At every bazaar or sale-of-work she was a large contributor

SOLOMON LEVY AND JANE HARVEY

Occasionally I find a friend who wants to pick up on his family history. I can assist here with advice, and when I was told of a link to one of early Wellington’s Jewish settlers Solomon Levy, I thought that there was a better than even chance that I would be able to help.

In fact I was able to order a book on the family for him from the Wellington City Library ‘Jane Harvey and Solomon Levy – a New Zealand family’ by Rachel F. Baskerville. This is the authoritative source for those who are interested in the family

Before I take the book back, I’ll log a brief report.

Solomon was born in 1817 into a poor London family (which nevertheless included Rothschilds in the maternal line). He arrived in Wellington on board one of the first ships ‘The Oriental’ in 1840, following a four and a half month voyage. The Oriental was a barque of 506 tons, commanded by Captain William Wilson, with Dr J. Fitzgerald as Surgeon Superintendent.

Immediately after arriving he was described as a carpenter living in Mt Cook, the area between the City and Newtown. Early on in the history of the city there is evidence he was registered to vote in the first municipal elections in 1842, and both he and his brother Benjamin were on the 1845 list of jurors. The 1857 Provincial Gazette noted he held land both Leasehold in Lambton Quay, and Freehold in Pirie Street.

Solomon married 14 year old Jane Harvey on 26th November 1844 at the First Independent Church. Jane was the daughter of a coalminer from Somerset – of which more later.

SOLOMON’S OBITUARY

[Wellington Evening Post Oct 30. 1883]

Very deep and widespread regret was experienced today on receipt of the intelligence of the death of Mr. Solomon Levy, one of our oldest and most respected settlers, which took place at Blenheim, whither , accompanied by his wife he had gone to visit a daughter. (This was Kate Hutchings).

Although the deceased gentleman had not been well in health for some time, having recently suffered from heart disease, the news of his death was rather unexpected, as his friends were led to believe that his health was being benefitted by the change. Mr. Levy left Wellington on the 23rd instant, and died, as already stated, on the 29th, the immediate cause of death being apoplexy. He was 66 years of age at the time of his death.

Mr. Levy arrived here about February, 1840, in the ship Oriental, the second of the memorable pioneer expedition, putting in an appearance about 10 days or a fortnight after the Aurora. On board was his brother, the late Mr. Benjamin Levy (died off Acapulco, at sea in 1854).

Landing at the Hutt, Mr. Levy afterward removed to the site now occupied by the city of Wellington. For a considerable time he exercised his trade as a carpenter. Subsequently he proceeded to Victoria, Australia to try his fortunes on the goldfields, where he met with much success. He was married in Wellington , his wife's maiden name being Harvey.

Returning to this city from the Victorian goldfields, he became a commission agent, a profession which he successfully followed. At one time he acted as collector on behalf of the Education Board, and for a large number of years he was rate-collector for the City Council. His popularity and geniality of disposition rendered him exceptionally qualified to fill the duties of such a position, and to use an expression which was commonly heard at the time," it was really a pleasure to pay Mr. Levy."

Owing however to ill-health, the deceased was compelled to sever his connection with the Corporation, greatly to the regret of all with whom he had been associated.

For 25 years he performed the duties of trustee of the Brittania Lodge of Oddfellows, from which office he also retired due to ill-health, and the occasion of his leaving was made the opportunity of presenting a testimonial to him for the services he had rendered on behalf of the brotherhood. His degree in the Order was Past Provincial Grand Master, and though he had been connected with the Lodge for many years, he never on a single occasion found it necessary to apply for the benefits to which he was ordinarily entitled.

He was also a member of the Pacific Lodge of Freemasons for many years, and in connection with the subject of friendly societies in this city, it may be mentioned that he read and address to the Governor on the laying of the foundation stone of the old Oddfellows Hall, which has since been replaced by the existing Central Club and Colonial Insurnace Company's building on Lambton Quay.

He had a large family, most of the members of which are still living; and occupy respectable positions. He was a member of the Jewish faith, and thoroughly proficient in the Hebrew language, having for some time in the early days, acted as a teacher of Hebrew to the children of Jewish parents. He was one of the founders of the Wellington Synagogue, and a member of its building committee.

As one of the pioneer settlers, he of course bore the vicissitudes od early colonial life and during the troublous times with the natives he joined the militia, and helped protect the hearths and homes of the colonists from the raids of the Maoris.

