I’ve always been rather proud of the fact that my Mother’s mother came from a family who were original settlers of Dunedin, and that on that side of the family I am a fifth generation New Zealander. On the other hand I am grateful to my grandfather on my father’s side of the family, Tippett, for being born in Cornwall, which gave me patriarch citizenship when I decided to live in Britain.
The main focus of my visit to New Zealand on this occasion has been to catch up with as many family members and friends as I could. In addition I have been tracing family roots on my mother’s side of the family.
My Great, Great, Grandfather was George Hepburn, born in Fifeshire, Scotland in 1803. He emigrated in 1850 with his wife Rachel and a number of children aboard the “Poictiers” and arrived at Port Chalmers, the port for Dunedin, on 4th September 1850.
He was a prominent citizen in the early days of Dunedin and was an elder of the Presbyterian Church. He is buried at Southern Cemetry in Dunedin in the family plot.
His youngest son, Andrew, was my Great Grandfather, who was born in 1847 and died in 1929.
He married Janet Nimmo Healey on 19th July 1872 at St Andrew’s church, Dunedin.
Janet died aged 30 on 6 June 1883 after bearing six children.. Their eldest daughter, Catherine Healey Hepburn was my Grandmother, born in 1872 and she married George Porteous in 1898
George and Catherine had seven children. My mother Ruth, was the second to youngest.
John, Alice, GrannyE, Rose, Kathleen( Behind), George Senior, Irene(back) Ruth(front) Catherine nee Hepburn, Fred, George behind Fred
My cousin Wayne and I spent yesterday in the Early Settlers Museum, Toitu. While a couple of the Hepburn boys, who were sons of George were thrown from horses and killed, the girls married into quite wealthy and prestigious families.
Jessie Sinclair Hepburn, born 1843 married Robert Arthur Lawson in 1864. Her husband designed Knox Church, the first church in Dunedin, Larnach Castle and Otago Boys High School.
My Great Grandfather, Andrew was a founding student of Otago Boys’ High School when it opened in 1863. However, the first site was further down the hill and subsequently demolished. His sister Rachel married William Downie Stewart on 29 October 1868. She had five children and died at the age of 33 on 11 November 1878
Their daughter, Rachelina is also buried with them at Southern Cemetery.
Rachel Hepburn and William Downie Stewart had a son, William Downie Stewart, born 1877 and he wrote a diary about the Hepburn family, their journey from England to New Zealand and the subsequent fortunes of the family. This has been reprinted by Don Hutton a descendent of William Hepburn, son of George and brother of Andrew, born 2 May 1834 and died 29 September 1887.
The reprint by Don Hutton is now available on line: