Only on Saturday last Mr Elers made a special trip to Wellington to see Judge M. Gilfedder, who was entertained in the evening on the occasion of his retirement from the Native Land Court after 26 years on the Bench.

As a young man, Mr Elers was a noted footballer, and captained the Te Ore Ore team when it won the junior championship, about 1884.

Mr Elers married Meri Ihaia Whakamairu, who predeceased him some years ago. He is survived by one son, Mr Charles Elers, of Opapa, Hawke’s Bay, and numerous grand-children, including Miss Gaisford, the well-known lady golfer.

The funeral is to take place tomorrow, leaving the residence, Te Ore Ore, for the Masterton Cemetery at 3pm.  

• Transcription of Carew’s death certificate as follows:

When died and Where died – 4th July 1933 at Te Oreore

Name and profession – Carew Thomas Elers, native Agent

Sex and age – Male, 72

Cause of death – heart failure natural causes, coroner considered inquest  unnecessary

When buried – 6 July 1933 at Masterton

Issue living and age – son 35 years old. At the time of Carew’s death, he only had one of his children still alive (Charles, who was born in 1893), which makes him 40 years old.

• Carew was buried at the Archer Street Cemetery, in site plan 11, plot no CTE, site name row 20.       

• On 5 July 1934, Carew’s grandchildren James Rupuha Elers and Tangi (Louise Matangihau) Elers placed the following In Memoriam notice in the Wairarapa Daily Times:  

• Carew’s will dated 9 February 1929. Original copy is difficult to read, so a transcription is added underneath. Mention is made of his two sons being disinherited. These two sons can only be Charles and “Rangi” (Robert). Was Carew aware of the whereabouts of Rangi when he compiled this will, or did he disinherit him in case he may reappear after the death of Carew? 

Carew Thomas Elers      

PROGENY OF CAREW and MERI ELERS

Carew and Meri had twelve children:

Mary (1883 -1883)

George (1884 – 1884)

Carew Thomas (1886 – 1931)

Ethel Louisa (Timina) (1888 – 1918)

Elizabeth Matangihau (1890 – 1914)

Irihapeti (1891 – Unknown)

Archie (1892 – Unknown)

Henry Pahito (1893 – Unknown)

Charles Tarewa (1893 – 1948)

Robert Ihaia (Rangi) (1894 – Unknown)

Pine (1895 – Unknown)

Albert (1896 - 1897)

1. Mary Elers

• Mary was born on 9 March 1883, and died 1 month later on 10 April. She was buried at Archer Street Cemetery.

• The Find A Grave record states she is buried in row F, Old Ground, which is the same plot as Retimana Te Korou and family.

• Transcription of Mary's Birth Certificate:

When and where born: 1883 9th March, Kuripuni, Masterton

Name of child and whether present or not: Mary, not present

Father:     

1. Name and Surname: Carew Thomas Elers

2. Rank or Profession: Schoolmaster 

3. Age: 21

4. Birth-place: Whitacre, Warwickshire 

When and where Married: 1882 3rd September, Masterton

Mother:    

1. Name and Maiden Surname: Mary Elers formerly Cowan, Whakamairu 

2. Age: 27    

3. Birth-place: Masterton

Informant:   

1. Signature,   Description,   Residence,   If entry a correction of a former entry, signature of witnesses attesting the same

C.T.Elers (signature),   Father of infant,   Masterton,   blank

Registrar:  

1. When Registered: 27th March 1883  

Signature of registrar: signature unreadable

Child: Name if added or altered after Registration of Birth

Blank

2. George Elers

• George was born in May 1884 in Masterton.

• He died on 23 August of the same year of convulsions (as per his death certificate).

• He was buried in the same plot as his sister, Mary.    

