Mrs Jane NELSON

1801 - 1896  (95 years)

• Name	Jane NELSON
  Title	Mrs
  Birth	8 Apr 1801	Newark Upon Trent, Nottingham, England   [1, 2]
  Christening	29 Apr 1801	Saint Mary Gate Independent, Nottingham, Nottingham, England
  Gender	Female
  Death	6 Oct 1896	Napier, Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand   [1]
  Person ID	I28	Blyth Family Tree
  Last Modified	22 Dec 2025

  
  

  Father	James NELSON,   b. 1769   d. Yes, date unknown
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Anna Maria DALE,   b. 22 Oct 1766   d. Yes, date unknown
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F75	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Bishop William WILLIAMS,   b. 18 Jul 1800, Nottingham, England d. 9 Feb 1878, Napier, New Zealand (Age 77 years)
  Marriage	11 Jul 1825	Sheffield, England   [1]
  Children	1. Mary WILLIAMS,   b. 22 Apr 1826, Paihia, New Zealand d. 24 Nov 1900, Te Aute, New Zealand (Age 74 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Jane Elizabeth WILLIAMS,   b. 23 Oct 1827, Paihia, New Zealand d. 27 May 1902, "'Pakaraka", East Cape, New Zealand (Age 74 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Bishop William Leonard WILLIAMS,   b. 22 Jul 1829, Paihia, New Zealand d. 24 Aug 1916, Taumata, Napier, New Zealand (Age 87 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Thomas Sydney WILLIAMS,   b. 9 Feb 1831, Paihia, New Zealand d. 11 Jun 1847, St Johns College, Auckland, New Zealand (Age 16 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. James Nelson WILLIAMS,   b. 22 Aug 1837, Waimate North, Bay of Islands, New Zealand d. 11 Jun 1915, "Rouncil", Havelock North, New Zealand (Age 77 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. Anna Maria WILLIAMS,   b. 25 Feb 1839, Waimate North, Bay of Islands, New Zealand d. 5 May 1929, Hukarere, Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (Age 90 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   7. Lydia Catherine "Kate" WILLIAMS,   b. 7 Apr 1841, Kaupapa, Turanga, New Zealand d. 4 Feb 1931, Awatoto, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (Age 89 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   8. Marianne WILLIAMS,   b. 22 Aug 1843, Kaupapa, Turanga, New Zealand d. 2 Sep 1932, Hukarere, Napier, New Zealand (Age 89 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   9. Emma Caroline WILLIAMS,   b. 20 Feb 1846, Whakato, Turanga, New Zealand d. 11 Sep 1921, Whakato, Turanga, New Zealand (Age 75 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F7	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Dec 2025

  
  

• Photos

  JNEWLMS.JPG

  
  

• Notes

  Jane Nelson was baptised at St Mary Gate Independent Chapel, Nottingham , E ngland, on 29 April 1801, daughter of James Nelson and his wife, Ann a M aria Dale. Her parents were Dissenters. In 1817 Jane was engaged as a p u pil teacher by Mary Williams at her school in Southwell, Nottinghamshi r e. There she met Mary's son William, an ordained minister, who was pre p aring for missionary work in New Zealand. Despite Anna Nelson's initia l d iscouragement Jane and William were married at Sheffield, on 11 July 1 8 25, and on 12 August sailed in the Sir George Osborne. On 25 March 182 6 t hey arrived at Paihia, where William's brother Henry, and his wife, M a rianne, had established a mission station. Jane and Marianne Williams worked as well together as did the two broth e rs. Both women were often pregnant, Jane having six daughters and thre e s ons by 1846. The families shared meals and the two wives took turns a t c ooking and teaching. This close family bond was maintained after Wil li am and Jane left the Bay of Islands to set up a mission station at Tu r anga, Poverty Bay, in 1840. Children were frequently exchanged, and th e l etters between the two women are now one of the main sources of info rm ation about the minutiae of daily life at Paihia and Turanga. Jane Williams, especially instructed by the Church Missionary Society i n L ondon to remember that 'no country can be happy or Christian but in p r oportion as its Females become so', was to seek every opportunity of i n fluencing Maori women. She taught them to read and write, to sew and c o ok (in European fashion), and trained them in 'civilised' household ma n agement. Like her husband she took a special care in visiting the sick . A t Paihia girls who had been making 'satisfactory progress' were ofte n t aken away by their relatives to serve the shipping which frequented t h e Bay of Islands. There was little danger of this at Turanga, but ther e w as always some doubt as to whether her girls would turn up, because t r ibal demands took precedence. To Turanga Maori, irrespective of age, Jane Williams was 'Mother'. The s h aring of household tasks and of childbirth gave Jane and the Maori peo p le an intimacy which was closer than that between male missionary and c o nvert. When William Williams was away, the smooth running of the missi o n devolved on Jane, who was also responsible for the day-to-day teachi n g of her younger children. She was an efficient person who had to bear w i th constant domestic interruptions of a sort seldom suffered by her hu s band. Days of 'very great raru' (hindrances and encumbrances) figure f r equently in her journals. Quiet evenings with her husband and family s h e particularly valued, but often William was away for weeks or months a t a t ime. 'These continual separations form my greatest trial', she wro te i n 1844, 'I try to remember that I am a soldier's wifeÉ. Still I can not b ut feel it.' After leaving Turanga in 1865 for the Bay of Islands, Jane and William s e ttled at Napier in 1867, where she took a lively interest in the Hukar e re school for Maori girls, established close to her home by her husban d i n 1875. After William's death on 9 February 1878 Jane was one of the l a st survivors of the missionary band of the 1820s. Reminiscing in 1880 s h e wrote, 'we were always contented and happy... never even dreamt of t h e land being occupied by Europeans. Civilization was good for our chil d ren, but sadly marred our work.' She died at her residence, Hukarere, o n 6 O ctober 1896. Her obituary stated: 'The treasure William Williams b roug ht to these shores was that bright, intelligent, courageous and che erf ul soul'. -- MERGED NOTE ------------ Jane Nelson was baptised at St Mary Gate Independent Chapel, Nottingham , E ngland, on 29 April 1801, daughter of James Nelson and his wife, Ann a M aria Dale. Her parents were Dissenters. In 1817 Jane was engagedas a p u pil teacher by Mary Williams at her school in Southwell, Nottinghamshi r e. There she met Mary's son William, an ordained minister, who was pre p aring for missionary work in New Zealand. Despite Anna Nelson's initia l d iscouragement Jane and William were married at Sheffield, on 11 July 1 8 25, and on 12 August sailed in the Sir George Osborne.On 25 March 1826 t h ey arrived at Paihia, where William's brother Henry, and his wife, Mar i anne, had established a mission station. Jane and Marianne Williams worked as well together as did the two broth e rs. Both women were often pregnant, Jane having six daughters and thre e s ons by 1846. The families shared meals and the two wives took turns a t c ooking and teaching. This close family bond was maintained after Wil li am and Jane left the Bay of Islands to set up a mission station at Tu r anga, Poverty Bay, in 1840. Children were frequently exchanged, and th e l etters between the two women are now one of the main sources of info rm ation about the minutiae of daily life at Paihia and Turanga. Jane Williams, especially instructed by the Church Missionary Societyin L o ndon to remember that 'no country can be happy or Christian but in pro p ortion as its Females become so', was to seek every opportunityof infl u encing Maori women. She taught them to read and write, to sewand cook ( i n European fashion), and trained them in 'civilised' household managem e nt. Like her husband she took a special care in visiting the sick. At P a ihia girls who had been making 'satisfactory progress' were often take n a way by their relatives to serve the shipping which frequented the Ba y o f Islands. There was little danger of this at Turanga, but there was a l ways some doubt as to whether her girls would turnup, because tribal d e mands took precedence. To Turanga Maori, irrespective of age, Jane Williams was 'Mother'. The s h aring of household tasks and of childbirth gave Jane and the Maori peo p le an intimacy which was closer than that between male missionary and c o nvert. When William Williams was away, the smooth running of the missi o n devolved on Jane, who was also responsible for the day-to-day teachi n g of her younger children. She was an efficient person who had to bear w i th constant domestic interruptions of a sort seldom suffered by her hu s band. Days of 'very great raru' (hindrances and encumbrances) figure f r equently in her journals. Quiet evenings with her husband and family s h e particularly valued, but often William was away forweeks or months a t a t ime. 'These continual separations form my greatest trial', she wro te i n 1844, 'I try to remember that I am a soldier's wifeÉ. Still I can not b ut feel it.' After leaving Turanga in 1865 for the Bay of Islands, Jane and William s e ttled at Napier in 1867, where she took a lively interest in the Hukar e re school for Maori girls, established close to her home by her husban d i n 1875. After William's death on 9 February 1878 Jane was oneof the l a st survivors of the missionary band of the 1820s. Reminiscing in 1880 s h e wrote, 'we were always contented and happy... never even dreamt of t h e land being occupied by Europeans. Civilization was good for our chil d ren, but sadly marred our work.' She died at her residence, Hukarere, o n 6 O ctober 1896. Her obituary stated: 'The treasure William Williams b roug ht to these shores was that bright, intelligent,courageous and chee rfu l soul'. _WEBTAG NAME WebTag URL http://www.williams.gen.nz/ BIRT: _WEBTAG NAME WebTag URL http://www.williams.gen.nz/[[Category: New Zealand Colonists]] {{Migrating Ancestor | origin = Great Britain | destination = New Zealand | origin-flag = Flags-3.jpg | destination-flag = Flags-19.png }} == Biography == Entered by Gary Williams. == Sources == Family Records === Footnotes === === Acknowledgments === Thanks to [[Fear-34|Gary Williams]] for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Gary and others.

  
  

• Sources

  [S53] Lionel Klee, Klee Family Genealogy, Klee And Block Family Genalogy (http://genealogy.eproject.co.nz/). [S112] Neil Harvey Williams, Williams Family in the 18th and 19th Century, Williams Family in the 18th & 19th centuries. Copyright Neil Harvey Williams, also on the website www.williams.gen.nz.