Four branches of Perkins came to New Zealand in the 1800s
1849
- Catherine Perkins arrived in Port Chalmers on the Mooltan
on 26th December. Her husband George had died of cholera on
the voyage out. Newly widowed at 41, she arrived pregnant, with
her six children and her 75 year old mother. Dunedin was a straggling
village less than two years old. Within the first year Catherine
had lost her youngest daughter and given birth to another.
With
her came:
- Her mother, Catherine
Scott, who together with 3 year old Clarinda
was buried in the Arthur Street cemetery;
- William R, who
married Jessie and settled in Southland;
- John Henry
who married Jessie's sister Thomasina and settled in Southland;
- Catherine
who married her cousin William H. - below;
- as well as James and
Charles who so far as we know, had no descendants.
- and a few months later Charlotte was born in Dunedin. Charlotte
married John Macgregor, living mostly in Southland and Otago.
1860
- Cousin William
H Perkins arrived and married his cousin Catherine, eventually
settling in Greymouth.
1863
- Sarah, George
and Charles Columbus Perkins arrived in Nelson on the Matoaka.
They came from London and lived in Stoke for many years.
1869
- More cousins, Alfred,
Euler and Walter Perkins arrived on the Chile and settled
around the Kaipara Harbour and Auckland.
At
last count there were over 2000 Perkins descendants and their
families. If you are reading this, you may be connected to one
of them.