James Jackson was a 'large as life' man, over 6ft 3" (190cm) and 19 stone (120kg), and a peronality as large

photo taken 1870s

From his obituary Captain Jackson's usual audiences credited him with being a most erudite man, and he was content while those who understood any subject about which he was talking were pleased to hear him mix up his scientific discussion with racy anecdotes of the good old days, told with all the embellishments that seafaring men know so well how to use, so that an evening with him afforded food for pleasant remembrances for some time after

His children were also tall, including his daughters, James jnr being taller than him and 146kg. He first came to New Zealand in 1829, as mate of the schooner Waterloo, which was under the command of Captain John (Jacky) Guard. The schooner left Sydney on 31 May 1829 and ended its voyage at Te Awaiti, on the south-east coast of Arapawa Island, in Tory Channel

This made James one of the first 50 settlers in New Zealand. He spent the early years on Kapiti Island Wellington living with the Maori chief, Te Rauparaha

There is a biography at the above link and a very interesting read on someones research, notes and thoughts on the ancestors, descendants and the 'real' name of James Jackson

James entered into a form of marriage with a Maori woman with whom he is said to have had several children.

In 1843, at Nelson, James married Eliza ROIL
He and Eliza, who became known throughout Marlborough as Granny Jackson, were to have nine children .. They married when he was 43 and she was 17

Eliza was one of at least 10 children of Thomas Roil and Sarah SEWERY, immigrants from England

Their children
.. 1 ..
1844 - 1919 Eliza Jackson
born in Jackson Bay, Tory Channel
married George Sherwood BALDICK in 1859 and had 14 children
Eliza died in 1919 aged 75

.. 2 ..
1845 - 1919 James Hayter Jackson jnr
born in Wellington
was on the 1881 BRITISH census as:
BIRTH YEAR - 1853
BIRTH PLACE - Wellington New Zealand
AGE - 28
OCCUPATION - Merchant Mariner
MARITAL STATUS - Married
HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD - James White - (aged 62, carpenter of Chilham, Kent)
RELATION - Lodger
DWELLING - 54 St. Paul Street, London Middlesex England.
In the household were:
James White and his wife Ann also
James H. Jackson and his wife Ann Jackson aged 30 (born 1851) from Leeds, York, England
- not yet known who this 'Ann' was
he married Sarah Emily BENNETT and had 11 children
James died in 1919 aged 74 and is buried in Picton, NZ

.. 3 ..
1846 - 1924 Thomas Jackson
born at Jackson Bay
married Johanna RYAN in 1907 at the age of 60, any earlier marriage unknown at this time
* Johanna was from County Clare, Ireland. She had been married to Thomas CORCORAN
he died in 1924 aged 78

.. 4 ..
1848 - 1921 Lydia Jackson
born in Jackson Bay
she married Edwin Joseph HOSKIN in 1863 and had at least 7 children
Lydia died in 1921 aged 73

.. 5 ..
1850 - 1929 Esther Jackson
born in Whangatoetoe, 26km E of Picton
married Thomas DEAKIN in 1868 and had 12 children
- one daughter, Edith, married Frederick Baldick, a son of her sister Eliza Jackson & George Sherwood Baldick
she died in 1929 aged 79

.. 6 ..
1851 - 1928 Annie Jackson
born in Jackson Bay
married William BRAGG in 1879 and had least 6 children
she died in 1928 aged 76

.. 7 ..
1853 - 1919 Richard Jackson
born in Queensland, Australia
married Letitia Maria WOODS in 1880 and had at least 3 children
* it is said he had 2 further wives, Margaret MARTIN and Margaret THOMPSON but not verified.
He died in Masterton in 1919 aged 65

.. 8 ..
1855 - 1927 Emma Jackson
born in in Jackson Bay
She first married John LYND in 1872 when she was 17 and he was 28. They had 4 (known) children. John died in Australia in 1896 aged 52.
She next married Charles STENT in Napier in 1904 when she was 39 and he was 55. They had 11 children
- Charles Stent was born in Lower Hutt, a son of Charles Stent and Sarah PECK
Emma died in Ohingaiti, Manawatu in 1927 aged 71

.. 9 ..
1861 - 1942 Mary Alice Jackson
born in Jackson Bay
she married Frederick NEAL in 1878 and had 7 children
Mary died in Picton in 1942 aged 81

Marlborough Press, 10 Aug 1877
DEATH OF AN OLD SETTLER
There recently passed away from amongst us one who, in his time, played many parts, and who, during his long career in the Colony, witnessed all the stirring scenes that assist to make history.
He came to New Zealand when it was no man’s land, when might was right, and every man carried his life in his hands; and he lived to witness the reign of rule and order, when right was stronger than personal power, and the strong arm of the law, if it did not prevent, punished all offences such as were common in the early days.
We need hardly mention that in making the above remarks we had in mind the recent decease of Mr James Jackson, or as he was more commonly known, Captain Jackson, and it may not be uninteresting to give a short biographical account of him as one of our earliest settlers.
Captain Jackson was born in the year 1800 at Putney, Surrey, England, and arrived in the colony in 1832, when he fixed as his headquarters a location in Queen Charlotte Sound known as Jackson’s Bay. For five years he had a roving life, going down to the West Coast after seals, and trading to Sydney with cargoes that now would hardly pass the Customs as legal articles of trade. In the intervals he employed himself with whale fishing and other employments such as men found for themselves in those days. In the year 1840 he settled down in the place he had chosen, and from that time until his death always hailed from the Sound.

He was a great reader, but his education in youth had not been sufficiently liberal to enable him to grasp the meaning of all that he read in adult age, and many will have lively remembrance of the way in which he confounded the various ideologies and sought to attribute cause and effect by a most recondite mode of reasoning. Nothing happened that he could not account for scientifically, and his theory of the action of Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen, causing the blight in apple trees, will cause him to be remembered when less pretentious observers are quite forgotten. Galvanism, Electricity, and the theories of Earthquakes were each in turn descanted upon in such a manner by Captain Jackson that Galvani would have turned in his coffin. Morse trembled for his reputation, and our scientific men wondered to hear each and every question touching these debatable subjects settled in a most authoritative manner by the speaker. The redundancy of words used in giving an opinion or explanation perhaps detracted somewhat from the value of the illustration, but it was pleasantly absurd to listen to the jumble of words which sounded so much like scientific language, but which in reality had only the very remotest connection with the matter under discussion.
Captain Jackson’s usual audiences credited him with being a most erudite man, and he was content while those who understood any subject about which he was talking were pleased to hear him mix up his scientific discussion with racy anecdotes of the good old days, told with all the embellishments that seafaring men know so well how to use, so that an evening with him afforded food for pleasant remembrances for some time after.
It is some 27 years since Captain Jackson retired from active life at sea, but he usually had a boat’s crew engaged during the whaling season, and of late years his sons have continued the practice.
About four years since he had an attack of paralysis, from which he never thoroughly recovered, but he regained the use of all his faculties sufficiently to enable him to visit Picton about twelve months since, when, for the first time in his life, he saw a railway and enjoyed the novel experience of a ride in a train. The account of his trip would gain the reputation of a Mark Twain to anyone who could compile the narrative in Jackson’s own words.
This was the last time he visited Picton, and since then he had complained of fugitive pains, but nothing serious was anticipated up to the time of his death. On Thursday, August 2nd, he appeared in his usual health and partook of a hearty supper, when he went to bed, where he was found dead at 2:00am the following morning. His last hours were calm and peaceful, and when he was discovered dead the bed clothes had not been disturbed, and there were no signs to show that he had experienced any pain previous to dying.
He leaves a large family in every sense of the word, for his sons are from 6ft to 6ft 4in in height and the daughters are proportionately tall.
He left at peace and good-will with all, and there are many who will regret to hear that Capt Jackson has told his last tale on earth.
The funeral took place in Queen Charlotte Sound, and he was buried at a spot he himself had selected; and when the coffin was borne to the grave the remains were followed by upwards of 100 persons, mostly residents about the vicinity, who, by this means, testified to the respect in which he was held.

James died in Picton in 2 Aug 1877 aged 76
His HEADSTONE reads: Sacred to the memory of James Jackson who departed this life Aug 2nd 1877 aged 77 years. The old man sleeps in his narrow bed. His trials on earth are o'er. The winter blast may shriek overhead and mountain torrent roar. Yet he sweetly sleeps though the tempest rave and the storm cloud gather o'er grandpa's grave.

Eliza died at Mt Pleasant, Marlborough 3 July 1910 aged 84
Marlborough Express, 5 July 1910
Another of Marlborough's sturdy pioneers - one of the oldest, we believe - passed to her long rest on Sunday, in the person of Mrs Eliza Jackson, of Te Awaite, at the age of 85 years. The fine old lady, who was known as 'Granny' throughout the district, settled at the historic whaling station very many years ago and her reminiscences were always well worth listening to. Recently her health began to fail and she was removed to the residence of her daughter, Mrs W. Bragg, of Mount Pleasant, where she breathed her last. She leaves a family well advanced in years - including Mr Tom Jackson, Mr James Jackson and Mrs W. Bragg - numerous grandchildren and several great grandchildren.