charles walter donald ward and martha douglas howie...(details from martha ward death certificate.)...
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Charles Walter Donald Ward and Martha Douglas Howie
Our person of interest in the family of Joseph and Mary Ward is the eldest son,
Charles Walter Donald Ward, who was born in Christchurch around 1855.
He married Martha Douglas Howie on 24th March 1875 at Oamaru.
The 1870 and 1876 electoral rolls tell us that Charles had been living in a “thatched
house” at Pomaka in the district of Waikaia in central Southland, inland from Dunedin,
and another document ( “Application to Marry”, see appendix) states that in 1874 he had
been residing in Maerewhenua (an inland district some distance from Hampden.)
Martha Douglas Howie was the daughter of Thomas Howie and Martha (nee Sloane.)
She was born in Hampden in the mid to late 1850’s, quite possibly around 1859. (Details from Martha Ward death certificate.)
In 1872, when Martha was in her early teens, she had been apprehended for
“loitering” in Dunedin City. The police were reluctant to charge her with vagrancy.
Evidently she had previously been an inmate of the Dunedin Industrial School, a not
uncommon arrangement for vagrant children in Dunedin at that time.
The only reason she was not sent back there was because the judge was convinced
(possibly wrongly) that she was now over the age of 15.
The Judge himself provided funds and arranged to send her back to Hamden.
Otago Daily Times , Issue 3355, 6 November 1872, Page 2
Two years later, on 24th March 1875, Martha Howie and Charles Walter Donald
Ward were married. Charles was 20, so an application for consent to marry was
required. The consent was given by Charles’s mother (see Appendix).
This requirement is remarkable, because Martha herself was probably only about 16
at the time, but was recorded on the marriage certificate as being “full age.”
(See certificate below.)
Neither Charles nor Martha was able to write their name on the certificate.
Mary Truman Ward, also illiterate, was (evidently wrongly) recorded as “widow”.
From 1880 onwards Charles was registered on the electoral roll in Hampden,
occupation: labourer.
Women received the right to vote in 1893, and from 1896 Martha’s name appears on
the electoral roll in Hampden, together with Charles.
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Marriage of Charles Walter Donald Ward and Martha Douglas Howie.
Martha died in January 1937 and on her death it was recorded that she was 78 years of
age, and that she had been just 16 years of age when she married Charles.
(From which we may infer that her date of birth was probably around 1858/59.)
The name “Charles” has been prefixed to the name of Thomas Howie. This may have been a clerical error or a misunderstanding
on the part of the informant, as no other instance has been found of Thomas being referred to as “Charles Thomas Howie.
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Charles Walter Douglas Ward, and Martha Douglas Howie had the following children:
William Farley Ward (born in 1876 ) BDM online
Martha Matilda Ward (born 1878) BDM online
Mary Ward (born 1880) BDM online
Ellen Ward (born 1882) BDM online
Charles Walter Ward (born 1884) BDM online
Ethel May Ward (born 1887) BDM online
Leonard John Douglas Ward (born 1890) BDM online
Oliver James Ward (born 1892) BDM onlne
Florence Gertrude (born 1896) BDM online
William Farley Ward and his brothers and sisters grew up in Hampden, and all
attended Hampden school. The Waitaki District Archive at North Otago Museum,
Oamaru, has a spreadsheet of entries from the old Hampden School records.
A search between 1879 and 1930 retrieved the following children whose parent was
Charles Ward:
ISS Date Forename Address Birth date last school Last Day Destination
14 Oct 1899 Charles Hampden 01 Nov 1884 18 Nov 1898 Roaming at large
12 Dec 1901 Douglas 12 Dec 1889 Christchurch 17 Dec 1904 Work
28 Jan 1895 Douglass Hampden 12 Dec 1889 24 Jul 1891 Christchurch
31 Jan 1888 Ellen Hampden 24 Jan 1882 5 Aug 1898 Left School
09 Feb 1899 Ellen Hampden 25 Jan 1882 31 May 1899 Working at home
26 Feb 1892 Ethel Hampden 19 Aug 1897 12 June 1901 Christchurch
11 Feb 1902 Ethel Hampden 19 Aug 1897 29 Sep 1903 Dressmaking
08 Oct 1900 Florence 17 Nov 1895 24 July 1901 Christchurch
02 Dec 1901 Florence 17 Nov 1895 Christchurch 20 Sep 1907 Ill health
03 Feb 1908 Florence Hampden 17 Nov 1895 07 Sep 1909 Home
05 Jan 1885 Mary Hampden 05 Mar 1880 30 Mar 1894 Left School
25 Jan 1887 Matilda Hampden 13 Jan 1877 25 Jan 1891 Home duties
15 Jan 1883 Matilda(Martha) Hampden 13 Jan 1878 7 Removed from cl
05 Apr 1897 Oliver Hampden 29 Mar 1892 02 Aug 1901 Christchurch
William Hampden 09 Jan 1876 03 Apr 1889 Left School
Oamaru Museum Waitaki District Archive 3798 Said to be Hampden School 1890s
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William Farley Ward had left school by 1889, however it is more than likely that his
brothers and sisters are all present here somewhere, dressed up in their best clothes.
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Howie and Ward children at Hampden School.
(The Howies are the children of David Sloan Howie, brother of Martha (Howie) Ward)
From the abbreviated Hampden School enrolment spreadsheet, Douglas Ward and
Florence Ward appear to have had a temporary period in school in Christchurch, and
Oliver Ward went to Christchurch after leaving Hampden school.
It is quite possible they were staying with relatives from Ward families who had
settled permanently in Christchurch
…………………………………………………
A police matter occurred in 1895 which involved Martha and other members of the
family. A man named Aitcheson was accused of stealing a quantity of honey, to the
value of one pound ten shillings, and Martha was accused of receiving it, knowing it
to be stolen.
Martha’s son William (Farley) Ward, who may also have been involved, gave
evidence, as did her daughter Mary, who was not involved.
Martha flatly denied the charge, and husband Charles gave evidence in her defence.
However Levi Ward, (a brother of Charles) gave evidence for the prosecution.
The judge (who made it clear he thought the accused were guilty), reluctantly
dismissed the case.
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Martha Douglas Ward (nee Howie) died in 1937.
(NZ BDM: 1937/21937 Ward Martha Douglass 78Y)
(More background details relating to the Howie family are given in Appendix 3.)
Charles Walter Donald Ward died in 1939 in Otakau and was buried in Hampden.
(See death certificate Appendix )
