THE FINDLATERS FROM ECHT - PART 1
ROBERT WILLIAM FINDLATER - REMUERA - 1924
Robert William Findlater was born on 27th July 1896 in Echt, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was the eldest of the six children of William FINDLATER (from Forglen, Banffshire, Scotland) and Mary Gerrie KINGHORN from Echt.
Robert married Margaret Jane MASSON on 14th March 1919 in Aberdeen, Scotland after he was discharged from his service in the Gordon Highlanders during WW1.
Robert & Margaret Jane had two children in Scotland, James Robert (born 10th July 1919) and Margaret Jane (born 15th April 1921). A third child, Forbes William, was born on 30th September 1930 in New Zealand.
Robert and his family sailed from Southampton, England on 17th January 1924 aboard the SS Remuera and landed in Wellington on 28th February 1924. On the ship's passenger manifest he is described as a "Farmer".
On the initial electoral rolls after their arrival Robert is usually described as a "labourer" but eventually he becomes a "Shepherd" which is how he is described at the time of his death on 12th November 1978. He is buried in Middlemarch Cemetery in Otago, New Zealand. Margaret Jane had predeceased him on 3rd Nvember 1964 and she is also buried in Middlemarch Cemetery.
Of their children:
James Robert FINDLATER married Vera Joyce FERNIE in 1942. James died on 12th January 1979 and his ashes are buried in Picton Cemetery, Picton, Marlborough, New Zealand.
Vera Joyce died on 18th September 2015 at the age of 94, and at the time of her death, the extended family of James & Joyce was noted as having included four children, thirteen grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Margaret Jane FINDLATER married Frederick James DRIVER in 1943. Margaret Jane & Frederick James had six children. "Jim" was the owner of the concrete works in Middlemarch for many years and then moved to Moeraki and became a fisherman. He died on 21st October 1987 aged 67 years. "Peg" died in Dunedin on 26th May 2005.
Forbes William FINDLATER married Private in 1968. Bill (as he was known) was a carpenter all his life and he died in Dunedin on 20th December 2012. His ashes are buried in Middlemarch cemetery.
Note that the family tree for Robert William FINDLATER has not yet been completed nor uploaded to the webtrees software.
