Serendipitous Discoveries

Sometimes as we are exploring New Zealand I come across interesting information when I am not expecting to. An example of one of these happy discoveries is when we visited Clendon House in Russell, the home of Captain James Reddy Clendon and his family in the late 1800s. I had a vague idea that there was some connection between the Clendons and the Maxwells. Leafing through Clendon family photographs, copied from the family album, I was excited to discover members of my own family. James Clendon's son was married to my great grandfather's half sister Katie Quigley. In the album were several photographs of Katie's nieces and nephews - photographs of relatives I had never previously seen images of!

Agnes Blair nee Maxwell

Another example of this is when we recently visited Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. This was a holiday which we thoroughly enjoyed as the island has some wonderful walks and a very special quality which leaves you feeling re-energised and ready to go back to busy everyday life. While we waited for our plane on our last day, we explored the local museum. I looked at the wonderful array of artifacts, tools, models and photographs, all the while aware of a nagging feeling that some of the names were familiar and maybe there were some family connections here. Because I had no knowledge of any family at "The Barrier" I had left all of my notes behind. It was only a week or so later that I discovered that one of the first Maxwell's daughters, Agnes, had married a Blair, and that they had indeed lived for many years at Great Barrier Island, only metres as it happens, from where we were staying at Tryphena. Agnes was my great grandfather John's sister.

The moral of the story is to go prepared, research the area you are visiting beforehand just in case so that you can take advantage of your time there. So I guess I'll have to return to The Barrier one day - ah well, I think I can cope with that!