By NEIL DUDDY - Western Leader | Saturday, 20 December 2008
He was a colourful and well-travelled character who ended up forgotten in an unmarked grave – until now.
American Civil War veteran and diplomat Andrews Andrew St John has finally been acknowledged 106 years after his death.
A headstone was unveiled on his grave at Waikumete Cemetery this month during a service attended by dignitaries from the United States consulate.
Mr St John’s story came to light after investigations by Glendene historical researcher Audrey Lange.
She discovered the unmarked grave last year and began to look into its background.
Her digging unearthed a colourful story.
Mr St John was born in 1835 in Connecticut and was a dentist by profession.
He was 27 when he joined the 141st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment that fought on the union side during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865.
Mr St John was involved in several major incidents during the conflict, including the second Battle of Bull Run and the defence of Washington.
He returned to a dental practice in New York after the war before being appointed to a diplomatic post in Fiji in 1886.
A further stint as American Consul to Indonesia followed in 1893, and he then spent a short period in Australia before shifting to Auckland and retirement in 1894 with his wife and two children.
He died in 1902 and was buried at Waikumete. The remaining family later returned to the United States.
The new headstone on Mr St John’s grave has been provided by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
Ms Lange says it was a special moment to see it unveiled.
"It has taken almost a year from my spotting the grave to this dedication ceremony. It’s great because Mr St John’s family members in America now have closure because they believed he had died somewhere in Fiji."
Mr St John is survived by one granddaughter, Winifred Mont-Eton, now aged 97 and living in California.
There are also several great-grandchildren and their families.
Great-granddaughter Lorry Wagner says the installation of the headstone came as wonderful news.
"I have tears in my eyes and goose bumps all over, and my mom Winifred is speechless and crying too. It’s just overwhelming and I cannot express our thanks and appreciation enough."
American Consul General John Desrocher says the ceremony and headstone were a fitting tribute.
"We are absolutely thrilled and happy to be able to honour one of our own in this way. Diplomats like Mr St John made great sacrifices for their country for very little reward, so we are very grateful to Ms Lange for bringing his story to light so that we can honour him correctly."
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
UK village wants to bring back the donkey
Reuters | Friday, 08 February 2008
What does one do when modern transport just can't get the shopping to the front door?
The central English village of Chalford has decided to take a page from its past by employing donkeys to haul groceries to homes atop a slope so steep that cars can't get to them.
"There's about 30 houses that don't have car access so everyone who lives there has this long, winding, torturous path to climb," resident Anna Usborne said describing the 100m hill.
Usborne is now raising money to buy village donkeys, plans to keep them on her land and to organise volunteers who will guide them up the hill when locals have heavy loads to carry.
Older residents may find the sight conjures up distant memories of the past when donkeys delivering coal and provisions to remote hillside cottages were a common sight.
"They were very much a part of village life," said Usborne of Chalford's donkey past.
"It's touching a note with people, bringing back traditions of the past."
The village has already purchased special panniers in anticipation of the arrival of the donkeys.
Usborne said she needed to raise enough money to buy two donkeys – as one would get lonely – and says they can cost up to stg600 ($NZ1521) each.
The hills in the local area, known as the Cotswolds, may literally be a pain in the back for some Chalford villagers, but for others they are a thrill.
The Cotswolds is also home to the centuries-old annual cheese-rolling contest in which competitors hurl themselves at great speed down a hill in hot pursuit of a wheel of Double Gloucester.
What does one do when modern transport just can't get the shopping to the front door?
The central English village of Chalford has decided to take a page from its past by employing donkeys to haul groceries to homes atop a slope so steep that cars can't get to them.
"There's about 30 houses that don't have car access so everyone who lives there has this long, winding, torturous path to climb," resident Anna Usborne said describing the 100m hill.
Usborne is now raising money to buy village donkeys, plans to keep them on her land and to organise volunteers who will guide them up the hill when locals have heavy loads to carry.
Older residents may find the sight conjures up distant memories of the past when donkeys delivering coal and provisions to remote hillside cottages were a common sight.
"They were very much a part of village life," said Usborne of Chalford's donkey past.
"It's touching a note with people, bringing back traditions of the past."
The village has already purchased special panniers in anticipation of the arrival of the donkeys.
Usborne said she needed to raise enough money to buy two donkeys – as one would get lonely – and says they can cost up to stg600 ($NZ1521) each.
The hills in the local area, known as the Cotswolds, may literally be a pain in the back for some Chalford villagers, but for others they are a thrill.
The Cotswolds is also home to the centuries-old annual cheese-rolling contest in which competitors hurl themselves at great speed down a hill in hot pursuit of a wheel of Double Gloucester.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
After art deco, here comes Victoriana
5:00AM Wednesday January 09, 2008
Gisborne's historic Albert Buildings could be restored to equal the charm of Napier's Daily Telegraph building. Photo / Herald on Sunday
Gisborne has the chance to brand itself the "Victorian City" because of last month's earthquake, says Mayor Meng Foon.
Some buildings are going to need to be replaced and he wants Gisborne to "do a Napier" and try to bring some good out of misfortune.
"I know it has been a disaster for some people, particularly those in homes, and commercial buildings and offices have been affected, but there is always good that comes out of it.
"There is a great opportunity for our commercial sector to take advantage of this, especially with the buildings that have been built with contemporary-type materials like aluminium and tin facades.
"We have some precious architecture of which about 70 to 80 per cent is actually Victorian.
"It would be a shame for those buildings to be put back into their tin-shed profiles."
Mr Foon has spoken to some of the landowners whose buildings suffered substantial damage and has encouraged them to rebuild in the profile of a Victorian-style building.
This did not need to be expensive as they could use modern materials that looked like Victorian buildings, he said.
Mr Foon has written to all the city's architects who would have an influence in the design of the buildings to encourage their clients to build in this profile.
"This would give us a unique place both in New Zealand and in the world as one of the cities that feature a distinct and special type architecture," he said.
"It would give us the ability to attract events and tourism."
He believes the city should follow the example of Napier, which rebuilt itself as the art deco capital of the world after the devastating earthquake in 1931.
"So I hope that the building owners will be persuaded to build in the Victorian form.
"They would not only be contributing to the value of their building but also to the values of our community," he said.
Mr Foon has had a very positive response from the landowners he has approached.
He has also received advice from architects, who have suggested making the new buildings environmentally sustainable by using appropriate building materials that would keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and use natural light to reduce energy consumption as well as solar energy.
Mr Foon said he appreciated those suggestions because they could be incorporated into the urban development strategy the council was preparing.
Commercial buildings would be a key focus of that.
- NZPA
Gisborne's historic Albert Buildings could be restored to equal the charm of Napier's Daily Telegraph building. Photo / Herald on Sunday
Gisborne has the chance to brand itself the "Victorian City" because of last month's earthquake, says Mayor Meng Foon.
Some buildings are going to need to be replaced and he wants Gisborne to "do a Napier" and try to bring some good out of misfortune.
"I know it has been a disaster for some people, particularly those in homes, and commercial buildings and offices have been affected, but there is always good that comes out of it.
"There is a great opportunity for our commercial sector to take advantage of this, especially with the buildings that have been built with contemporary-type materials like aluminium and tin facades.
"We have some precious architecture of which about 70 to 80 per cent is actually Victorian.
"It would be a shame for those buildings to be put back into their tin-shed profiles."
Mr Foon has spoken to some of the landowners whose buildings suffered substantial damage and has encouraged them to rebuild in the profile of a Victorian-style building.
This did not need to be expensive as they could use modern materials that looked like Victorian buildings, he said.
Mr Foon has written to all the city's architects who would have an influence in the design of the buildings to encourage their clients to build in this profile.
"This would give us a unique place both in New Zealand and in the world as one of the cities that feature a distinct and special type architecture," he said.
"It would give us the ability to attract events and tourism."
He believes the city should follow the example of Napier, which rebuilt itself as the art deco capital of the world after the devastating earthquake in 1931.
"So I hope that the building owners will be persuaded to build in the Victorian form.
"They would not only be contributing to the value of their building but also to the values of our community," he said.
Mr Foon has had a very positive response from the landowners he has approached.
He has also received advice from architects, who have suggested making the new buildings environmentally sustainable by using appropriate building materials that would keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and use natural light to reduce energy consumption as well as solar energy.
Mr Foon said he appreciated those suggestions because they could be incorporated into the urban development strategy the council was preparing.
Commercial buildings would be a key focus of that.
- NZPA
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Online cemetery faces grave problem
Western Leader | Saturday, 12 January 2008
Cemetery records at Waikumete may soon be available online.
Burial and cremation details for the rest of Auckland’s large cemeteries can already be viewed on the internet.
But a few problems are holding Waikumete back.
"Some families don’t want dead members’ records online," cemetery manager Daniel Sales says.
"It’s become a very sensitive issue."
More than 70,000 people are buried at Waikumete, one of the biggest cemeteries in the southern hemisphere that has about 5000 visitors a year.
"Many people come looking for information about their geneaology," Mr Sales says.
"And many people are interested in viewing inscriptions on tombstones."
He says a number of people oppose having the records online for various reasons – a black sheep in the family, a tragedy or a murder.
Mr Sales is concerned the matter could become a legal issue for the cemetery.
He says staff are meeting next week to find a solution before proceeding.
The cemetery is able to release information such as names, dates of death, and plot details but not addresses or occupations.
Cemetery records at Waikumete may soon be available online.
Burial and cremation details for the rest of Auckland’s large cemeteries can already be viewed on the internet.
But a few problems are holding Waikumete back.
"Some families don’t want dead members’ records online," cemetery manager Daniel Sales says.
"It’s become a very sensitive issue."