• Transcription of George's Death Certificate:

When and where died: 1884  23rd August, Masterton

1. Name and Surname: George Elers

2. Rank, Profession, or Occupation: 

Sex and Age:  M, 3 months

1. Cause of death: Convulsions

2. Duration of last illness: 3 days

3. Medical attendant by whom certified: Signature unreadable

4. When he last saw deceased: 23rd August

1. Name and Surname of Father: Carew Thomas Elers

2. Name and, 3. if known, Maiden Surname of Mother: Meri Elers formerly Cowan, Whakamairu

4. Rank or Profession of Father: Settler

When and where buried: 1884 25th August, Cemetery Masterton

Where born?  How long in New Zealand: Masterton, from birth

3. Carew Thomas Elers (Jnr)

• Carew was born in 1886 (as per familysearch.org)

• He married Hohepina Arekatera (Kitty Carter).

• She was born in 1894 and was the sixth child of Arekatera Eria Terawaraki  (1863-1932) and his wife Marita Ani Gray (1868-1944).

• Kitty’s 8 siblings were Te Rawaraki Jack Teraa Arekatera (1885-1958), Urutakai Arekatera (1886-1936), Tare Arekatera (1889 – unknown), Kereopa Arekatera (1890-1963), Meremaihi Arekatera (1892-1964), Ema Kahurangi Arekatera (1895-1935), Kare Arekatera (1896-unknown), Tuhi Arekatera (1898-1985).

• The obituary for Kitty’s father shows he was a man of importance in Otaki: He lived at Tainui Pā, was a flower grower, and grew acres of violets for sale to the flower market in Wellington.  

• Carew was an entertainer on the local scene as witnessed in the advertisement below for a performance on 28 and 29 Dec 1921. Note there is a “Miss” K. Elers on pois (either Mrs Kitty Elers or Miss Ettie Elers?)   

• When Carew’s sister, Ethel Louisa (Elers) Donaldson, died on 14 November 1918, her recently-born daughter Ethel Louise Temeana (Ettie) was taken by Carew and Kitty. 

• They did not have any children of their own so Ettie was raised by them and adopted with the surname Elers.

• Carew and Kitty spoke Māori in their home at all times, so Ettie became fluent in the language at a very early age.

• Carew spent all his working life on the Foxton wharf, which was in those days a busy coastal port.

• Carew died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 26 October 1931 at Palmerston North hospital.

4. Ethel Louisa Timina (nee Elers)

• Ethel was born on 12 July 1888. She was the fourth child and second daughter of Carew Thomas Elers and wife Meri.

• Ethel was only 30 years old at the time of her death so there is very little information available online that sheds much light on her life.

• According to the 1905 Hukarere Māori Girls’ School roll, Ethel was a pupil there along with her sister (Elizabeth Matangihau). Note, the roll incorrectly states her name as Ethel Alice.

• During her short life, Ethel had four husbands/ partners and had children to each of them.

• In 1906, aged 18, Ethel married Henry Russell Gaisford.

• Henry was born on 3 June 1880, the son of Henry Gaisford (1842-1917) and Eliza Herbert Russell (1854-1906). He attended Wanganui Collegiate School from 1892-1898

• Henry Jnr was sheep farming in Dannevirke at the time of his marriage to Ethel as per the 1908 electoral roll.

• He died on 3 November 1954 and was buried at Aramoho Cemetery, Whanganui.

• Ethel and Henry had two daughters, Muriel Bessie Gaisford (1907-2008) and Marjorie Helen Maude Gaisford (1908-1968). Muriel was an accomplished golfer, representing NZ in tournaments around the world.

• A book titled “Bessie, Portrait of a Master” by Jeanette Galpin, is a biography of Muriel’s life.

• Muriel married Roden Surtees Fullerton-Smith and Marjorie married Herbert Charles Edward Empson.

• Ethel and Henry appeared to have a somewhat fractious marriage judging by court cases involving the pair. The Wanganui Chronicle on 26 August 1910 outlined their divorce case, and in the Wairarapa Daily Times on 30 May 1912 there was a post outlining a claim for jewellery.

• On 14 June 1912, in the Palmerston North Court, Henry was granted a decree nisi, to be made absolute after three months, on the grounds of adultery. The Court gave him custody of their two children.

• After the divorce, Henry married Marie Laura Ellen Gerber in 1913.

• In the electoral roll of 1911, Ethel was living at 111 Lincoln Road Masterton, and she was living with her parents at 12 Sussex Street, Masterton according to the 1914 electoral roll.

• There are living descendants of Bessie who may wish to take up the life stories of her and sister Marjory as a separate chapter.

• After her divorce from Henry Gaisford, Ethel partnered Eric Tudway Sargisson, resulting in the birth of a daughter Louise Matangihau “Tangi” Elers on 3 August 1914.

• Tangi died on 13 January 2005 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery, Masterton; Site Lawn B, plot 14, Row E.

• Eric was the son of George Metheringham Sargisson (1854-1939) and Agnes Annie (Peakman) Sargisson (1863-1944).

• Eric was born on 4 March 1892 in Porangahau, Hawke’s Bay, as witnessed in his attestation to the NZ Expeditionary Force. He was a shepherd at the time of joining the Force.

• He died in action on 13 September 1915 and was buried at Pieta Military Cemetery, Pieta, Northern Harbour, Malta.

• The memorial below is in St Michaels and All Angels Anglican Church in Porangahau.

• On 9 November 1915 (two months after the death of Eric), Ethel married George Pain Hutchinson Harris in Masterton, son of George and Charlotte Harris.

• According to Family Search, George had previously fathered two children with Ani Paora - Kelly Harris (1914-1993) and Akuira Harris (1916-1916).

• According to NZ War Graves project, George embarked on 1 April 1916 bound for Suez, Egypt.

• He was killed in action on 15 September 1916 and was buried at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery.

• Only six days after her marriage to George, Ethel gave birth to their daughter Ihaia Isabel Jessie “Betty” Harris, on 15 November 1915.

• Betty was adopted by her father’s sister Elizabeth Jessie (Harris) and her husband John Wallace in 1926 aged 11.

• She married James Burgess Galbraith in 1952.

• The following notification to George’s mother of his death was supplied to me by the Harris family. The original document is faint and difficult to read, hence the transcription.

France

Nov 21, 1916  

Dear Mrs. Harris,

Though long after the event this is my first opportunity of writing to express my sympathy with you and yours in the sorrow that has overtaken you in the loss of your son, 10172 G.P.H. Harris. He was killed in action on Sept 15, a great and terrible day, when our NZ boys victoriously advanced against the Germans. Their work was magnificent as they themselves were splendid and won the admiration and praise of all. They covered themselves, their relatives and friends with imperishable honour and we do well to be proud of them. But pride will not heal the heart’s wounds, or give you back your boy. God alone, by the blessing of comfort and peace, can heal the broken in heart and He has planted in all our hearts the Hope of Immortal Life and of a glad day when we shall be reunited to those who have gone on before. May God have you in His care and keeping, comfort you and grant you peace. In your great need remember His nearness and His love for you. In the mystery of this providence trust Him to make all things plain. He knows all about your sorrow and in the tenderness of His love He makes your sorrows His very own.

Yours in Sympathy

W McLean

Chaplain

2nd Otago Battalion

• After the death of her husband George Harris in 1916, Ethel then married David John Donaldson in 1917.

• David was born in Whangārei on 10 November 1894 to his parents John Donaldson and Isabella Brodie Donaldson.

• They had two children: John Bruce Donaldson (1917 – 1984) and Ethel Louisa Temeana “Ettie” Donaldson (1918 – 2018).

• There are descendants of John Bruce Donaldson and Ethel Louisa Temeana “Ettie” Donaldson who can hopefully submit a chapter about the lives of their relatives.

• After the death of his wife Ethel in 1918, David Donaldson married Lydia Mabel Donaldson. She died on 18 August 1968, aged 69.

• David and Lydia are buried at Archer Street Cemetery, Masterton in plot number 6, Row Q, Lawn A-X.

• The death of Ethel Louisa Donaldson was reported in the Wairarapa Age on 14 November 1918:

• She was buried at Archer Street Cemetery, Masterton, site Plan II, Plot   number LED, Site name Row 9, on 17 November 1918.

