Jane Simmons
(c16 November 1851 - 9 January 1917)
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| Jane Simmons c1907 Photo probably taken by Mrs Cobb (Photo courtesy of G J Bland) |
Family Roots
Jane Simmons was born in the tiny hamlet of Gagingwell, West Oxfordshire, England, the daughter of Richard Simmons (1822 - 24 August 1895) and Elizabeth Simmons (3 May 1810 - 1891). Four out of her five older siblings were registered as being children of Elisabeth Simmons, which indicates that they were probably born out of wedlock. Jane was baptised on 16 November 1851. We believe that Jane was one of six children:
- Sarah Simmons (1831 - 1877)
- Hannah Simmons (baptised 24 July 1842 - ?)
- John Simmons (baptised 12 Feb 1843 - ?)
- Elizabeth Simmons (baptised 19 Jan 1845 - 1922)
- Anne (Annie) Simmons (baptised 5 May 1850 - ?)
- Jane Simmons (baptised 16 Nov 1851 - 9 Jan 1917)
Jane's parents were married at the parish of St Giles on 17 January 1850. Richard was 21 and Elizabeth was 12 years his senior. Elizabeth is listed on the marriage register as a spinster.
Gagingwell
When Jane was born, Gagingwell's population was barely 60 people living in a handful of houses in the rural countryside of southern England. Many of the townsfolk would have been close relatives. Gagingwell was originally named Gadelingwelle, and got its name from a nearby well that never failed to supply water even during droughts. Near the well there was a preaching cross. It is thought to have been erected originally in the twelfth century. There has never been a church in Gagingwell, so Jane and her siblings were probably baptised at this preaching cross.
Childhood
Jane would have been used to living in a rural environment and being surrounded and perhaps doted on by her older siblings. In October 1859, when Jane was almost eight years old, her oldest sister, Sarah, married John Baish (Oct 1837 - Oct 1907) an agricultural labourer. The wedding took place in Towcester, Northamptonshire.
The UK Census of 1861 shows that Jane's father, Robert, was an agricultural labourer. Her older sisters, Hannah (18) and Elizabeth (16), both worked as glovers. They may have worked from home, or at a small workshop alongside other women. Jane and her sister Annie were listed as scholars.
Jane may have attended her sister Elizabeth's wedding when she married a local lad, William Day (1843 - ?) in 1864. The couple settled in Towersey, then Burnham in Buckinghamshire where William worked as a gardener.
In 1870 Jane would have attended her sister Annie's wedding to John Smith (1843 - ?). It was around this time that Jane left home and moved to the nearby town of Milton. The UK Census of 1871 records Jane (19) working as a servant for Joseph and Mary Steel who were retired farmers. It is interesting to note that the two unmarried Steel daughters who were still living at home, were born in Enstone which means that the Simmons family would have been well acquainted with them.
Immigration to New Zealand
25 year old Jane came as an assisted immigrant to New Zealand with her future in-laws, William Merry Gardner (1820 - 3 Dec 1911), a 52 year old farm labourer from Milton, Oxfordshire, his 45 year old wife Mary Ann Beal (27 March 1825 - 27 April 1910) and their fifteen year old daughter Alice Ann Gardner (25 Dec 1859 - 1932). They departed England on 3 November 1874 on board the passenger ship, Lady Jocelyn. During the 80 day voyage there was an outbreak of whooping cough which claimed the lives of at least five infants. The quartet sailed into Lyttleton, Christchurch on 21 January 1875. It is unclear how it came about that Jane accompanied the Gardner family to New Zealand.
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| William and Mary Gardner with their daughter Alice. Photo by Halma & Co, Saunders' Buildings, Ashburton, c1900-1910. (Photo courtesy of G J Bland) |
A report about the voyage was published in The Press, Vol XXIII, Issue 2914, 22 January 1875:
On arrival in New Zealand, Jane secured work as a servant in Christchurch while the Gardners eventually settled in Ashburton. Their son, George Gardner (9 May 1856 - 24 Dec 1886), arrived in New Zealand around 1876. It is thought that he worked as a labourer in Longbeach for a period after his arrival.
Marriage & Family
Jane must have kept in close contact with the Gardner family and developed a special bond with George. On 19 April 1877, George and Jane submitted their application to marry. The document stated that Jane had been living in Christchurch for two years while George had been in town for a mere three days.
Jane (25) married 21 year old George on 21 April 1877 in a double wedding ceremony with George's only sister, Alice, to English-born, Walter Timms (1855 - 31 July 1933). The wedding was held at the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch.