Mr. Levy was universally esteemed for his numerous excellent qualities; for his probity, philanthropy and urbanity, and the thousand and one deeds of kindness and charity to which testimony is not wanting in abundance. Of him it can be truly said that even his most intimate friend could hardly point to any bad trait in his character or disposition.

All, of his affairs have been left in complete order almost unto the day of his death, and his widow is left comfortably off. Out of respect to his memory the flag over the Corporation offices flew at half-mast today, and sincere expressions of regret at the sad occurrence were heard on every side. The remains will be brought over to Wellington in the SS Waihi for internment, and it is proposed to give the deceased a public funeral’.

JANE’S OBITUARY (July 1877)

In our obituary today, notice is given on the death of Mrs Solomon Levy at her residence in Roxburgh Street Mrs Levy came to this colony with her parents on the ship Birman in the year 1842. With her sister, Mrs Edwin Jackson, she went to the Bay of Islands a short time after their arrival in Port Nicholson, and remained there some time.

After her return to Wellington she was married to the late Solomon Levy, the ceremony being performed by Rev. J. Woodward, Congregational minister. She and her husband then remained at Mount Cook for some years, and afterwards went into business on Lambton Quay. The venture proved a successful one, and the business premises were afterwards disposed of to Hallenstein Bros.

Mr. and Mrs. Levy then retired into private life, taking up their residence finally in Roxburgh Street. Mrs Levy was a member of the Congregational Church, and took an active part in promoting the church’s welfare, and her good work will be greatly missed by the congregation.

At every bazaar or sale-of-work she was a large contributor, and she also assisted in person. Mr Solomon Levy predeceased his wife by seventeen years. There are eight children surviving, five having died. There are also numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

MORE ABOUT JANE

Searching the 1841 English Census for Harveys in Newton St Loe / Keynsham, Somerset, we find living in adjacent houses:

1. Moses Harvey (40), Bailiff of Coalmine, with his wife Mary (40) and children William (17), Henry (15), Jacob (12), Elizabeth (9), Sarah (7), and James (3)

2. Henry Buck (30), Coalminer, with his wife Elizabeth (35) and their children Eli (7), Leah (6) and Levi (4) plus Elizabeth’s children from her former marriage to Aaron Harvey (died 1832) George (15), Anne (10) and Jane (12).

Not having read Rachel’s book properly, I was surprised to find that Jane had probably had a stepfather.

But web research suggested that this was consistent with notes in the journal of early settler William Workman (descendant of a Leith sailor who had married into a Hutt Valley Maori family):

‘We left Te Kopi to go to the Lower Hutt and I remember running about Wellington with only a shirt on. Where Willis Street now is it was called the Beach Road in those days. The settlers who had come there were George Ames and Mrs. Ames. My mother gave a tui, which could talk well to Mrs. Ames. She kept it for many years. This was the first European woman that I had ever seen. My father used to do sawing at the lower Hutt and I remember talking about old Mr. Geo Buck who was at that time at Taita’.

And:

‘I married an English woman, who landed in 1859 on the beach. She and her mother were carried ashore. Her uncle came and met them. Harry Buck was his name. He was a blacksmith. Mr T McKenzie, the newspaper proprietor married one of the daughters of Mr Buck. The Buck family are still living in Wellington and at the Hutt. Mrs Anelson (?) Palmerston who is my wife's cousin and Mrs Jackson of Petone, now dead, was another.’

All this means of course that there are likely to be numerous Buck and Harvey descendants In New Zealand who share an ancestry with Jane’s mother Elizabeth (who was born around 1805, probably in Devon, given her family name Cooz / Coose / Coase).

And further research provides a clincher to the Buck-Harvey link. A full Buck Family ‘Gedcom’ family tree has been posted on the website ‘Early New Zealand Families’ at: http://www.earlynzfamilies.co.nz/buck/ghtindex.html.

Actually, Rachel confirms all this with a report on some NZ research on the Harveys by Jocelyn Benstead. This includes the observations that Jane’s father had died of cholera in Somerset in 1832, aged 33, and that Jane’s full brother George had stayed in England, at least for several decades.

The NZ Rowe family still have a handsome two-handled pottery cup that has the inscription ‘George Harvey, Bailiff Eastern Colliery 1856’. Easton is also on the Somerset Coalfield and George was clearly following in the footsteps of his uncle Moses.