More than 70,000 people are buried at Waikumete, one of the biggest cemeteries in the southern hemisphere that has about 5000 visitors a year.
"Many people come looking for information about their geneaology," Mr Sales says.
"And many people are interested in viewing inscriptions on tombstones."
He says a number of people oppose having the records online for various reasons – a black sheep in the family, a tragedy or a murder.
Mr Sales is concerned the matter could become a legal issue for the cemetery.
He says staff are meeting next week to find a solution before proceeding.
The cemetery is able to release information such as names, dates of death, and plot details but not addresses or occupations.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Thousands follow soldier's fate in WW1 'blog'
5:00AM Tuesday January 08, 2008
Thousands of people have been following the fate of a British soldier fighting in the trenches of World War 1 on a website publishing his letters home exactly 90 years after they were written.
Like William Henry Bonser ("Harry") Lamin's real family almost a century ago, the modern reader visiting www.wwar1.blogspot.com does not know when the next letter is coming, or whether the one they are reading is in fact his last.
Many are braced for the dreaded telegram from the army notifying relatives of a soldier's death.
"There are a lot of people saying how keen they are to follow him and are rooting for Harry," said Bill Lamin, the 59-year-old IT teacher who found his grandfather's letters when he was a boy and decided to turn them into a blog.
"They get hooked as if it is happening now. People are rooting for a guy who is in the thick of it," he told Reuters.
The most recent entries from Harry, who served with the Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment, were on December 30, 1917, after he had moved from the battlefields of northern Europe to Italy.
He thanks his brother, Jack, for the box of biscuits he sent and wishes his sister Kate a happy Christmas and New Year.
Many of the letters are mundane and focus on his wife and child in England, but some offer a glimpse of the horrors of trench warfare that young men faced.
"We have had another terrible time this week," Harry wrote on June 11, 1917, when describing his part in the Battle of Messines Ridge.
"The men here say it was worst (sic) than the Somme advance last July. We lost a lot of men but we got where we were asked to take. It was awful I am alright got buried and knocked about but quite well now and hope to remain so.
"It is a rum job waiting for the time to come to go over the top without any rum too. The CO got killed and our captain, marvellous how we escaped."
In another entry from October the same year, details of British casualties are pencilled out, possibly by army censors seeking to maintain morale back home.
Lamin said the daily number of visitors to his site reached around 20,000 last week after several media reports appeared, although the daily total was normally lower.
"World War 1 has always been fascinating for people, the horrors of it," he said.
Dozens of people have written to the site to comment on Harry's experiences, including many from the United States.
One anonymous contributor wrote: "As a boy I was taught that war was glorious, I now know that it is exactly the opposite and will teach my children the same."
Lamin refused to give any clues as to Harry's fate, listing only his birth date as 1887.
- REUTERS
5:00AM Tuesday January 08, 2008
Thousands of people have been following the fate of a British soldier fighting in the trenches of World War 1 on a website publishing his letters home exactly 90 years after they were written.
Like William Henry Bonser ("Harry") Lamin's real family almost a century ago, the modern reader visiting www.wwar1.blogspot.com does not know when the next letter is coming, or whether the one they are reading is in fact his last.
Many are braced for the dreaded telegram from the army notifying relatives of a soldier's death.
"There are a lot of people saying how keen they are to follow him and are rooting for Harry," said Bill Lamin, the 59-year-old IT teacher who found his grandfather's letters when he was a boy and decided to turn them into a blog.
"They get hooked as if it is happening now. People are rooting for a guy who is in the thick of it," he told Reuters.
The most recent entries from Harry, who served with the Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment, were on December 30, 1917, after he had moved from the battlefields of northern Europe to Italy.
He thanks his brother, Jack, for the box of biscuits he sent and wishes his sister Kate a happy Christmas and New Year.
Many of the letters are mundane and focus on his wife and child in England, but some offer a glimpse of the horrors of trench warfare that young men faced.
"We have had another terrible time this week," Harry wrote on June 11, 1917, when describing his part in the Battle of Messines Ridge.
"The men here say it was worst (sic) than the Somme advance last July. We lost a lot of men but we got where we were asked to take. It was awful I am alright got buried and knocked about but quite well now and hope to remain so.
"It is a rum job waiting for the time to come to go over the top without any rum too. The CO got killed and our captain, marvellous how we escaped."
In another entry from October the same year, details of British casualties are pencilled out, possibly by army censors seeking to maintain morale back home.
Lamin said the daily number of visitors to his site reached around 20,000 last week after several media reports appeared, although the daily total was normally lower.
"World War 1 has always been fascinating for people, the horrors of it," he said.
Dozens of people have written to the site to comment on Harry's experiences, including many from the United States.
One anonymous contributor wrote: "As a boy I was taught that war was glorious, I now know that it is exactly the opposite and will teach my children the same."
Lamin refused to give any clues as to Harry's fate, listing only his birth date as 1887.
- REUTERS
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
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