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.