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| The Primitive Methodist Chapel, Christchurch (Photo courtesy of G J Bland) |
After their wedding, George and Jane moved to Longbeach in South Canterbury where George worked on the rural estate owned by John Grigg.
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| Longbeach Photographer and date unknown |
While Jane was pregnant with her first child, she would have been informed by her family in England of the sad news that her oldest sister Sarah Baish, had died (in July 1877) in Devizes, Wiltshire.
Jane gave birth to two children in Longbeach:
- Mary Elizabeth Jane Gardner (1st qtr1878 - 1961)
- Francis William (Frank) Gardner (4 Feb 1879 - 1943)
Four daughters were born to George and Jane in Waipawa:
- Clara Lorraine Gardner (1880 - 6 Aug 1920)
- Alice Maud Gardner (11 June 1883 - May 1950)
- Emily Annie Gardner (Jan 1884 - 19 Feb 1972)
- Mabel Gardner (1885 - 31 Aug 1968)
The work of the Salvation Army Church began in New Zealand in 1883 and quickly attracted the attention of those who believed in temperance and in giving support to the economically disadvantaged in society. In a relatively short time this message had spread around New Zealand and 21 churches were established in towns and cities all over the country. Towards the end of 1886, George had a spiritual revival and began attending the Salvation Army Church in Waipawa with Jane and their children. He began sharing his faith with everyone he met and urging people to turn to God.
Tragedy in Waipawa
Tragically, when George was 30 years old he contracted encephalitus (inflamation of the brain) and was ill for a 68 hours before passing away on 24 December 1886. His funeral was the first one held in the Waipawa Salvation Army Church. George's death left Jane destitute. The Salvation Army Church, where the family worshiped, and the local community, took a special collection for them, but Jane ended up taking in washing to help make ends meet. At the time of George's death, their children's ages ranged from one and a half years to nine years of age.
The Daily Telegraph, Issue 4800, 28 December 1886 reported the story of George's death and the subsequent hardship that Jane faced:
Descendants of Jane tell the story of Te Kooti, a Maori leader, telling his people to take special care of Jane Gardner and her family. This indicates that her family had a special bond with local Maori and that George was a man of standing in the community.
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| Jane Gardner with four of her children, outside of her home. Unknown photographer and date, but approximately 1890. (Photo courtesy of G J Bland) |
Second marriage
Around Christmas of 1887, Jane met Thomas George Smith (25 Feb 1852 - 12 Dec 1919) who also professed to be a Salvationist and was born in Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire, which was around ten kilometers from Jane's birthplace. She was unaware of his troubles.
Thomas and Jane married on 22 February 1888 at Jane's home on Ruataniwha Road, Waipawa. Thomas was a 31 year old labourer, and Jane (36) was a widow of fourteen months. It is curious to note that Jane signed the wedding register in her new name of Smith! The witnesses to the marriage were Thomas Eason (a labourer) and Florence Smith (a domestic worker who was not a relative as far as we know).
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| Jane's great grand-daughter holds the wedding register of the Trinity Methodist Church, Napier. which records the marriage of Thomas G Smith and Jane Gardner (nee Simmons). Photo by K Bland 2015. |
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| It is interesting to note that Jane signed the marriage register in her new married name! Photo by K Bland 2015. |
Thomas Smith came from a large family which originated in Oxfordshire, Southern England. His mother and most of his siblings immigrated to New Zealand, some in the 1860s and others in the 1870s. It is unknown when Thomas arrived in the country but we know that he settled in Oamaru for a time.
Thomas and Jane had two sons:
- Thomas Edward Smith (1889 - 20 January 1917)
- Born in Waipawa.
- Frederick (Fred) James Smith (24 October 1890 - 1 August 1961)
- Born in Ashurst, near Palmerston North.
Jane's mother, Elizabeth, died in Gagingwell and was buried there on 31 December 1891.
Ormondville Days
Around 1892, Thomas and Jane moved the family north to Ormondville, where it seems that Thomas worked as a boot and shoe maker. He advertised his services in the Bush Advocate between May 1892 to July 1893. Alice, Mabel and Emily are recorded as attending the Ormondville School in 1893. They later went to Waipawa School.
