HUDSON OF UPPER HEYFORD, OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND TO KAKARAMEA, SOUTH TARANAKI, NEW ZEALAND
The HUDSON�s have been in - UPPER HEYFORD - (once known as Heyford Warren) since the mid 1820s, where they were agricultural labourers in the area.
Potter William HUDSON was born in Flitwick, Bedfordshire 1802, the son of Thomas HUDSON and Sarah Ann YORK. He married Sarah SMITH in 1824 in Finmere, Oxfordshire. Potter was already a resident of Upper Heyford at that time.
Potter and Sarah had twelve children, eight sons and four daughters;
William HUDSON born 1825 Married Elizabeth IZZARD. Three sons, five daughters
Mary Ann HUDSON born 1826. Nothing more is known
George HUDSON born 1829. Nothing more is known
Sarah Sophia HUDSON born 1831. Died 1831
Benjamin HUDSON born 1832. Married Jane Elizabeth CARPENTER. Descendants still in Upper Heyford (2003). Four sons, four daughters
Joseph HUDSON born 1834. Died unmarried aged 32years
John George HUDSON born 1837. See below.
Elizabeth HUDSON born 1837. Died 1841
Sarah HUDSON born 1841. One illegitimate son. Married William G WARD Two sons, two daughters
James HUDSON born 1843. Nothing more is known
Charles HUDSON born 1846. Died 1847
Charles HUDSON born 1848. Resident of Lambeth, Surrey 1901
John George HUDSON and his first wife Eliza nee BLENCOWE, came to New Zealand in 1873 on board the SS MONGOL, with their three children, George (13), Elizabeth (10) and Laura Ellen (8). They landed at Port Chalmers, Dunedin and shortly after made their way to Kakaramea, between Patea and Hawera, South Taranaki.
George James DEW, the Lower Heyford diarist and school teacher wrote in 1873: "January 3: Two ship loads of emigrants to New Zealand - farm labourers chiefly - left England a few days ago. Two families from the Heyfords were among the number - John HUDSON of U Heyford, a sawyer and wife and 2 or 3 children and John BAUGHAN of Caulcott, a farm labourer, with wife and 3 children. Emigrated under the auspices of the National Agricultural Labourers Union and by October 1874 was renting a 100 acre farm".
The HUDSON family is also mentioned in the book THE FARTHEST PROMISED LAND - English Villagers, New Zealand Immigrants of the 1870s by Prof. Rollo ARNOLD.(1981 Price Milburn and Victoria University Press)
Eliza died in 1879 and is buried in an unmarked grave on the hilltop at Patea Cemetery. John then married Sarah Jane ANSELL in 1883 and they had two sons, Francis (Frank) in 1884 and Thomas in 1887.
George HUDSON married Sarah Ann HAYCOCK in Nelson in 1885 then moved to Victoria, Australia around 1893. George and Sarah had two sons and two daughters. After the death of his wife in 1896 he married Alice Maria SPRATT. George and Alice had four sons and one daughter.
Elizabeth married Robert Hopton CLEMENT in 1883 and settled at Te Roti, near Normanby, South Taranaki. Their farm was finally sold out of the family in 2002 after 90 years and five generations. Elizabeth and Robert had nine children, four sons and five daughters.
Laura married Harry HODGE in 1892 and they settled at Alton, near Patea, South Taranaki. Laura and Harry had nine children, four girls and five boys. It was also found that Laura had a child to Archibald CUNNINGHAM before marrying Harry. The child, Thomas CUNNINGHAM was brought up by his fathers family in Kakaramea.
Francis (Frank) married Ethel Alice May SUTTON in 1907 and died in Auckland in 1962. Frank and Ethel had one son and two daughters.
Thomas married 1st Edith Lathbury BILLINGTON and had two sons and one daughter. In 1929 Thomas married Ada Matilda TUNBRIDGE who died in 1942. Thomas died in Wellington in 1975.
After the death of Sarah in 1890, John George HUDSON married Elizabeth SWADLING nee SLADE in 1892. Elizabeth died in 1898 and shortly after he married Ellen Catherine ANDERSON nee POLE, a Shetland Islander.
In February 2003, Mr Jackie HUDSON of Upper Heyford, a descendant of Benjamin Hudson, found this article in his local parish magazine. "06 October 1905 - Mr John HUDSON, who emigrated from Upper Heyford to New Zealand in 1874, has just been paying a visit to this locality, which he describes as being somewhat seriously decayed since he left. Mr. HUDSON, as may be imagined, has been a successful emigrant, and farms chiefly pastureland in the country of his adoption. A few days since he was noting in the Banbury and Oxford markets the difference in price of animals here and in the New Zealand markets. Fat bullocks fetching here some �21, make �8 on the other side. Ewes making here some 39s - 40s, they get 15s for, and wethers at �2 to �2 5s, they sell for about �1. Mrs HUDSON who accompanies her husband is a native of the Shetland Isles, and a portion of their visit has been spent in that interesting part, of which they are taking back excellent photographs that were taken at midnight. Mr and Mrs HUDSON return to Wanganui about the 19th of the month".
We were very intrigued with this, as members of the family had no idea that he had returned to England.
John George HUDSON outlived his four wives and died on the 30 June 1929 and is buried in the Hawera Cemetery. He originally did not have a headstone, but a plain one was added by Barry and Christine Clement in January 1993.
For further genealogical information on these families please go to
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