PassengerHistory

Passengers stories

by their descendants.

George, Rosina & baby George Exton

The story of: George and Rosina Exton and baby George, steerage passengers on ticket 6215.

George 21 (born 1844) and Rosina 31 (born May 1834) of Nottingham, boarded the Netherby with their toddler George Thomas Gardner (known as Tom, born 1864) and supplies, with the intention of starting a small store in Sydney.

It is not known if they continued with passengers on the ship City of Melbourne to Brisbane after the shipwreck, or whether they stayed in Melbourne and travelled to NSW from there. (To be confirmed).

18 months after arriving in Australia, daughter Rosina Netherby Exton was born on 3 December 1867 in Camperdown, Sydney NSW.

George became a labourer and the family moved to Auckland, New Zealand around 1873/74 where he worked as a potter.

Daughter Grace Ellen Exton was born in New Zealand in 1874.

Son Richard Wilkie Martin was born in New Zealand in 1876.

George jnr, known as Tom, married Martha Coxhead, daughter of the late William Coxhead of Long Tongue Farm, Matakana Auckland. The wedding took place on 23 March 1888 ay the Ponsonby Baptist Church on Jervois Road, officiated by the Rev. J D Gilmore.

Martha, mother of Sydney Laslett (born 1889), Arnold and Ralph, passed away on 19 September 1943.

George (jnr) Thomas Gardner Exton passed away at Kohimarama in October 1945 and bequeathed one-tenth of an estate valued at 900 pounds to the St Mary’s Home in Otahuha and one-tenth to the Samaritan branch of the Auckland Salvation Army.

George senior died on 26 February 1906 after a long and painful illness, at a property named Netherby at 48 New North Road, Rooky Nook.

Rosina senior lived a long life. The New Zealand Herald reports that her 90th birthday was celebrated on Friday 2 May 1924 with a large gathering at Edenvale. Rosina passed away at 95 on 30 May 1928 and was described in her death notice as “a most unselfish mother”. She passed away as the result of a fractured hip sustained in a fall on Monday 28 May 1928 at her home at 17 Kingsland Avenue, Kingsland where she lived with her sister.

Rosina Netherby married Anders Nielsen Olesen in 1891 in Auckland. She named all of her homes Narrabri so the family believes there may be a connection to the town of the same name in NSW.

Rosina Netherby’s eldest daughter Edna Rosina, married Private Stephen James Campbell NZMC, eldest son of Mrs EJ Campbell of Ashfield Sydney. The wedding took place on 26 December 1918 at the Epsom Methodist Church, officiated by the Rev. Percy R Paris. At the time of the Wedding Rosina Netherby and Anders Olesen’s address was Narrabri, Mankua Road Epson, NZ.

Rosina Netherby’s husband Anders passed away age 71 on 21 September 1938.

Rosina Netherby (Exton) Olesen passed away on 8 March 1957 aged 89.

SOURCE: Information and photo from descendant Shari Campbell, great great granddaughter of George & Rosina. (via daughter Rosina Netherby > granddaughter Gladys Beryl Olesen > great grand daughter Noelene Rosemary Wilkinson).

Information also sourced from FamilySearch.org, FindAGrave.com, NSW Births Index, NZ marriage index and New Zealand Papers Past website

by Karina, web admin.