• Her death certificate stated she died of influenza:

• Transcription of the death certificate:

Died: November 14 1918 aged 30.

Cause of death: Influenza

Duration of last illness: bronchopneumonia

When and where buried: 17 November 1918, at Masterton Cemetery.

Where born: Akura, Masterton

Marriage details: 1st time Napier, Russell Gaisford. 2nd time Masterton, George Harris. 3rd time Masterton David John Donaldson.

• According to the Register of Deaths; Masterton and Wairarapa District LDS (Latterday Saints) records (shown above), Erihapeti (Irihapeti?) was born on 1 August 1891.

• At this point in time I have been unable to find any other records of this child’s existence.

• The person who submitted this record was Eruha Iherangi Cowan, grandson of Meri (from her marriage to Alexander Dallas Cowan) and step grandson of Carew.

• So based on the fact that Eruha Cowan was in the position to have first hand knowledge of Meri’s children, I have made the decision to include this child as the sixth child born to Carew and Meri.

• Furthermore, Erihapeti was reportedly born in 1891, fits well with her older sister Elizabeth Matangihau born in 1890 and her younger brother Archie born in 1892.

7. Archie Elers

• The only record I can find about the existence of this child is the entry in Irihapeti’s Bible (copy of the entry below).

• Archie was born on 10 October 1892.

8. Henry Pahito Elers

• Carew and Meri’s eighth child, Henry Pahito was born on 27 May 1892 as per the entry in Irihapeti’s Bible (below).

• He died, aged only eleven years (Bible and death certificate entries below) on 23rd February 1903.

• He was buried two days later at Akura, Masterton (as per the death certificate).

• According to the death certificate Henry was also born at Akura.

• At the time of Henry’s death Carew was living at Akura and declared his profession as a surveyor’s assistant.

9. Charles Tarewa Elers

• Charles was the ninth child born to Carew and Meri.

• He was born in 1893.

• Entry of Charles Tarewa in Irihapeti’s Bible (below):

• Charles married Terauoriwa Tutaki in 1913.

• Charles was reported injured during active war service on 3 April 1918.

• Due to injury received, Charles was discharged on 11 April 1919 (below).

• Charles died on 22 April 1948 and was buried at Te Hauke Cemetery, Hawkes Bay.

• Cause of death  was reported in the Gisborne Herald on that day. He was kicked by a horse whilst grooming it in Raupunga, Northern Hawkes Bay, whilst on a visit to his son Claude.

• Transcription: C.T.Carew-Elers, 19901 (regimental number), Ist NZEF (NZ Expeditionary Force), PTE (Private), Māori Pioneer Battalion, Died 23.4.1948.

• Terauoriwa was buried at Te Hauke Cemetery, Hawkes Bay, along with her husband.

• Charles and wife Terauoriwa Tutaki and baby Claude.

• Charles and Terauoriwa had seven children – Claude, Elaine, Patumoana, Parehuia, Maihirangi, Apihaka, and Ri.

• There are ample living descendants of these seven siblings, hopefully they can add chapters to this book summarising their lives.

10. Robert Ihaia (aka Rangi) Elers:

• The tenth child born to Carew and Meri was Robert Ihaia.

• He was born on 27 May 1894 at Akura, Masterton.

• Birth entry recorded in ancestry.com

• Very little is known about Rangi, particularly in his younger days prior to his enlistment into the army for WWI.

• An heroic episode involving Rangi as a youngster is recorded in the Wairarapa Age (below).

• Rangi signed up to the NZEF on 15 September 1914.

• Points of interest in this document (below) are his enrolment number 16/206, he declared his employment as a jockey, he declared his date of birth as May 1893 (why he did that is not known, after all he was of the legal age to join up).

• The person compiling the document has wrongly noted his name as Ellis, and obviously Rangi has corrected him each time (in several cases, the military has wrongly spelt his name which may be of significance later in this chapter).

