Samuel Meagher Hutchinson : Short Biography

Samuel Meagher Hutchinson

St Andrews (RC) Parish

Samuel Meagher Hutchinson was born in Dublin, Ireland abt 1842. His father John married Julia Maher at St Andrews, Westland Row on 17 November 1837.(Parish record). Julia’s brother was Alderman William Meagher who later became Lord Major on Dublin in 1884. Their first child was baptized Ellen Theresa in 1840 (Parish record) at the time John was Assistant Librarian at the Dublin Library Society. I have little other information on John or Julia and to date have not located the baptism of Samuel Meagher.

Samuel arrived in New Zealand about 1862. Ship & exact date unknown but in 1886 the Addresses (or acknowledgement) to Sir George Grey to mark his 74th birthday (April 14 1886) list S M Hutchinson as having arrived in 1862.

In 1867 gold was discovered at Thames on the Coromandel Peninsular. The gold rush was massive and in 1868 there were 18,000 inhabitants and 100 hotels! Thames became the second largest town in New Zealand.

At some point Samuel joined the rush as on 16 Oct 1873 he was working in the Caledonia Mine (one of the three richest mines) when there was an incident. The Daily Southern Cross reported a detailed account of a gas leak in the mine and that Samuel Hutchinson, who was working in the Caledonian No 4 winze, had a narrow escape from death.

Samuel married Margaret Scheidler on 27 Nov 1879 at Thames at St Bridget’s, Roman Catholic Church.  She was 17 and he was 37. (New Zealand Marriage Certificate No 132/1897)

Margaret Scheidler was born in New Zealand in 1862. Her parents were from Bohemia and were on the advance party of Bohemian pioneers immigrating to New Zealand in 1860. Later groups from Bohemia established a settlement at Puhoi, Northland, but Margaret’s parents settled in Matakana and then moved to Thames.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XII, Issue 3490, 18 December 1879, Page 2

 MARRIAGE.

Hutchinson—Scheidler.—November 27, at St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church, Grahamstown, by the Rev. Father O'Reilly, Samuel Meagher Hutchinson, only son of John Hutchinson, Esq., of tbe City of Dublin, formerly Librarian of the Dublin Library, and nephew of Alderman William Meagher,' of the same City, to Margaret, eldest daughter of Mr Martin Scheidler, of the Thames.

 A daughter Mary was born in 1880, and son Patrick in 1882. Both children were baptized in Thames by Patrick O’Reilly who was a parish priest in Thames for many years.

In March 1884 Samuel and Margaret went north to Coromandel when Samuel was appointed mine manager of the Mariebel gold mining Company at the Tiki. A second son William was born at Coromandel on 24 Sept 1884.When he was baptised on 12 October 1884 his godparents were recorded as William Meagher and Marianne Meagher of Dublin. (note Mary Anne was Williams wife, so assume a misspell). At this time William Meagher was Lord Mayor of Dublin. (from “The Bishop’s House” Auckland – Roman Catholic Records)

The family was still in Coromandel in February 1886 when Samuel chaired a meeting where Mr Cadman (Member of Parliament) addressed local constituents and was reported at great length in the Te Aroha News of 20 Feb 1886.

They had returned to Thames by 1888 when a third son Samuel Martin was born, but he died of meningitis at age 18 months.

Conditions in the gold mine tunnels were appalling, as miners were constantly wet from underground water and dust from shattered rock. Tuberculosis was common and claimed the lives of both Samuel in 1889, aged 47, and Margaret in 1894, age 32.

At the time of Samuels death an obituary reported Samuel was well known and much respected member of the community, and when Margaret died a public collection was taken up to help support the children Mary (age 14), Patrick (12), William (10).

My grandfather, William was taken in by the local chemist and went on to have a career in the food industry with his most significant achievement being the 1915 startup and then management of the first vinegar production plant in New Zealand (reported Evening Star Feb 1915)