Ann (Anna, Annie) Belliss, arrived in Otago on the Aldinga 1862 as a child

1856 - 1863  (7 years)

• Name	Ann (Anna, Annie) Belliss
  Suffix	arrived in Otago on the Aldinga 1862 as a child
  Born	11 Feb 1856	Woodend, Victoria, Australia
  	Births in the District of Kyneton Ann Belliss born 11 Feb 1856 at Woodend Father: James Belliss age 22 farmer born Shrewsbury, England Married 1854 at Melbourne, issue living and deceased: 1 alive Mother: Rosanna Galbraith, age 25, born Galway, Ireland Signature, description and residence of informant: James Belliss, Woodend Registered 22 Jul 1856 Witness: Mrs Marryat, certified by father
  Gender	Female
  Event:	17 Jun 1862	Annie arrives in NZ with her uncle James Galbraith who had been on a trip to Victoria
  	The Galbraiths returned to New Zealand on the Aldinga from Melbourne, arriving at Port Chalmers on 17 Jun 1862, the passenger list including in the fore-cabin: Mr, Mrs and Miss Galbraith and servant girl. [Otago Daily Times 18 Jun 1862]. Either the daughter mentioned, or the servant girl, is the niece of James, Ann Belliss, who we know went to NZ as a girl with her uncle James Galbraith and the date accords with Annie's stated length of residence as given by presumably James in her burial record in 1863..
  Died	Sep 1863	At the home of Charles Hammond, Mt Pleasant, Sawyers Bay (near Dunedin), Otago, New Zealand
  	DIED... At the residence of Mr Charles Hammond, Mount Pleasant, Port Chalmers, Annie Belless [sic], aged 7 years, niece of Mr J. Galbraith, Junction Hotel. [Otago Daily Times 7 Sep 1863]
  Event:	28 Aug 1890	Letter from James Galbraith (1825-1892), London, UK, to his nephew James Bellis (1857-1934), NZ. James had clearly written to his uncle in London, asking for a loan, after leaving working at the Seacliff Asylum and perhaps softening his request by asking for information about his parents. James’s reaction to his nephew leaving paid employment is certainly very forthright! The letter mentions James Belliss’s parents, sister, step-father and half-sister.
  	67 Redcliffe Gardens London Augt. 28th 1890. Dear Nephew I received your letter and I would have answered it before now. I have not been well since I had Influenza last February and I am still suffering from its effects, if I do not feel any better before the winter sets in I intend coming out [to NZ]. I think the voyage will do me good. I am sorry to hear that you left the Asylum [Seacliff Asylum, Otago] and more especially you being a marryman [married man] with a family. I think you make a great mistake throwing up a certain salary for an uncertain one, because you could not stand the discipline. I never heard such a foolish excuse in my life. When I was your age I had to put up with discipline in the navy and I did not feel it any way annoying to be under it. Indeed, it did me a lot of good, to obey my superiors. However you always liked to be your own master and you have to bear the consequences if you don't succeed. Now with regard to your request to lend you Eighty or a Hundred pounds, I am sorry I am not able to comply with your request. It takes all my income to support my family, indeed I had to curtail my expenses in every way. All my rents [in Dunedin, NZ] I had to reduce and lately two of my tenants has [sic – have] failed to get clear of their leases, although I reduced their rents when I was out [on his last trip to NZ]. You want to know if I could introduce you to some of [the] Ch.Ch [Christchurch], merchants, I am sorry to say I do not know anyone in the place except Mr. Joyce, the Solicitor, and I am not on the best of terms with him. I believe his family is at Lyttleton but he has an office in Ch.Ch. [James Belliss was clearly considering a move to Christchurch] Now, with regard to your parents [James’s sister, Rose Galbraith, and her first husband, James Johnson Belliss], it is quite right that you should know all about them. I am sorry to say I know very little about your father’s friends. He married your mother, my sister, I believe near the Black Forest [Victoria, Australia], and kept a dairy farm not far from Harper Hotel at the latter place. I called to see them once. I thought they were very comfortable. I did not correspond with them. When I was living at Port Chalmers, a policeman that came from that quarter told me that your father James Belliss was killed, I believe, in 1858. He was driving cattle in to his stockyard, two of the beasts escaped, he went out again after them but he never returned, his body was not found for 6 weeks although they searched every day. At last they found it laying close to a tree. I believe he was killed by a branch of a tree that struck him on the head when riding under it. That is all I can tell you about your father. Your mother, after a time, removed to Kyneton, a town not far from the Black Forest and kept boarders. I believe Mr. George McLean stayed with her until he came to New Zealand. I left the Port Chalmers Hotel we went to Melbourne and on to Kyneton to see her. I found she was marryed to Donnelly, May’s father, a Surveyor, and he had a good situation from the Road board. But unfortunately he took to drink and I believe lost his situation, got into difficulties and had to leave the place. I knew nothing about Donnelly. He seemed a nice gentleman during our stay with them. When we were leaving, I got your mother to let us take your sister Anna with us, when she told me that she was not happy. Poor Anna died while on a visit to grandfather [James’s father-in-law, Charles Hammond] at Mount Pleasant. I never heard from your mother until she arrived in N.Z. that her husband was dead. I think she told me they were living in Queensland. After staying with us for a short time, she went up to diggings with May. I heard nothing from her until I got a Telegram from the matron of the Dunstan Hospital that she was dead. I went up and made arrangements for the funeral and she was buried next day. I brought May back with me. You were either staying with me or at school at the Halfway Bush [near Dunedin] with Mr. MacLaughlin at the time. I heard from your mother that your father's friends lived in Wellington in Shropshire. When I came to England I called on my way to see your uncle at the former place. I stayed one night at an Hotel he came to see me [at] with his family. I made a little enquiry [of] your father’s friends. I was told he had two aunts living close by, but I did not see them. I believe they were pretty comfortable. I wanted him to get his aunts to take you and I would pay your passage home [to England] but he told me that you were better [to] remain in the Colonies. As for himself, he had a situation in [a] bank for some years, but it lately failed and he was out of a situation. He promised to write to me to the Clee Hill, where I was staying with Mr. Hammond’s friends, but he has never done so. I have no more information about your friend. Aunt & your cousins send their love to you. I am your afft. Uncle Jas Galbraith
  Buried	Port Chalmers Old Cemetery, Otago, New Zealand
  	Port Chalmers Cemetery burial records: Plot 35 Annie Bellies 1863 age 7. Also buried in this plot is her first cousin (daughter of her uncle James Galbraith), Mary Ann Galbraith 1866 age 14 months. Plot 35 Class 1: Annie Bellies, died 6 Sep 1863, age 7 years, of inflammation of lungs, resident of Sawyers Bay, born Victoria, last came from Victoria, lived 14 months in Province.
  Person ID	I56	Donald
  Last Modified	14 Feb 2024

