David MACKENZIE
[1/8/1838-25/11/1921]
married
1) Catherine ANDERSON
[1838-26/7/1873]
2) JANE ALICE CARPENTER
[c1859-10/3/1885]
David was born at Torbreck, Rogart, son of William Mackenzie and Elspet Mackay. He is a great grandson of Colin Mackenzie and Barbara Gordon. David left his home at Torbreck when he was 18 years old and headed for Australia. By the time he was 21 years old he was in New Zealand. He was a blacksmith to trade, as his father and both his grandfather’s were. He went gold mining in the south of South Island, New Zealand, before he went back to his trade as a blacksmith at Milton, South Otago.
It was at Milton he met his first wife, Catherine Anderson. The story goes that Catherine had lost the key to her chest (kist as it was called then) and came to David to get help. David went to her aid and a friendship developed. David left Milton and bought farmland at Waiwera South. He built a sod hut, which was still waiting for doors and windows when he and Catherine married in 1864 at Dunedin. Catherine was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, daughter of Richard Anderson, a shoemaker, and Euphemia Williamson. The Andersons had left Edinburgh in August 1862 arriving at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, that November.
When David moved to Waiwera he changed his name from Mackenzie to McKenzie. Apparently there was another David Mackenzie at Waiwera then and this name change was designed to save confusion. (It is understood that the two Davids tossed a coin to see who would be a Mc and who would be a Mac!) This is borne out by the local electoral information. There are two David McKenzie names at Tokomairiro (Maori name for the Milton area). They are always listed together on the roll. The 1865 roll shows our David McKenzie, Tokamairiro, household, blacksmith’s shop – and again in 1866 and in 1868 when the shop is now freehold. From 1868 – 1879 the same entry appears.
When their first child was six weeks old, David and Catherine moved to the two-story house called “Fleet Bank”, named after David’s childhood home near the River Fleet, in Rogart. It was said that David brought gorse seeds from Rogart. He sowed all the hedges, straight as a die, and also planted a row of blue gum trees beside the main road when it was formed. David built a ‘smithy’ at Fleetbank and when the coaches started to South and Central, he shoed the horses, and also attended to the neighbouring farmers horses, while still owning the farm. The story goes that at one time David was cutting down a willow tree and slashed the axe through his foot – he went home and poured kerosene over his foot, and bound it up. It apparently healed without trouble. Another time he broke a leg somewhere out on the farm, and crawled till he got within calling distance, for Catherine to get a horse and sledge to get him home. He set the break himself and Catherine went to the nearest neighbour who had to ride to Milton to fetch the doctor. A drive of some 30 miles! Catherine was expecting her sixth child, when she died on 26 July 1873. The baby also died.
David and Catherine had the following children:
MARION MACKENZIE born 1873 [died 1938 New Zealand] [married William Turner – had nine children]
EUPHEMIA MACKENZIE born 1865 [died 1919 New Zealand] [married Owen Benfell – had seven children]
CHRISTINA MACKENZIE born 1870 [married Albert Turner – had a child]
WILLIAM MACKENZIE born 8 November 1866 [married Agnes ? had three children – Kenneth, Zoe and Beryl]
ELSPETH MACKENZIE born 6 August 1868 [died 25 January 1870 New Zealand].
Folllowing Catherine's death David took in a housekeeper to look after the family. A succession of housekeepers followed. They would not stay, and departed by coach taking the best of linen and Catherine’s lovely dresses, while David was out on the farm. Eventually, in 1877, David married Jane Alice Carpenter, known as Alice. Alice was the daughter of George Carpenter, a bricklayer, and Mary Ann Brixton, who had travelled to New Zealand from their home in Hampshire, England. They arrived in New Zealand in 1874 and lived in Dunedin. Alice died when her youngest son, Kenneth, was only fourteen months of age. David’s eldest daughter, Euphemia, known as Fem, took over and managed the baby and the rest of the family.
David gave a piece of his land to the Presbyterian Parish to build a church. He had been in New Zealand a number of years and due to retire when he said goodbye to his family and went back to Scotland, intending to stay. However, he found things so changed in Sutherland, that he was glad to return to his New Zealand home. He then lived with his son David and family until he died in his 84th year. He had a horse called ‘Rhemus’ and a big collie dog called ‘Yar’. They were his faithful companions and would go out in the gig to Pomahaka River with him to spend the day fishing. David died at Waiwera South of cardiac disease in 1921. His death certificate tells us that he had been in New Zealand for 63 years. David was buried at the Clinton Cemetery with his first wife, Catherine Anderson. Their grave and headstone can be found in a far corner under the trees. The site is outside the planned area of plots. David’s second wife, Alice Carpenter, is buried in Dunedin with her own family.
David and Alice had the following children:
MARY JANE MACKENZIE (Minnie)
DAVID MACKENZIE ELSPETH MACKENZIE (Elsie)
GEORGE KENNETH MACKENZIE (Kenny), born 1883 [died 1971, buried Clinton Cemetery] [married Ethel Broad at Waiwera South, 3 June 1912 – had five children, Ethel died 1924. Kenny then married Lydia Ann Hemings in 1928 and they had three children]
When their first child was six weeks old, David and Catherine moved to the two-story house called “Fleet Bank”, named after David’s childhood home near the River Fleet, in Rogart. It was said that David brought gorse seeds from Rogart. He sowed all the hedges, straight as a die, and also planted a row of blue gum trees beside the main road when it was formed. David built a ‘smithy’ at Fleetbank and when the coaches started to South and Central, he shoed the horses, and also attended to the neighbouring farmers horses, while still owning the farm. The story goes that at one time David was cutting down a willow tree and slashed the axe through his foot – he went home and poured kerosene over his foot, and bound it up. It apparently healed without trouble. Another time he broke a leg somewhere out on the farm, and crawled till he got within calling distance, for Catherine to get a horse and sledge to get him home. He set the break himself and Catherine went to the nearest neighbour who had to ride to Milton to fetch the doctor. A drive of some 30 miles! Catherine was expecting her sixth child, when she died on 26 July 1873. The baby also died.
David and Catherine had the following children:
MARION MACKENZIE born 1873 [died 1938 New Zealand] [married William Turner – had nine children]
EUPHEMIA MACKENZIE born 1865 [died 1919 New Zealand] [married Owen Benfell – had seven children]
CHRISTINA MACKENZIE born 1870 [married Albert Turner – had a child]
WILLIAM MACKENZIE born 8 November 1866 [married Agnes ? had three children – Kenneth, Zoe and Beryl]
ELSPETH MACKENZIE born 6 August 1868 [died 25 January 1870 New Zealand].
Folllowing Catherine's death David took in a housekeeper to look after the family. A succession of housekeepers followed. They would not stay, and departed by coach taking the best of linen and Catherine’s lovely dresses, while David was out on the farm. Eventually, in 1877, David married Jane Alice Carpenter, known as Alice. Alice was the daughter of George Carpenter, a bricklayer, and Mary Ann Brixton, who had travelled to New Zealand from their home in Hampshire, England. They arrived in New Zealand in 1874 and lived in Dunedin. Alice died when her youngest son, Kenneth, was only fourteen months of age. David’s eldest daughter, Euphemia, known as Fem, took over and managed the baby and the rest of the family.
David gave a piece of his land to the Presbyterian Parish to build a church. He had been in New Zealand a number of years and due to retire when he said goodbye to his family and went back to Scotland, intending to stay. However, he found things so changed in Sutherland, that he was glad to return to his New Zealand home. He then lived with his son David and family until he died in his 84th year. He had a horse called ‘Rhemus’ and a big collie dog called ‘Yar’. They were his faithful companions and would go out in the gig to Pomahaka River with him to spend the day fishing. David died at Waiwera South of cardiac disease in 1921. His death certificate tells us that he had been in New Zealand for 63 years. David was buried at the Clinton Cemetery with his first wife, Catherine Anderson. Their grave and headstone can be found in a far corner under the trees. The site is outside the planned area of plots. David’s second wife, Alice Carpenter, is buried in Dunedin with her own family.
David and Alice had the following children:
MARY JANE MACKENZIE (Minnie)
DAVID MACKENZIE ELSPETH MACKENZIE (Elsie)
GEORGE KENNETH MACKENZIE (Kenny), born 1883 [died 1971, buried Clinton Cemetery] [married Ethel Broad at Waiwera South, 3 June 1912 – had five children, Ethel died 1924. Kenny then married Lydia Ann Hemings in 1928 and they had three children]
