David Griffiths

Notes:

Notes by David J. Griffith
...On the 10th of December 1930, Rexiter John James Griffiths, aged 28, a Carrier and bachelor, married Eileen Nora Ritchie, a spinster age 22, at St. Patrick's Basilic.
...In the 1930's Rex had a carrier busiess carting fish. Then worked in Wet Fish shop at Rattray St. in Dunedin; worked there for many years before going to Otago Fruit and Produce at Bond & Crawford Sts. One of his duties was to ripen bananas. From there he worked for the Restaurant, Hotel, and Hospital Workers Union until he retired.

Rexiter married Eileen Nora Ritchie on 10 Dec 1930 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Eileen was born on 30 May 1908 in Dunedin, New Zealand; was christened in 1908 in Dunedin, New Zealand; died on 20 Mar 1978 in Dunedin, New Zealand; was buried on 22 Mar 1978 in Anderson's Bay, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Notes by David J. Griffiths
...Eileen used to holiday in Naseby, staying at the boarding house run by a Mrs. Brown. Among the crowd was Reta Whelan and Rex Griffiths. On 30th May 1908 she married Rexiter John James Griffiths. The built a brick home in Look-Out Point, Riselaw Road, although there was an inside toilet it was many years before it was connected, therefore they used an outside toilet. Risela Road was o the edge of the then city on the top of the hill. On the other side of the road were paddocks where wheat was grown; sowed by casting and reaped by hand.
...In 1939 there was a great snow fall and the snow covered the ground up to the fences, hiding any cars that were parked. David and Bryan were born while living there. It was not unusual to see Bryan in the push chair, with David standing on the back, being pushed up the hill from Caversham Terminus by Eileen. She did this to save a penny bus fare. Eileen and the boys would, on Sunday, walk to St. Patricks for Mass and work back, sometimes stopping at a dairy at Caversham for Ice Cream that was required by law to be eaten in the shop. Progress came in the form of new roads being made on the town side of Riselaw Road; the contractor boarded with the Griffiths.
...At the start of the war they moved to Atkinson Street, South Dunedin, between Oxford and Melboourne Street. Russel and Dawn were born here, and Bryan was married at St. Patricks. Eileen's mother was getting old, so the Griffiths shifted again to Ascot Street, St. Kilda, to a house that had a separate living area, which Eileen's mother came to live in. Russel, Dawn and David were married while living here.

Christened:
St. Patricks Church

Notes:

Notes by David J. Griffiths
...After the death of his parents the family split up and David Edward, who would have been aged 10, milked cows for a Mr. Anderson, farmer at Blackstone Hill. He walked to Hills Creek School. In 1899 David Edward Griffiths was shown in the General Roll as living at Wedderburn.
...David ran a carrying business for old Jim Botting in Naseby for 25/ a month, later moved to Omakau and Chatto Creek working on the Railway to Alexandra where he was an Inspector. Then on to Dunedin where he worked on the wharf and in 1919 Roll is show with Margaret living at 9 Thomas Burn St., Dunedin. He stayed there until retirement, then lived in Wedderburn until they got a Pensioner Flat in 275 Melbourne Street, Dunedin. On his death certificate it shows his mother as Louisa Ann Griffiths.

David married Margaret Beck on 28 Mar 1900 in Naseby, Central Otago, New Zealand. Margaret (daughter of James Beck and Eliza Jane Nisbitt) was born on 9 Jun 1880 in Naseby, Central Otago, New Zealand; was christened on 9 Jul 1882 in Naseby, New Zealand; died on 1 Jan 1962 in Dunedin, New Zealand; was buried on 3 Jan 1962 in Anderson's Bay, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 9 Jul 1882, Naseby, New Zealand; Address:
  St. George's Church of England

Notes:

Notes by David J. Griffith
...Unable to find birth register, but Certificate of Baptism shows Margaret was born 9 June 1880 and baptized 9 July 1882 at St. George's Church of England, Naseby. Margaret's mother died at age 38 when Margaret was aged 4 and was lookd after by her sister Anne, then Mrs. Bush. Anne had a daughter of her own, Hannah, known to me as Aunty Hannah. Margaret started school at the same time as Hannah in January 1890.
...It was the 28th of March 1900 that David Edward Griffiths, a Carrier and Bachelor of Cambrian, married Margaret Beck, a spinster of Naseby. He asked Margaret to marry him on the road into Naseby.

Notes:

...Both James and Eliza, before they were married, lived at Irish Street in Rich Hill. James was age 18 when he married and lived in Rich Hill, a post-town in that part of the Parish of Kilmore, which is in the Barony of O'Neiland West, County Armagh, 4 miles NE from Armagh and 64 miles NW from Dublin on the old road from Armagh to Belfast. Containing 937 inhabitants in 1837; the town is situated on the river Tallwater, in the heart of a rich agricultural and populous manufacturing district, and from its elevated situation has an interesting appearance.
...James and Eliza came out from Ireland to New Zealand, in the Jessie Osbourne, setting off on 6 November 1875, and arrived in Lyttleton on 30 January 1876. With them were: Annie, age 10; William, age 7; Margaret, age 4; and Thomas, age 3 months. (What happened to Margaret and Thomas? Were they the children that were reported sick and died on board the Jessie Osbourne?)
...James' cousins, Adam and Lucinda, and Aunty Ann (nee Falloon) were already in Christchurch having come out in 1873.

James married Eliza Jane Nisbitt on 2 Dec 1864 in Rich Hill, County Armagh, Ireland. Eliza was born in 1847 in Rich Hill, County Armagh, Ireland; died on 20 Feb 1885 in Naseby, Central Otago, New Zealand; was buried on 21 Feb 1885 in Naseby, Central Otago, New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Eliza Jane Beck died 20 February 1886 at the age of 38, in Naseby. The death registry shows under Cause of Death "Verdict of Jury - Died from Heart Disease (Had been drinking).' Family tradition is that she died as a result of falling into the gutter outside the hotel.