  
  

  Father	James Johnson Belliss, accidentally killed by a falling branch while riding,   b. c Aug 1832, Eyton, Shropshire, England ,   d. c 17 Feb 1857, accidentally killed (earlier suspected murdered) - body found in Clowes Forest (now called Tylden), Victoria, Australia  (Age ~ 24 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Rosannah (Rose) Galbraith, Hotelier in Victoria, & on the Otago Goldfields,   b. c 1827, Ballinasloe, Galway, Ireland ,   d. 29 Sep 1868, Dunstan Hospital, Clyde, Central Otago, New Zealand  (Age ~ 41 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Married	25 Oct 1854	St Francis RC Church, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  	Marriage certificate: Married 25th Oct 1854 at St Francis Church, Melbourne. James John Belliss, bachelor, birth place [Shrewsbury?], England, farmer, age 21, residence Five Mile Creek, Woodend, father William Belliss, farmer, mother Harriet Johnson. Rosanna Galbraith, spinster, born [Ballinasloe?], Ireland, age 22, residence Little Lordsdale [Lonsdale?] Street, Melbourne, father John Galbraith, carpenter, mother Mary Adams. I Rosanna Galbraith certify that I am a member of the R. Catholic Church. Married in the church of St Francis, Melbourne. The marriage was solemnized between us (signed) James John Belliss, (signed) Rosannah Galbraith, according to the rites of the R. Catholic Church before me James B Hayes, officiating minister, in the presence of us (signed) Michael Hayes, (X her mark) Sarah Hayes.
  Family ID	F17	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart