William Aitken

1826 - 1897  (70 years)

• Name	William Aitken
  Born	14 Jul 1826	Portobello, Midlothian, Scotland
  Christened	30 Jul 1826	Duddingston, Midlothian, Scotland
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	27 Mar 1851  [1]
  	carpenter
  Residence	27 Mar 1851	258 Cannongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [1]
  Emigration	4 Oct 1857	Leith, Midlothian, Scotland
  	Departed onbaord the Strathallen
  Immigration	8 Jan 1858	Otago, New Zealand
  _UID	7FB2F0012B2943CBB2216B1E325E943034DC
  Died	31 Jan 1897	Arden, Taieri, New Zealand
  	Cause: Asthma, and, cancer of the stomach
  Buried	4 Feb 1897	East Taieri Cemetery, Otago, New Zealand
  Person ID	I6817	My Big Tree
  Last Modified	12 Aug 2024

  
  

  Father	William Aitken,   b. 26 Jul 1787, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 14 May 1833, Hillhousefield, North Leith, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age 45 years)
  Mother	Ann Allison,   b. 10 Aug 1793, Cannongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	1 Jan 1813	Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland   [2]
  	Name: William Aitken Gender: Male Marriage Date: 1 Jan 1813 Marriage Place: Canongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Spouse: Ann Allison FHL Film Number: 1067744 Name: Ann Allison Gender: Female Marriage Date: 1 Jan 1813 Marriage Place: Canongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Father: William Allison Spouse: William Aitken FHL Film Number: 1067744
  Family ID	F2187	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jessie Melville Threadgold,   b. 15 Feb 1832, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland ,   d. 24 Sep 1893, Outram, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 61 years)
  Married	27 Mar 1851	256 Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland   [1]
  	Name: William Aitken Gender: Male Marriage Date: 27 Mar 1851 Marriage Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland Spouse: Jessie Threadgold FHL Film Number: 1066696 Name: Jessie Threadgold Gender: Female Marriage Date: 27 Mar 1851 Marriage Place: Edinburgh Parish,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland Father: John Threadgold Spouse: William Aitken FHL Film Number: 1066696
  Children	1. Jane Melville Aitken,   b. 26 Oct 1853, 258 Canongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland ,   d. 14 Oct 1929, Featherston, Wairarapa, New Zealand  (Age 75 years)   2. William Aitken,   b. 17 May 1855, 256 Canongate, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland ,   d. 2 Dec 1925, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 70 years)   3. Joan Todd Strathallen Aitken,   b. 17 Nov 1857, At Sea On Passage To New Zealand ,   d. 30 Oct 1858, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 0 years)   4. Anne Laurie Allison Aitken,   b. 14 Oct 1859, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 16 Apr 1948, Papanui Rd, Christchurch, New Zealand  (Age 88 years)   5. Andrew Aitken,   b. 30 Dec 1861, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 10 Dec 1882, Outram, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 20 years)   6. James Allison Aitken,   b. 14 Sep 1863, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 6 Jul 1867, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 3 years)   7. John Aitken,   b. 16 Jul 1865, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 8 Jul 1867, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand  (Age 1 years)   8. Mark Robert Aitken,   b. 29 May 1867, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. prob 1963, New Zealand  (Age 95 years)   9. Janet Anderson Aitken,   b. 5 Jan 1869, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 26 Feb 1965, Carterton, Wellington, New Zealand  (Age 96 years)   10. Richard Forrest Aitken,   b. 25 Nov 1870, East Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 14 Oct 1940, Taihape, Wellington, New Zealand  (Age 69 years)   11. Alexander Aitken,   b. 13 Feb 1874, West Taieri, Otago, New Zealand ,   d. 25 Jun 1940, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand  (Age 66 years)
  Last Modified	12 Aug 2024
  Family ID	F2221	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  William, Jessie, Jane and William junior departed from Leith, for NZ, on board the "Strathallen", in 1857. The ship left Leith on the 4 Oct 1857 arriving at Port Chalmers, Otago, 8 Jan 1858 after a voyage of 96 days. Even after that long journey they still had to wait four days before they could get ashore. By the time the family arrived in NZ there had been an addition to the family, Johan Todd Strathallen Aitken. The boy was named after the master of the ship and the ship itself. This is rather surprising given the report of the captain's conduct. An extract from the "Otago Witness" of Saturday January 16th, 1858, reads; "We have to welcome the immigrants by the Strathallen which arrived in this port on Friday last, bringing 289 passengers. She left Leith on Sunday 4th of October, and had a fine passage of 79 days from land to land, and landed her passengers on the 100th day from leaving the Leith docks. The voyage was, we understand, a very agreeable one. We have to regret the death of one adult and several children, the latter being chiefly infants born on the voyage. The ship was plentifully and well found, and the passengers were much indebted to Mr Greene, the chief officer, to whose hands the management of the ship chiefly devolved for his considerate attention. We regret to hear that the conduct of the Captain was not such as could be desired, but any definicies (sic) on his part were fully made up by the conduct of his subordinates. It is satisfactory to know that the conduct of Mr Greene, the chief officer, has met with its due reward, that gentleman having conceded to the command of the vessel, the captain having resigned his charge." In an extract from "NZ Shipwrecks and Tragedies"; "When the Strathallen arrived in Otago in 1858, after a voyage on which her master, Captain John Todd, spent most of his time rip-roaring drunk, the whole crew struck and was imprisoned for its common sense." On the same ship travelled Thomas Aitken, William's cousin William lived in Mosgiel and later Outram, Otago, where he was involved in the building trade. In 1879 he built a school at Taieri Ferry on the Taieri Plain. The school was established on the condition that the settler's children and the local Maori children are allowed to be educated together. This was the only school on the plain where this was permitted. It remained this way until its closure in 1925.

  
  

• Sources

  [S18] Marriage Cert (Reliability: 4). [S77] Terry Stewart (Reliability: 3).