THOMAS YORSTON FINDLATER - SS Arawa - Jan 1922
Thomas Yorston FINDLATER was born in 1895 in the parish of Kirkwall & St Ola, on the island of Orkney, Scotland. He was the fifth of seven children born to George FINDLATER & Margaret YORSTON.
Thomas married Elizabeth Jane BORWICK (#16 on our list) on 18th November 1920 at Linneth Corrigall in the parish of Harray on the island of Orkney, Scotland. On their marriage record he is noted as being a "Farm Servant".
Thomas sailed from Southampton on 1st December 1921 aboard the SS Arawa and landed in Wellington on 11th January 1922. On the passenger manifest he is noted as a "farmer". Elizabeth Jane followed him to New Zealand on-board the SS Otarama, landing in Auckland on 31st December 1922. Elizabeth is noted as being a "Housewife" on the passenger manifest. Why did they travel separately is a question that I haven't yet got an answer for.
However, having been re-united, their marriage did not last as they were divorced in 1926. The Decree Nisi was granted on 26th May 1926 and the Decree Absolute on 28th August 1926. The reason given is that "Thomas Yorston FINDLATER wilfully deserted Elizabeth Jane FINDLATER for a period of three years and upwards". The "desertion" started on 30th January 1923 i.e. barely a year after they had been re-united.
According to the official New Zealand BDM records Thomas and Elizabeth had at least one child in New Zealand, who was stillborn on 7th Dec 1926. It is unlikely that Thomas was the father of this child despite the official record.
Thomas married a second time to Mary MATHERS on 1st Nov 1926. The marriage would have to be after the Decree Absolute was issued so Mary must have been pregnant at the time of the marriage. Mary MATHERS arrived in Auckland on 26th Feb 1924 aboard the SS Tainui which had left Southampton on 18th January 1924. Mary was born in New Byth, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She is noted as being a "Domestic" on the passenger manifest.
Thomas and Mary appear to have had only one child:
1) Margaret Doreen FINDLATER (b: 21st March 1927 d: 3rd July 2013). Margaret married Raymond MALLETT in 1951. Raymond pre-deceased Margaret on 22nd November 1997 (age 72) and they are both buried in the Whenua Tapu Cemetery, Pukerua Bay, Porirua.
Thomas died on 4th Oct 1963 and was buried in Porirua Cemetery. Mary died on 28th Feb 1968 (aged 75) and is buried in the same plot as her husband Thomas.
Elizabeth Jane was married twice more. Firstly to Pani Vincent Morris in 1938 and secondly to Ruapena Tumataroa Nehemia in 1944. She died on 23rd September 1968 and is buried in Omaka Cemetery, Blenhem, Marlborough. It should be noted that she changed her name to Flett in 1928 but actually used her maiden name of Borwick when she got married in 1938. As another note the stillborn child from 1926 is also buried in Omaka cemetery but under the surname of Fleet which I assume was meant to be Flett.
Strange coincidence #1 - Thomas Yorston FINDLATER's paternal great-grandparents were John FINDLATER and Mary Anne MATHERS, who were married in New Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Is there some conection between the two Mary MATHERS? I will need to do some more research.
Strange coincidence #2 - John FINDLATER was actually born in the small parish of King Edward, Aberdeenshire, Scotland which is where some of my ancestors came from. But I haven't yet established a link.
Note that the family tree for Thomas Yorston FINDLATER has not yet been completed nor has it been uploaded into the webtrees software.
