Harriett Louisa (Barnett) Williams (1878 - 1965)

Born 6 Nov 1878 in Madras Road, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Ancestors

Wife of Joseph Nicholas Williams — married 2 Mar 1907 in Palmerston North, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 22 Mar 1965 at age 86 in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Phil Richardson [send private message]

Harriett (Barnett) Williams lived in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Biography

Harriett "Lou" was born on 6 November 1878 in Madras Road, Christchurch. She was the second daughter of Walter Harry Barnett (aged 33) and Elizabeth Lanfear (aged 25), who had met and married in Auckland in 1877. They had moved to Christchurch to set up a second-hand trading business at 80 Oxford Terrace. Her birth was registered in Christchurch on 4 December 1878 by her mother Elizabeth.

When Lou was about eight years old the family moved back to Auckland. There were 11 children in total, sadly two of her sisters died in infancy. At the age of 16 she was working in a "Sweetie Shop" in Auckland.

Her first child, Theodore Charles, was born on 1 September 1899 in Wellington, New Zealand when Lou was aged 21. There followed two more children born out of wedlock; a daughter Louisa "Louie" Myrtle born 21 July 1903 and another son, Sydney Walter, born 9 November 1904 in Otahuhu, Auckland. These children lived with her for varying lengths of time, but then went to live with other families.

Lou had met Joseph Williams, probably whilst visiting her sister Isabella in Foxton. They were married on 2 March 1907 at the Registrars Office in Palmerston North. She was listed as a "Spinster" occupation "Domestic Service". Joseph was a "Bachelor" occupation "Flax Mill Hand". (Her sister Isabella had married Joseph's brother Symon in 1902.) The newly married couple settled in Union Street, Foxton just a few doors down from Isabella and Symon. Lou and Isabella were very close and there are many photos of them together taken throughout the years.

There followed the birth of seven children to Lou and Joseph.

Her father died in Auckland Hospital in 1908 from acute nephritis. He is buried in an unmarked grave at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland; Lou attended the service on Sunday, 10 May 1908 at 2 p.m. with her mother and siblings.

Lou, her husband and family moved from Foxton at some stage, to manage a large farm at Pukeatua in the Waikato.

Her husband Joseph left her some time after 1927; no doubt the sons had to take over alot of the farm duties, as well as hired labour. They lived in rented accommodation which she could no longer afford when the children were grown up and had moved out of home to have families of their own. Lou then used to share her time between the families, not really having a place of her own and would catch the train with all her belongings in a suitcase, to stay with the various families, be it in Foxton, Putaruru in the Waikato, or Auckland. Her granddaughters remember her as being a very affectionate grandmother, who would think nothing of having them all in her bed, reading stories and have a great old time.

By 1955 she was living at Fairholme Retirement Village in Hamilton. She spent the rest of her days here until she passed away in 1965.

Burial

25 March 1965 - Hamilton Park Cemetery, Hamilton, New Zealand. CHRRY-20-07

Sources

• Family Records

• New Zealand Birth Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Birth Index, 1840-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: Harriet Louica Barnett; Birth Date: Oct-Nov-Dec 1878; Registration Place: Christchurch, New Zealand; Folio Number: 3700

• Birth Registration - registration no. 1878/9237 for Harriet Louisa Barnett; Parents' Given Names: Elizabeth & Harry; Year:1878[1] Accessed at BDM Online - Births, Deaths & Marriages, Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand, database of historic records - on 26 August 2017

• Hamilton City Council Cemetery database entry for Harriet Louisa Williams

• New Zealand Marriage Index - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Marriage Index, 1840-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: Louisa Harriet Barnett; Gender: Female; Marriage Year: 1907; Marriage Place: New Zealand; Spouse: Joseph Nicholson Williams; Relation: Bride (Wife); Folio Number: 644

• New Zealand Cemetery Records - Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Name: Harriet Louisa Williams; Birth Date: abt 1878; Death Age: 87; Death Date: 22 Mar 1965; Burial Place: Waikato, New Zealand; Cemetery: Hamilton Park/Newstead

• Australia & New Zealand Find a Grave Index - Ancestry.com. Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Name: Harriet Louisa Williams; Death Date: 22 Mar 1965; Cemetery: Hamilton Park Cemetery; Burial or Cremation Place: Hamilton, Hamilton City, Waikato, New Zealand Memorial #140334191