John CROSS' sons from Devon, to South Canterbury New Zealand

John CROSS left his parental home in Axminster Devon and moved to Combeinteignhead (near Exeter) where he married Sarah SETTER in 1855. There they raised fourteen children before Sarah died in 1885 (Brights disease, but probably also exhaustion). By then the five eldest sons had emigrated to Australia and New Zealand, and three more sons eventually migrated to N.Z. In 1905 the eldest son George, by now a land-owning farmer, returned to England (possibly for youngest brother Walter's wedding) and brought his widowed father back to New Zealand. This is some of the family history of the eight migrating brothers:

born.	son		sailed	married	settled at	occupation	children	died	buried
1855	George		1874 Atrato	1876 Mary LEWIS	Arowhenua	farmer	Margaret , George Edward, Joseph John , Robert Lewellyn, Louisa Cath, Cecil Thomas, Ebenezer H, Arnold, Ethel Lily, Edith E J, Thomas David, Stanley Morgan, Gladys Mary	1926	Timaru
1858	Ned (Edward)		1883 Merkara	1881 Annie WARREN	Mackay Queensland	farmer	Florence L, Caroline Mary, Annie Warren, Sarah Elizabeth, Lucy Warren, William Henry, Amelia Jane, Ada Bessie, Alice Beatrice, Edward Elias, John Robert	1923	Mackay, Queensland
1862	William		1883 Merkara	1889 Mary BENBOW	Temuka	contractor	Mabel Beatrice, Bertha Lucy, Ella Mary, Walter Eric Wm., Stanley Benbow, Vera Muriel	1946	Temuka
1864	John jun. (Jack)		1883 Merkara	1899 Margaret RUTTER	Temuka	farmer, carrier	Clarence Errol, Evelyn Malvina, Laurence Henry, Albert Allan, Ronald Ivor, Melva Jean	1949	Temuka
1865	James		1883 Merkara	1891 Elizabeth PREDDY	Temuka, various	farmer, builder, carrier	See CROSS & PREDDY in NZ	1948	Temuka
1870	Robert		c. 1890	1895 Mary DUNFORD	Temuka	farmer, carrier	Herbert Henry, Cyril Charles, Lionel Aug., Standerton Rob, Kathleen Edith, Myrtle Mary, Eileen Lucy, Ronald J., Vivian C	1948	Christchurch
1873	Henry		1903 Ruapehu	1897 Beat. MITCHELMORE (Eng)	Pareora	farmer	Winifred, Henry John	1950	Timaru
1876	Charles		1915 Ionic	1901 Margaret HUGHES (Wales)	Winchester	gardener, dairyman	Thomas Charles, John Henry, Hugh George, Alfred, Margaret Queenie, Edith Mary, Walter Clifford, Gweneth	1952	Christchurch

Ned, William, John jun., and James sailed together on the Merkara to Australia, disembarking at Mackay, but only Ned remained there, the others all finding their way to New Zealand.

John CROSS' New Zealand Descendants

NZ generation 1	NZ generation 2	NZ gen. 3 CROSS sons	NZ gen. 4 CROSS sons
George & Mary	Margaret, George E, Joseph (Jack), Robert L, Louisa, Cecil T, Ebenezer, Ethel, Edith, Thomas D, Stanley M, Gladys	George L, Howard, (Ed)ward J, Douglas, Lloyd W, Robert L, David J, Alister, Stanley R, Sydney, Clifford, Norman, Richard, Evan, Mervyn, Lance, Lloyd G, Arnold, Thomas I,	George E B, Neville W, John E, Allan E, Trevor D, Brian F, John R, Nelson L, Steven B, Adrian J, Brian M, Lewis A, Derek E, Bayne, Phillip, Brendon, Tony, Jamie,
William & Mary	Mabel, Bertha, Ella, Walter E, Stanley B, Vera	Rex, Ian	Stephen, Gary, Darren
John & Margaret	Clarence, Evelyn, Laurence, Albert A, Ronald I, Melva Jean	Brian E, Kevin G, Peter Lindsay, Laurence Ray, Russell A, John Robt., Ronald L,	Richard E, Lindsay D, Michael J, Grant R, Rodrick A, Douglas A, Stuart J, Shawn,
James & Elizabeth	Amelia, Arthur, Harold, Elsie, Florence, Gilbert, Rosina, Francis, Helen . . Family group photo	Vincent, Stuart, Eyon, Bryan A, Trevor, Russell D, Maurice, Lionel R, Edwin, James J, Mervyn J, George T, Douglas G, Keith E, Gilbert C, Bevan J,	Anthony, Richard, Tony, Kevin J, Steven W, William J, Graham L, Anthony E, John Ch., Brent, Daryl, Trevor A, Dwayne, Sean, Nigel P, Vincent G, Barry, Graeme J,
Robert & Mary	Herbert, Cyril, Lionel, Standerton, Kathleen, Myrtle, Eileen, Ronald J, Vivian	Herbert L, Ivanhoe, (Donald) John, Ian Robt, Malcolm R, Graeme C, "Joe" Raymond L,	Daniel J, Bevan T, David J, Gary S, Shayne R,
Henry & Beat.	Winifred, Henry J,	Peter Frederick	Samuel, Nathan, Allen, Lloyd
Charles & Margaret	Thomas C, John H, Hugh G, Margaret, Edith, Walter C, Gweneth	Thomas Ch, Clifford H, Raymond H, Henry G, Herbert J, Desmond H, David L, Malcolm C, Noel A, Mervyn J, Rex W, Gavin G	Graeme J, Brian C, Murray J, Mark, Glen, Michael J, Arthur C, Bruce L, Gordon L, Jonathan, Nigel, Paul S, Gregory D, Timothy, Andrew, Mathew G, Kelvin,

(Children who died in infancy may be omitted) . . . John had two sons who remained in England, but they have only one living male descendant: Robert in Hertfordshire, and he has no surviving son.

(c) 2006 Neville Thomas, webmaster