• Rangi’s first injury, which apparently was the first injury suffered by any member of the Māori contingent, was reported in the Wairarapa Daily Times on 27 July 1915:

• Rangi’s first injury, which apparently was the first injury suffered by any member of the Māori contingent, was reported in the Wairarapa Daily Times on 27 July 1915:

• A report of another injury was recorded in the Wairarapa Age on 29 July 1916, page 4:

• After his return to NZ after WWI, the 1919 Electoral Roll showed Rangi was living in Masterton.

• Also in the year 1919 Rangi started a sequence of thefts that resulted in him appearing in several court cases.

• The first, involving the theft of liquor was reported in the Wairarapa Daily Times, on 3 October 1919, page 5.

• By the time the 1922 electoral roll was published, Rangi had moved to Fitzroy, Taranaki.

• And by 1921 Rangi had again fallen foul of the law:

NZ Times, 4 April 1921, page 6

EARLY MORNING ARREST

A man named Rangi Elers, who has been arrested on a charge of theft, was before the magistrate at the Police Court on Saturday.

It was explained by the police that the accused had been arrested at 3am on Saturday. The charge against Elers was that he had stolen the sum of £21 17s 6d, the property of William Elton. It was stated that the offence was alleged to have been committed at Wellington. Sub-Inspector Willis applied for a remand until Friday.

Accused, for whom Mr. A.B.Sievwright appeared, was remanded accordingly. Bail was allowed accused in the sum of £100, and two sureties of £50 each.

• Subsequent to that court hearing, the Evening Post reported ten days later on 14 April under the heading “UNHAPPY ENDING – THEFT AT A PARTY”. The report included much of the evidence related in the first trial, but further detail was introduced:

“William Henry Elton, a petty officer on HMS Chatham, stated that on the evening of the 1st April he attended a party in Thorndon-quay. The accused was among those present. During the evening witness took off his coat and hung it at the back of the door. In the pockets there was a sum of £21 17s 6d. Some time later he missed the coat, and at the same time the accused was absent from the room. Elers shortly afterwards reappeared wearing the coat, and when witness took it from him he examined the pockets and found that the money was missing. Witness summoned the police, and when a sergeant questioned the accused he denied all knowledge of the money. After accused’s appearance before the Court on the 2nd April, witness received a message that Elers wished to see him. Elers then stated that he wanted to do what was right, and told witness where the money was to be found. In company with Detective Holmes, the accused took witness to the house in Thorndon-quay, and from underneath a shed in the yard he produced some of the notes. The accused stated that the money found on him when arrested was also part of that which was taken.

To Mr. Sievwright: the accused was under the influence of liquor when he took the coat. There were only men at the party.

Detective Holmes corroborated the evidence concerning the recovery of £16 from underneath the washhouse, and handed in a statement made by the accused to the effect that he was sorry for the act, which was done foolishly while under the influence of liquor. A sum of £21 12s had been recovered, the accused having had £5 12s in his possession when arrested.

Elers pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. An order was made for the money recovered to be returned to Elton”.

• Finally to conclude the case, on 22 April the Wairarapa Daily Times (on page 4), reported as follows:

"At the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday, on behalf of Rangi Elers, aged 25 years, a labourer (theft of £21 17s 6d), Mr Sievwright submitted, in mitigation of the offence, that a drinking party was the cause of the trouble. Prisoner had done military service at the front, and since his return to the Dominion he had been a steady worker , both as a farm labourer and railway porter. When he was arrested, Elers returned the money at once. Counsel asked that probation be granted. Mr. Justice Salmond: I am satisfied that the offence was rather the freak of a drunken man than the result of any established criminal purpose. Prisoner, said His Honour, would be admitted to probation for one year on statutory conditions and on the following special terms: - (1) that he would not touch intoxicating liquor nor enter licensed premises; and (2) that he pay the costs of the prosecution and report to the probation officer.”

Opunake Times, 21 February 1922, page 3.

A THEFT CASE

ELERS SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT

After being found guilty of theft at Friday’s sitting of the Supreme Court in New Plymouth, the native, Rangi Elers, appeared for sentence before Mr. Justice Chapman, on Saturday morning. The charge had been one of stealing £10 from the room of a lodger in the Opunake Hotel at Christmas time. 

