The family of Thomas Wakeham Cranch and Martha May Brown

Martha May Brown and her two sisters immigrated to New Zealand on the SS Aorangi which depated Plymouth on March 29th and arrived in Port Chalmers, Dunedin on May 6th, I believe.

SS Aorangi

Passenger List

 

Ship's Log

 There were 4 brothers, Charlie, Sam, Walter and Ted (Edward) who all settled in Australia.

The following is additional history of the Cranch family (Muriel's family) given to my cousin Ann Mason (eldest daughter of Moira).
Martha May Cranch (mother of Muriel was grand-daughter of Joseph and Mary Brown. Mary Brown's maiden name was Mary Twiby. Joseph Brown was born in 1792 and died in 1876.
There were, and I believe, still are Browns, relatives of Martha May, in Thames. There was a Miss Laura Brown from Thames who used to spend a lot of time staying with Martha May's sister Florence, (Mrs Jarratt known is "Narnie"). Both ladies were very clever with handcrafts.
A Miss Florence Mary Brown (from Thames) married a Mr Fry. She was Muriel's cousin. She lived at "Plasket" 11 Sherwood Road, Ivanhoe, N21, Melbourne.
Aunt May told me she was the "eldest Brown grandchild" born on 20th May, her grandfather's birthday. I presume her grandfather was James Brown, therefore her father must have been Martha May's brother - yet I always believed there were only three girls  - Emma, Annie and Martha May. I could be wrong in either assumption. 
Aunt May was Florence May Brown, daughter of John Walter Brown and was born on May 20th 1885 in South Melbourne and died on February 2nd 1965 in Ivanhoe, Victoria.


Mrs Fry had several children. Eldest daughter was Ella Dorothy, a school teacher, Marjorie, youngest daughter, twin sons, Wilfred was a farmer and John who worked with the herd test division of the Dept of Agriculture in Melbourne and another son, Alwyn.
Her husband's name was Guerney, I think.
I have record of an English relative who used to keep in touch with NZ branch - Win Hubbard - c/o Geo Kent Ltd, 199 High Holborn, London. That would have been an address of some years ago.
James Brown and family lived at Mill Houses, Sheffield. There were some Browns who lived in Goldstone Road, Sheffield.
Some time ago I made a note of the name Reg Brown, son of Walter Brown, Martha May's cousin. But I do not remember why I made the note or whether it was Reg or Walter who was the cousin. I suspect these may be (or have been) Thames people.
Grandma and Grandpa Cranch made a visit to England and Grandpa must have been trying to trace the origins of the name Cranch.
He wrote to Aunt May that he had found this verse from early Celtic writings:

Lustrous white lilies, large and small,
Break into foam by the Cranach
While on the sunset's rosed stain
Flash the wings of a rare grey Crane
  
A Cranach was the riverhead or outlet of a lake. It is possible the name survived as the riverhead of Dartmouth. In days gone by some of ours were dwellers on the Cranach who later omitted the final (a) - he wrote.
Margery Moore, Aunt May's daughter, probably has the cuttings etc. Aunt May had collected. Among these was reference to an act of bravery when Captain William Cranch and Captain Emilius Le Roy of the Naval Volunteer Brigade went in rowing boats from the Manukau Harbour to the Waikato Heads to head off a Maori invasion. (This is referred to at the beginning of Moira's story.)
Thomas Cranch (Moira's grandfather) had a sister, Maria, who married a Mr Robertson. They had a daughter, Mary, who married a Mr Kidd from Dargaville. Their son Jim Kidd, Sylvia Rd, Northcote, has much information.

Maria's son Hugh, of Whangarei, has also studied the family history. Maria also had a daughter, Jean, now Carter, who lived in Gillies Ave, Newmarket.
Maria's son James had no children. Other son William, apparently has a daughter, Jill McGregor, who lives in Opoutere or Whangamata area.
My daughter Gwyneth's partner Gavin Kidd, is also descended from this family.
In the typed notes it refers to William and James - brothers of Thomas Cranch.
I have been told that William, (the master mariner son of old Captain Cranch) married in Australia and took his wife with him on his boat (name not known). While far from land she went into a difficult labour and she and the child died. He was somewhat unhinged by the disaster.
It is said that from then on he went "blackbirding". The historic notes say he died at sea. It would be interesting to know that part of the story. I was told he died on the vessel "Sybil". Someone going to Australia some time could research that boat's history.

The following is from an email sent to me from Kerryn in Australia.

MARTHA MAY BROWN  was the 5th child and 3rd daughter of James Brown & Elizabeth Styring.
born 1860 in Kimberworth, Rotheram, Yorkshire, died 19 September 1947 in Auckland, buried at Waikumete Cemetery, interred in Niche B388 Columbrian. Probate 1947.
In 1887 (place unknown) married THOMAS WAKEHAM CRANCH born 1861 N.Z., died 18 July 1945 at 11 Bellvue Road, Mt. Eden, buried at Waikumete Cemetery, interred in Niche B388 Columbrian with Martha, Probate 13 December 1945, Occupation Ironmonger. In the NZ Electoral Roll for 1881 Thomas is listed as a Shipping Clerk of Graham Street in the Electorate of Auckland North; in 1883 as an Ironmonger of Devonport in the electorate of Eden and in 1919 as being of East Wellington. Thomas was also a Councillor for the Borough of Devonport.

As I understood it, they had 6 children for who I have only the barest details:
WILLIAM ISSELL CRANCH - born 1888  died 1971
THOMAS WALTER (Walter) CRANCH - born 1889
BERTHA MAY CRANCH - born 2 June 1893 died 1983; married 1918 to William Christie Knight born 3 July 1890 died 1980
ELIZABETH HELEN (Nellie) CRANCH - born 1896 died 1943; married 1921 to John Robert Ross
DORA BROWN CRANCH - born 1898
HAROLD JAMES CRANCH - born 1903 died 1955

As for EMMA all I know is that she was born 1855 in Ecclesall Bierlow, Rotheram, Yorkshire and died 1928. She married James Hughes in 1876 in Leeds, Yorkshire.

For FLORENCE MARY BERTHA BROWN: she was born 1868 in Sheffield, Yorkshire and died in 1941. She married in 1892 in Auckland to Walter Jarratt born 1868 and died 6 February 1951 in Wanganui.
I believe they may have had 3 children - Laura, Mabel and Pattie.