Scandal
At some point, a letter from Thomas, but addressed to Mrs Thomas Smith, Oamaru, was returned to sender. Jane picked up the letter, and although she read it, she never discussed the contents with Thomas. Later in court, it was stated that the contents definitely implied that he had another wife. Shortly afterwards, Thomas disappeared without warning. In September 1893, when the details about Thomas' bigamist activities came to light, they were reported publicly, in The Bush Advocate, Volume XI, Issue 831, 14 September 1893:
At his trial, Thomas pleaded guilty to bigamy and was sentenced to two years hard labour at the Napier Prison (New Zealand's oldest prison). The New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9312, 22 September 1893 reported:
It is not clear what happened to Jane and the children after Thomas was sent to prison. We believe she moved back to Waipawa at the end of 1893 as four of her children completed the school year at Ormondville. We also know that she continued to use the surname Smith because her son Fred named Mrs T Smith his next of kin when he enlisted for war. It appears that although Thomas returned to his first wife, Bridget, after he was released from prison, he kept in touch with his youngest sons, and for a time, lived in Waipawa.
Highs and Lows
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| Four of the Gardner girls, Clara, Mary, Alice (at back), Mabel. Photo by Crown Studios, Whallby & Co, Palmerston North. Date unknown. Photo courtesy of G J Bland |
Jane and her children celebrated several family weddings in the early 1900s. First, Clara Gardner married George Henry Arrow (Oct 1879 - 29 Mar 1926) of Waipawa in 1904. Later in the year, eldest daughter Mary married William Matthew Hazelhurst (12 Nov 1874 - 13 Mar 1943) in the Salvation Army barracks in Victoria Street, Christchurch.
Frank married Ellen (Nellie) Burke (dates unknown) in Waipawa on 18 July 1906.
Daughter Alice, a Salvation Army officer married a fellow officer, Robert (Bob) Cobb (20 Oct 1870 - 20 Dec 1949), in Waipawa on 1907. Bob's mother, Harriet S Cobb was a professional photographer, and took the wedding photo below in which Jane is pictured with her children.
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| The wedding of Robert (Bob) Cobb and Alice M Gardner. Waipawa, 1907. Back row: George Arrow, Mary Hazelhurst (nee Gardner), Robert (Bob) Cobb, Alice Cobb (nee Gardner), Mabel Gardner, Thomas Smith Jnr, Emily Gardner Front row: Clara Arrow (nee Gardner) with daughter Joyce Arrow, Jane Smith (nee Simmons), and sitting on the ground is Fred Smith. Photo taken by Mrs Cobb. (Photo courtesy of G J Bland) |
Emily married John (Jack) Barnes (? - 7 Aug 1964) in 1909
Jane's mother-in-law, Mary Gardner died in Christchurch on 27 April 1910. She was 85. the following year on 3 December 1911, her father-in-law, William Gardner died in Tinwald, Canterbury, aged 91.
NZ Electoral Roll 1914 shows Jane living in Waipawa, Married.
Jane formally joined the Salvation Army Church on 23 July 1915 under the surname Gardner. The following photograph is taken from the Waipawa Corp Solders' Roll, the official church register:
Youngest daughter, Mabel Gardner, married Scotsman James Preacher (14 July 1883 - 5 Oct 1918) on 11 November 1915 in Waipukurau.
Son Fred enlisted for war on 6 March 1916, aged 25, listing his mother, 'Mrs T Smith' of Waipawa, as his next of kin. He served as a Private with the 14th Reinforcements Wellington Infantry Battalion, B Company. Fred departed from Wellington on 26 June 1916 on the troopship 'Maunganui' bound for Devonport, England.
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| Fred Smith prior to departing for the war. Photo take by Mrs Cobb, Napier & Hastings. Date unknown, but probably 1916. (Photo courtesy of G J Bland) |
The end of an era
Jane Smith died on 9 January 1917, aged 60. She was buried with her first husband, George Gardner, at the Waipawa Cemetery, Plot 046.
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| The Gardner grave in Waipawa Cemetery. Photo by K Bland 2015 |
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| The gravestone of George and Jane Gardner at the Waipawa Cemetery. Photo by K Bland 2015 |
The Salvation Army publication, The War Cry, 15 December 1917, published the following tribute to Jane:
Bibliography
Anonymous. (1917, December 15). Waipawa - A Comrade Promoted to Glory
The War Cry. From Heritage Centre and Archives Te Rua Mahara o te Ope Whakaora, The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. May 2018
Other sources of Information
- Papers Past
- Ancestry.com
- Family records courtesy of G J Bland
- Heritage Centre and Archives Te Rua Mahara o te Ope Whakaora, The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. May 2018
Last updated on 27 December 2019
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