On behalf of accused, Mr. A A Bennett said that testimonials given by previous employers showed Elers to have been a hard-working man, and entirely trustworthy. He had been apparently unable to resist what appeared to be a sudden temptation when he saw the money. Unfortunately this was his second offence, and had to be regretted, but counsel asked His Honour to take into consideration the fact that Elers had been in custody since January 1, and to extend the clemency of the Court to accused.

In reply to His Honor, the Crown Prosecutor said that Elers’ previous conviction was on April 21st last, at Wellington, for stealing £21 7s 6d. He was granted a year’s probation on that occasion, so that the term was not yet up.

His Honor remarked that this was the second offence, and evidently probation had not done accused any good. “I must try some other method of reforming you,” said His Honor, in passing a sentence of six months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

• The Police Gazette headlined the “Return of prisoners reported as discharged from gaols during the week ending 29 April 1923”. The report shows Rangi was discharged on 25 April having served one month and fourteen days for obscene language and assault. He had received this sentence when he appeared in the New Plymouth Magistrates Court on 26 March.

• The report further noted among his physical characteristics that his right middle toe was missing, he had a scar on his left arm, a tattooed tombstone and an angel on his right forearm. The tombstone contained the inscription “In Memory Of My Dear Sister Matangihau”. There was also a scar on the right side of his abdomen.

• In the 1954 Electoral Roll there was a Rangi Elers living in Te Hauke, Hawkes Bay.

• Was this Robert Ihaia “Rangi” Elers? Had he left Taranaki and settled on the other side of the island?

• There was one other person it could be – Maihirangi Elers, son of Rangi’s younger brother, Charles Tarewa Elers.

• However Maihirangi is immediately removed from the equation by virtue of the fact that the 1954 Electoral roll had Maihirangi and his wife Kathie living in Raetihi.

• So the question is “Did Rangi die in Hawkes Bay?” At the time of launching this book, investigations are underway to see if his grave can be found.

• As we see in Carew’s obituary earlier in this chapter, “He is survived by one son, Mr Charles Elers, of Opapa, Hawkes Bay…” That meant that either Rangi was deceased at the time of the passing of his father in 1933 , or the family had lost all contact.

• We now know he was alive in 1954, so the family had either lost contact with him or had chosen to disown him.

• In my endeavours to find Rangi’s final resting place, I placed a plea on the ONLINE CENOTAPH website for any information. The following was received from “Allan” a researcher associated with that website.

• I am sceptical about the validity of this information, but just in case it does turn out to be correct, I include it.

• Contact was made with the Ruapehu District Council who confirmed the layout of the block 3, plot 26 details mentioned above at Rangataua Cemetery as follows, obviously in an unmarked grave.

• The plot in question is beside that of G. Aulding.

• Perhaps the only way of proving if Rangi is buried here is: maybe a future advancement in technology will enable x-rays to see into graves. As we know he had a missing middle toe on his right foot. If the foot in Block 3, plot 26, matches, then we will know we have found our ancestor.

• In the meantime we can only wonder – “WHERE ARE YOU RANGI?”

11. Pine Elers:

• Like his/ her older sibling Erihapeti, the only record found of Pine’s existence is via the “Register of Deaths; Masterton and Wairarapa District LDS records” (shown below).

• This document shows Pine was born on 10 October 1895 at Akura, Masterton.

• Pine was the eleventh child of Carew and Meri.

12. Albert/Arapata Elers:

• Arapata was the twelfth and final child born to Carew and Meri.

• The table above quotes Arapata’s date of birth as 22 November 1896.

• However, Irihapeti’s Bible quotes Albert’s birth date as 22 November 1897.

• The Bible further complicates matters by recording that he died on 28 August 1897 i.e. three months before he was born.

• Therefore we can only assume that the Bible’s date of birth is wrong and that he was in fact born on 22 November 1896, and that he died aged 9 months.