James Alexander Robertson Menzies MLC (1821 - 1888)

Born 21 Feb 1821 in Dun Alister, Kinnloch Rannoch, Perthshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Letitia Ann (Featherston) Menzies — married 3 Oct 1865 in St John's Presbyterian Church, Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 18 Aug 1888 at age 67 in Dun Alister, Wyndham, Southland, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Anthony Hare [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Menzies Name Study.

James Alexander Menzies MLC is a member of Clan Menzies.

James Alexander Menzies MLC was born in Scotland.

Birth and Baptism

James Alexander Robertson Menzies was born on 21 Feb 1821 'Dun Alister', Kinnloch Rannoch, Perthshire, Scotland. He was the son of William Menzies and Elizabeth Robertson.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

James Alexander Robertson Menzies was baptised on 21 Feb 1821 in Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland.^[5]

Marriage

Dr. James Alexander Robertson Menzies married Letitia Ann Featherston on 3 Oct 1865 in St John's Presbyterian Church, Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand.^[7]

Residence

• 1875-1876 - Mataura, Southland, New Zealand. ^[2]

Death and Burial

Dr. James Alexander Robertson Menzies died on 18 Aug 1888 at his home 'Dun Alister', Wyndham, Southland, New Zealand.^{[1] [3][6]} He was buried in Aug 1888 at Wyndham Cemetery, Wyndham, New Zealand.^[1][6]

Research Notes

Menzies decided to follow his father's profession and secured a diploma at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. He then practised for some years in his home town. However, in 1853 he decided to emigrate to New Zealand.

Menzies arrived in Wellington in December 1853 on the s.s. 'Despatch', and continued on to Dunedin, arriving in January 1854. He joined the party accompanying W. B. D. Mantell when he journeyed to Bluff to make the final payment for the Murihiku block to the Maoris. Selecting for himself a run of 38,000 acres on the Lower Mataura River, Menzies named it 'Dun Alister', after his Scottish home.

The earliest settlers in Southland, finding transport and communication a difficult problem, soon felt that the Otago Provincial Council was not pushing on fast enough with public works. A desire for separation – that is, to detach Southland from the Otago Province -was intensified when, by the Land Sales and Leases Ordinance of 1856, the Council decided to sell, in the southern district, blocks of land each not less than 2,000 acres, at 10s. per acre.

Menzies became leader of the separatist movement and supported it in the Legislative Council. When the new province was proclaimed in 1861 he became its first Superintendent. Under his guidance the infant province was soon committed to two expensive undertakings – a railway to link Invercargill with its port at Bluff, and a tramway to Winton to circumvent the Great North Road quagmire. There was no doubt about the need for the railway, but in planning the tramway Menzies was fascinated with the idea that Invercargill might become a supply town to the diggers on the Otago goldfields. Menzies was unlucky, for the year 1864 found the output of gold declining, with men leaving Otago and Southland. Financial stringency affected the whole country. The Provincial Council became critical of Menzies' schemes and he retired from office with Southland owing 400,000 on public works.

In 1870 Dr. Menzies unsuccessfully fought the proposal to reunite with Otago. He continued to represent his district on the Southland and, later, the Otago Provincial Council. Until his death he was a member of the Legislative Council where he spoke vigorously on questions of special interest to himself. Described as a Presbyterian of the old school, Menzies was an early advocate, both in and out of the Council, of Bible-in-Schools, and he served as superintendent of Sunday schools. According to G. H. Scholefield he was a man of infinite charity and inexhaustible sympathy.

In 1865 the Hon. Dr. James Alexander Robertson Menzies married Laetitia Ann, daughter of Dr. Isaac E. Featherston, Superintendent of Wellington (NZ BDM 1865/667), by whom he had two sons and three daughters. Menzies died in Southland on 18 August 1888 and was buried at Wyndham.

Menzies, a Scottish Highlander with imagination, integrity of character, and an optimistic temperament, came to Southland when the settlers needed a leader. He led their fight for independence and won a victory over Captain Cargill and James MacAndrew, the Otago Superintendents. He was at his best when advocating a cause. He was less successful in the detailed work of administration. Menzies saw what was needed in the south, and in different circumstances, his courage might have met with the success it deserved. Source: 1966 Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Menzies was a tall, commanding figure, who generally wore some distinctive item of Highland garb. A Presbyterian of the old school, he believed in family worship and taught in Sunday schools. A political opponent once said of him, 'No mean action, no dishonest thought could have found harbor in his mental caliber.' As the creator and the first superintendent of Southland he was the most outstanding public figure in the province. In Invercargill, where he later resided, he was either president or a member of almost every public institution including the Caledonian Society, Bluff Harbor Board, Southland Education Board and the Invercargill Savings Bank.

Hall-Jones, John. 'Menzies, James Alexander Robertson 1821 - 1888'. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 22 June 2007. URL: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/

The original version of this biography was published in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume One (1769-1869), 1990

'Although Menzies did not practice medicine in New Zealand he always responded to a call in an emergency. Dr Menzies never practiced medicine in New Zealand, but he always responded to a call in an emergency.

Nothing is left of the homestead at Dunalastair (now spelt Dunalister), but we still have the Menzies Ferry, where he provided a free ferry to cross the Mataura River. He was instrumental in establishing a sports reserve of 153 acres in Wyndham, and in 1926 the citizens erected a memorial entrance to the recreational grounds' ... Murray Menzies, New Zealand - Menzies - Name, Clan, & Tartan.

Acknowledgements

To R Hare Hare-1576 and P Gray Howard-18870 for research and compiling, and contact with the Menzies family.

FURTHER INFORMATION - MENZIES PROJECT https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:MINGUS_Inc._%28Menzies_INternational_Genealogy_UnderStudy%29-1

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Source: #S526959382 Ancestry Record 60528 #2502081
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Source: #S526959487 1875-1876 Ancestry Record 1836 #11771617
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Source: #S526959384 New Zealand, Death Index, 1848-1966 Ancestry Record 8952 #1105157
4. ↑ Source: #S526959362 Ancestry Record 8950 #236947
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Source: #S526850740 Ancestry Record 60143 #24130092
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Source: #S526959368 Ancestry Record 60547 #1097447
7. ↑ Source: #S526959362 Ancestry Record 8950 #236947

• Source: S526850740 Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Record Collection 60143
• Source: S526850830 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.Ancestry Family Tree Ancestry Family Tree: #152520576
• Source: S526959362 New Zealand, Marriage Index, 1840-1937 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Record Collection 8950
• Source: S526959368 New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Record Collection 60547
• Source: S526959382 Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Record Collection 60528
• Source: S526959384 New Zealand, Death Index, 1848-1966 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Record Collection 8952
• Source: S526959487 New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Record Collection 1836