John Woods : Short Biography

John Woods is my great grandfather, he was born 3 May 1864 in the Strabane Workhouse, he had one brother and one sister, they are James Woods born 17 Mar 1862 in Strabane and Sarah Woods born 1860 in Strabane. Their parent are James woods born 1834, Co Tyrone and Jane Gordon was born in 1813, Scotland. John's father, James Woods died of an unknown disease (possibly Typhoid) on 27 January 1864 and by this time Jane Gordon was carrying another child which was John.

I do not know if they kept living in the Workhouse after John was born. 

When John Woods was 14 years old he boarded a ship as a boy seaman and arrived in New Zealand in 1878. He worked as a Dairy Farmer and a Mariner. He married at the age of 26 in Mosgiel, Dunedin, New Zealand to Eliza Jane Mantell on 30 August 1890, she was 16 years old. They had 5 children, 4 boys and one girl. Eliza was born 1873, London, England and came to New Zealand with her parents when she was a baby. Sometime after they went to Wellington to live. He was also a hulk keeper of the Omega Ship at Wellington Wharf, had lost a leg in an accident between the wharf and a ship. At about half past 3 o'clock in the morning on May 17th 1901 Seagers coal hulk Omega was found to be on fire. The Custodian (Woods) and his family were asleep at the time and were taken off by the Union Company's launch. At some part he farmed land out at Ashurst, Manawatu for a while. Further on John bought a house in Johnsonville Wellington, ran a milk run and lived there until his death in 1953, age 88.

After her mother died in October 1874, the other members of the family decided for Sarah Woods to immigrate to New Zealand and to meet up with her Aunt upon arrival. At the age of 14 years, she boarded the passenger ship Eastern Monarch arriving in Lyttleton, New Zealand on the 22nd July 1874. When she arrived there was no Aunt to meet her, but a family of two adults and children came to her aide and asked her to come and live with them.  She met Robert Stretch and married in 1878 at the Waiau Registry Office, Canterbury. They had 14 children together and lived in the Kaikoura, Marlborough district. While they lived in the Canterbury district, Robert worked as a farmer. In 1905 they moved to Te Haroto, Hawkes Bay where Robert was a Station Hand on a farm and in 1911 they moved to Kairanga, Rangitkei, Manawatu , worked as a farmer. Onto Masterton in 1914 and between this year and 1928 they were farming in Te Kuiti, Waikato, until Robert died in 1919 and is buried in the Hamilton Cemetery.  During these years Sarah went to live with her son Arthur Albert Stretch who was also faming in Te Kuiti. Sadly Arthur died of Turburculosis on the 21 Mary 1946, age 65 and Sarah died on the 30 July 1946, age 86. She is buried with her husband Robert.                                         

James Woods remained in Ireland and married Matilda Jane Melon on 17 November 1886, Drumragh, Tyrone. They had five children, two boys and three girls. In the 1901 Census of Ireland Janes and family were living in Mullanatoomog, Mullaghan, Tyrone, he was employed as an Agriculture Labourer. In 1912 James immigrated to New Zealand and set up a home for his family, farming in Ashhurt, Manawatu.In 1915 Matilda and children immigrated and joined James at Ashurst.   James died on the 1st September 1945, age 83.  His wife Matilda died 7 March 1936, both are buried at the Ashurst Cemetery, Manawatu, NZ.

James Woods, father of above children, was born in Strabane, Tyrone about 1834 and died of a disease on the 17 January 1864 in Newtownstewart, Tyrone. N.Ireland. Jane, mother of above children, (Gordon) Woods died 18 October 1874 of Heart Disease at her residence in Thomas Street, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone, N. Ireland