REILLY family:
My husbands family John and Sarah REILLY great grandfather and great grandmother came to N Z on the Cresswell in 1859. John taught for a short time at the Upper Heathcote school before going to take over the Anglican school (Timaru Grammar School)  in Timaru in 1860.
So far I have gone back to 1747 to Matthew Reily, going by lists the name seem to go from Reily to Reilly about 1859. John Reilly came from the National Society's Training School, Westminster London and was prepared to take 6 boys and give them a sound commercial education.  The fee was 40 pounds per year, this included laundry and Mrs Reilly made herself responsible for the health and well being of the boys.
References were required and extra fees were charged for teaching French, German and Latin. John and Sarah had 14 children 7 in England (as named in the passenger list) and 7 in Timaru (Susan Mary born December 1859 died 1864 of scarlatina, Henry George born 1861 died 1864 of scarlatina, Gerald Frodsham born 1863 died 1864 of scarlatina, Walter Granville born 1865, John born 1866, Agnes born 1868 & Blanche Louisa born 1870). In 1864 there was a bout of Scarletina and 3 of John and Sarahs children died in a matter of a few weeks of each other. John was born Eton 1825 and died Timaru 1898. Sarah born 1827 died Timaru 1895. I am happy to share and receive any info about the family and pleased to hear from any relations. If you have a connection to this family or require further information please contact Carlene Reilly.

FERGUSSON family:
Daniel Fergusson was born at Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland on 11th September 1806, the eldest of nine children born to Alexander Fergusson and Isabel, nee Campbell. Daniel was well educated, studying at St. Andrew's University, and held the position of schoolmaster at various towns in Scotland, education becoming his lifelong career. As well as his career in education he held the position of Inspector of the Poor and Sessions Clerk in the Parish of Dowally, Scotland. Daniel had a passion for poetry and languages. He had composed several poems in English, Scots and Gaelic and won the Queens prize of 9 pounds three years in succession. Other Highlanders would not compete against him and the Gaelic Society banned him from further competition though they did pay him 11 pounds to translate his final prize poem from Gaelic into English. Daniel married Catherine Anderson, (born at Lanarch, Edinburgh, the daughter of John Anderson and Elspet Ross) at Logierait, Perthshire on 9 March 1834 and they had eleven children. Leaving behind their eldest daughter Anne, Daniel and Catherine took the rest of the children including their grandson to New Zealand on the "Cresswell" arriving at Lyttelton on the 12 September 1859.The passage cost 80 pounds 15 shillings and the government paid 76 pounds. On arrival Daniel lived at first in Kaiapoi where he worked as one of the first schoolmasters. He and his family then moved on to a new settlement called George Town near Temuka. (not to be mistaken for the Georgetown north of Oamaru). Here in 1862 he opened the first public school in the Arowhenua district with about 16 pupils, most of whom were boarded, and he also became the local postmaster. The new Temuka District High School opened in 1866 which meant the end of the Arowhenua school on Fergusson's property and also the end of his career in education. In 1864 Daniel was appointed as Clerk to the first Geraldine District Roads Board, later known as the Temuka Road Board and he held this office for 14 years until ill health forced his retirement in 1877. Daniel's wife Catherine died 06 March 1880 and Daniel himself died suddenly on 20 April 1887in Geraldine and was buried in Temuka with his wife and beside his daughter Mary and her husband William Hopkinson. (For more information on the William Hopkinson family refer to the maiden voyage sailing of the ship Zealandia on 15 June 1858). If you have a connection to this family or require further information please contact Richard Hopkinson