MAURI (MOURIE), LOUISA nee FAVE

 

Louisa Fave was born on the 19 August 1846 at Caccivio, near the City of Como, Northern Italy, the second child in a family of eighteen, of Giovanni and Caroline Fave nee Crotta.

 

Louisa married John Mauri firstly in a religious ceremony in the Church of St Annunciate at Caccivio on the 26 December 1870 and later in a civil ceremony on the 15 January 1871, this being the custom in many European countries at that time.

 

On the 1 April 1875, Louisa and John and their two children, Amelia (Bolger) and Daniel sailed from Hamburg, Germany on the Lammershagen, arriving in New Zealand on the 11 July.� The family were amongst those immigrants chosen to settle at Patea and so they sailed for there on the Egmont.

 

So ended their long, tedious and often dangerous journey to settle in New Zealand.� Much courage must of been needed to leave family, friends and homeland to come to a strange land, where life meant a new language and culture far different from what they had left.

 

The family spent five years at Patea before moving to Manaia about 1880-81.� The elder children were first day pupils at the Manaia School when it opened in 1882.� The children were noted for their attendance and diligence.� It was when enroling at the school that the surname was altered to the English spelling of Mourie.

 

The Mourie's lived on the south side of the South Road on the west border of the Manaia township, a small farmlet of 20 acres with a rather smaller home, rather cramped for a family of ten.� After many months of illness John died in 1894, leaving Louisa to bring up the family.

 

On the 21 December 1911, Louisa was granted N Z Citizenship on the recommendation of Mr Hunt J.P of Manaia who stated that she had been a widow of 17 years, had lived in the country for 36� years, and having brought up a large family, was worthy of this honour.

 

Louisa later went to live with her son John at Tatariki, Dargaville and upon his enlistment in the N Z Army in 1917 went to live with her daughter Amelia in Devonport, Auckland.� Here she died on the 6 August 1924 and is buried at the Manaia cemetery with her husband.

 

SOURCE

Jo Horgan (niece)