Martin: Born 1847 in the Townland of Burgesbeg (Burgess) In County Tipperary, In the Barony of Owney & Arra, the Parish [secular] of Burgesbeg, and poor law union of Nenagh.
Martin's father was William Hogan a Farmer in Tipperary. William was married to Mary (Bonfield). The number of children in this family was 10. William has been variously described as a Farmer [Martins Marriage Cert], and Quarry worker [Martins death certificate]. There are stories at this point unsubstantiated that William was killd in an accident in the quarry. Unlike William, Mary's maiden name (Bonfield) is a very uncommon name, centred in Limerick and Clare. This information, gained at the heritage center in Nenagh, is in conflict to the details on their son Martins marriage certificate. On this certificate he lists his mother's maiden name as Seymour.
There is a possibility that they moved to England, as It appears from two England census that a William and Mary and children of the same names moved to Lancashire just north of Manchester to a small town called Burnley William was noted in the census as a stonemason which would tie up with Martins wedding certificate.
There is a record of a Mary and a William Hogan buried in Burnley cemetery.
The Famine, an infamous period in Irish history, which occurred from 1845 - 1855, would have just finished at this time. It is hard to imagine what life must have been like for this family in rural Ireland. We can only surmise at the situation that caused Martin to leave home. These circumstances caused this 22 year old to leave via Plymouth, aboard the 'Waikato,' a 1021 ton ship owned by the New Zealand shipping co, on 1st November 1878. The ship arrived at Lyttelton on the 18th January 1879. An article in the Lyttelton Times dated January 20 1879 states, 'splendid weather having been experienced throughout the passage, the topsails never having been reefed once for the wind.' It appears that Martin disembarked at Timaru and made his way to Waimate where he settled. Between his arrival and 1884, Martin met Mary Cleaves. They were married on 3rd September 1884 at St Patricks Church Waimate.
Martin is listed as a labourer during this period his address given as, Norton Reserve, (Porridge Gully) approx. 2km out of Waimate and Mary's father is listed on the Electoral rolls of the time as a Horse Breaker. This family ultimately grew to 16 with 14 children surviving to adulthood. The 4th of these children was Michael Francis born in 1890. Martin was working as a roadman during this period and consequently was away from home for considerable periods of time, therefore leaving Mary on her own to bring up the children. In 1900 they purchased 10 acres in an area referred to as Porridge Gulley, where after a short period a small house was built. On the 10 acres raspberries and peas were grown to sell on the Timaru and Dunedin markets. He was described as a Jolly person with a keen sense of humour. Stories relate how he was able to visit the local hostelry with the knowledge that his horse knew the way so well that it was able to take him home afterwards. Mary was a very homely person and was remembered for her smoking a corn pipe; they grew their own tobacco at Waimate. She suffered from arthritis very badly and her mother came over from South Australia to help her. Mary died on 16th December 1920 aged 53, Martin living for a further 9 years,
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 12th Nov 1847 | |
| Date of Death | 17th Nov 1929 | |
