Stephen Small who was born in the village of Conford, New Hampshire, England in 1819 married Mary Philpot who was baptised in Iden, East Sussex in 1813. Their marriage took place 17 October 1841 at St Mary Abbots, Kensington, London. Elizabeth had a daughter Mary Ann Jarvis born in 1833, possibly out of wedlock. Another child Stephen Small was born 5 Dec 1841 but died in infancy or early childhood before Stephen and Mary emigrated to Australia. Another child William, was born in 1844 followed by John in May 1847. The family emigrated to Sydney, Australia on the “Midlothian” in December 1848 and settled on the Bendooley Estate near Berrima where Steven found work as an agricultural labourer and drover. A son Archibald was born 23 April 1850 and James, born 12 November 1852 at Mandemar, north of Berrima was followed by Emma Small born in Berrima Sep 1855.
Mary Elizabeth Small
Times were tough and possibly because of an abusive relationship, Mary Small fled with the children to Sydney while Stephen was away droving and obtained passage on the “Lord Worsley” in 1859 under the assumed name of Phipps. Perhaps Mary Ann Jarvis stayed in Sydney and came to Christchurch at a later date as she was not listed as a passenger on the ship. Mary and her family settled in Governors Bay in a cottage down Sandy Bay Lane, making a living selling vegetables, fruit and flowers which her sons carted to Lyttelton to sell to the hotels and ships. Mary also had the foresight to graze cattle on the hills above Governors Bay. With her fifteen-year old son Archie, she drove 32 head of cattle following the old Maori trails over the Harpers Pass to the goldfields of the West Coast where she made a tidy sum at auction.
Both William and Archie were watermen on Lyttelton Harbour and Mary was listed as a Fruit and Vegetable Gardener and Seedsman as well as a Lodging-house keeper in the Southern Provinces Almanacs for many years.
Mary Small headstone at St Cuthberts
When Mary Elizabeth died 25 May 1908 she was interred in the St Cuthbert’s Cemetery, Governors Bay where 17 family descendants are also buried.
William Small married Sarah Powell 22 Oct 1867 in St Cuthberts Church and the family reverted to their name of Small. William was to eventually have 6 children in Canterbury, before moving to Norsewood where 3 more were born and eventually the family emigrated to California, apart from two children, where 4 more children were born.
John Small married Mary Rouse in 1869 and had 3 children. Archibald Small married Annie Elizabeth Allen and the 8 children that were born generally stayed around the Canterbury area. James, ‘Jim’ Small also had a family of 8 children. Emma Small who was married in 1872 to Hugh Manson, the 11th son of Samuel and Jean Manson was to eventually have 10 children.
Mary Elizabeth Small was the great-great grandmother of my husband, Graeme Small, with her son Archibald Small being his great-grandfather.
Contributed by Katharina Small