Community Contributed

George Nye

Early Foxton settler.

Date of birth	1826
Date of death	1907

George Nye was born near Lewes in Sussex on 12th December 1826. His mother died when he was a child and it seems that an older, married but childless cousin took him into her care. Her name was Elizabeth Baker, nee Nye, and her husband John was a carpenter and cabinet maker. He taught George the rudiments of his trade.

In 1839 when the New Zealand Company called for emigrants, John and Elizabeth responded and with George, were allocated berths on the ship “Oriental”. On their arrival at Port Nicholson, John and George were soon involved in helping build the new settlement. Unfortunately John had been injured in a shipboard accident so George shouldered more responsibility than a normal 13 year old.

At the end of 1841 George joined a survey party for New Plymouth, and there fell in with four young men who started a whaling venture. Using a whale boat and a shore based trypot they tried their luck but with little success. Undaunted they walked down the coast to Waikanae where they joined Hector McDonald in his Kapiti whaling operations.

After the Wairau affray Te Rauparaha suggested that the whalers leave Kapiti and George Nye took over a ferry on Porirua Harbour.

His next move was to the Manawatu. He had stopped over in the area on at least one previous occasion and rather fancied the area. Thomas Cook employed him at his rope walk up river at Paiaka.

In 1848-49 when the Government decided to push on the military road which had reached Pauatahanui, Maori gangs were recruited for the work. The gangs were overseen by settlers and George Nye was put in charge of a gang from the Manawatu. In his reminiscences he gives some interesting information about conditions and the motives behind the scheme.

Back in the Manawatu by 1850 his next venture was shipbuilding. He and Frank Abel, a qualified shipwright built two 40 ton schooners for Thomas Cook. Named the “Hannah” and “Mary Jane” they were intended for the Manawatu - Wellington trade which cook had developed. When the vessels were complete George helped man them and during the visits to Wellington formed a liaison with Christina Dawson, a married daughter of pioneer Nelson settler James Gilbert. Christina had left her husband and most likely was awaiting a divorce. Christina had two children to George, one of whom died. She then left George for another man, Isaac Howell, whom she subsequently married.

In 1855 Eliza Staff, widow of a Captain Staff, arrived in Wellington with her three children, Walter, John and Anne and her mother, Anne Burr, also a widow. They were en route to join Eliza’s brother, Amos Burr, who had been allocated a New Zealand Company grant of land on the Manawatu River.

The following year Eliza Staff married George Nye and took over the care of infant Elizabeth, the daughter of George and Christina.

Eliza’s arrival in the colony was only days after the great earthquake (Force 8) and it is said she enquired of one of the ship’s officers when they were dropping anchor in Wellington Harbour why the houses had no chimneys! The same earthquake also prompted the Manawatu River settlers to move down stream to establish what became Foxton. This move gave George Nye opportunities to exercise his skill as a builder and until 1872 this was his trade. Some of his buildings still stand, for example the old Presbyterian Church in Main Street (now Little Theatre) and Rev. James Duncan’s home in Lady’s Mile (now Halidone’s).

When Vogel’s Public Works and Immigration Scheme was implemented in the Manawatu the District Surveyor, James T. Stewart, was appointed District Engineer and opened his District Office in Foxton. George Nye was appointed as his Overseer. In this capacity George supervised the construction of most of the Public Works in the Manawatu until 1889 when retrenchment saw his post abolished and the office closed. Among the better known works he supervised were the Government wharf at Foxton, the Foxton - Palmerston North Tramway and its successor, the railway to Wanganui.

After his marriage, George leased land on the right bank of the Manawatu River at Whirokino and there, either built or leased a house. On the land he grazed cattle both for beef and milking. Canoeing the full cans of milk across the river, especially in times of flood, was quite an adventure. Later when given a Crown Grant of 180 acres on the opposite side of the river (Grant 289 of 1869) he built out of a single Totara log which had come down the river in flood, a house which he called “Sunnyside” (64 Newth Road, Foxton). This house still stands on Newth Road, previously known as No. 2 Line. The farm he developed as a sideline, and then after 1889, it became a full time occupation until his youngest son Ton took over at the turn of the century. George was an enterprising farmer, growing fruit and grapes as well as grazing cattle and sheep. He was keen on viticulture and erected three large glasshouses which he stocked with vines from Europe.

George and Eliza had four children of their own - Elizabeth married Christian Honore a son of the Danish missionary. George Jnr. Who became a schoolmaster and married Mary Vickery. Harriet who married Edmund Osborne a draper, first in Foxton then Palmerston North and Thomas who married Winifred Osborne, sister of Edmund. All except George Jnr.had children whose descendants now number several hundred.

Eliza died in 1904 and many were the tributes paid to her community service. George married again - Edith North an Australian about 40 years his junior. He lived only a year or so after this marriage dying in 1907.

Since the creation of the Foxton Borough in 1888 he had served on its Council first as a foundation Councillor and twice as Mayor. A great conservationist, he was ever mindful of the need to preserve our indigenous flora. A great reader he left an impressive library and assisted Lindsay Buick in his compilation of “Old Manawatu”. He was fortunate in keeping his faculties until the end. Just a few days before his death he was consulted by a Public Works official on a technical matter.

Contributed by great-grandson Ken Cassells, author of “The Sanson Tramway” and “The Foxton and Wanganui Railway”.

Referencing:

When referencing this book please use the following:

Pioneers of Foxton : Book One. pp. 15-17. [Foxton, N.Z.] : Foxton Historical Society, 1988.

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