Hi oldies,
Stephen Swan and Sarah Ann Francis were your great great grandparents

- they were the parents of:

1849 - Thomas Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- married Phoebe CORNWALL in Carterton 1891
- Thomas was a bachelor age 41
- Phoebe was a widow aged 37
- she had been married to James Cornwall in 1873 and had 4 children
- her maiden name was HORTON
- Thomas and Phoebe had 2 children
- Phoebe died 1933 aged 79 in Morrinsville Wairarapa

1851-1910 - James Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- he was an engraver
- James did indeed marry Sarah Jane WORSLEY on the 30th July 1879 in Lower Hutt
-these were your great grandparents
- Sarah was a minor aged 19 and her father Charles Worsley gave his permission to marry
- they had 11 known children
- some of their children attended Taita School (as did my ancestors about the same time) and also Woodville School (as did mine)
- your grandparents James Charles Swan and Elizabeth JENSEN were married in 1906
- James also married Esther EVANS in 1901
- they are buried in Dunedin

1852 - Mary Ann Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- nothing else known at this time

1853 - Charles Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- he married Harriett Caroline COE in 1877 in Greytown
- he was 24, she was 19 and her father George Coe gave his consent
- Charles and Harriett had 7 known children
- they moved to Pahiatua & may have moved to New Plymouth

1855 - Frances 'Fanny' Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- married Thomas William BENTLEY in 1873 in Masterton
- he was 26 and she was 18
- he was a son of Henry Bentley and Caroline CORNFORD some of the earliest pioneers of Masterton
- they had 5 children

1857 - John Stephen Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- died in 1916 aged 59
- he was an invalid, but nothing else known

1859 - Ellen Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- she drowned in a stream in the Hutt Valley aged 2 whilst playing there with her siblings Mary Ann and John

1860 - Elizabeth Ann Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- married William BAMBRY in 1877 in Carterton
- he was 29, she was 18 - her father gave consent
- they had 8 children
- William died in 1899
- Elizabeth mext married Peter JENSEN in 1901 in Eketahuna
- they had a daughter, Louisa Sarah Agnes Jensen

1862 - Amelia Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- she married Walter William RISING 1881 in Masterton
- he was 26, she was 18, her father gave consent
- they had 9 known children
- Amelia was buried in Carterton in 1946

1864 - Susan Rebecca Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- married James FARRELLY in 1879 in Carterton
- he was 23, she was 16, her father Stephen made his X mark to give his consent for the marriage
- they had 8 known children
- Susan died aged 66 in 1930
- James died aged 73 in 1929

1866 - Emily Matilda Swan
- born in Upper Hutt
- married Vander (sometimes written Evanda) LEE 1882 in Carterton
- he was 25 she was 16, her father gave consent
- they had 8 known children
- Evanda died in 1942 aged 88
- Emily died in 1937 aged 71
- they are both buried in Carterton

1868 - Esther Jane Swan
- born in Lower Hutt
- married Henry William KEMPTON as his 2nd wife in 1892 in Pahiatua
- he was 34, she was 24
- he was a son of Thomas Kempton and Elizabeth Mary HODDER
- he was previously married to Margaret Ellen HESLOP and had 3 children
- Esther and Henry had 6 known children
- Henry died in 1933 aged 75
- Esther died in 1944 aged 76

1874 - Samuel George Albert Swan
- born in Greytown, Wairarapa
- he married Caroline Mary Anne CHAPMAN in 1916 in Carterton
- he was a bachelot aged 42, she was a widow aged 41
- she had been married to James Johnston Chapman in 1897 and had 4 children
- her maiden name was NILSEN
- Caroline died in 1961 aged 86
- Samuel died in 1967 aged 93
- they are both buried in Carterton

These people are also on my tree but it needs updating and amending. I will write a full journal when done

I am very impressed.
Alot to look through, names that I have never heard of.
I aim to find out which imigrant ship my Swan ancester came on and from where.
And who that was.
Thanks very very much.
Regards,
John Swan.

It was your great great grandfather Stephen SWAN who emigrated to New Zealand
- It is possible he was born in Marden, Tonbridge, Kent
- He sailed when he was 21, on the Lord William Bentinck which left London on January the 8th 1841 and arrived in Wellington on May 19th 1841

On board with Stephen was:
- his brother James Swan aged 18
- James was accidently shot 5 years later during the Maori Wars

ALSO on board was his future wife Sarah Ann Francis aged 11
your great great grandmother (they married 7 years later) with her family:

- John FRANCIS aged 35, Sarah Ann's father
- John's second wife aged 36 (was Mrs PEARCE) - not Sarah's mother
- (Sarah's mother was Sarah Ann TOMPKINS)

- her uncle Stephen Francis aged 21

- her sister Mary Francis aged 15
- Mary's mother was Sarah Tompkins
- Mary never married

- her brother William Francis aged 12
- his mother was Sarah Tompkins
- William married Emma BENGE, daughter of David James Benge and Matilda Philadelphia 'Sarah' ROBERTS
- William's (NZ born) sister Julia married Emma's brother David Benge

- her brother John Francis aged 9
- his mother was Sarah Tompkins

- her step brother Richard Pearce aged 6

- her sister Elizabeth Francis aged 3
- she was the 1st born of John & his 2nd wife
- she married Henry PHILIPS in 1855

- her brother Thomas Joshua Francis aged 9 months
- Thomas died at sea on the 31st Jan 1841 of convulsions

Sarah's New Zealand born siblings were:
- brother (unnamed) Francis
- he died an infant

- sister Fanny Francis
- she married Robert GOODIN in 1866

- brother Charles Francis

- sister Julia Francis
- she married David James BENGE in 1871

- sister Eliza Mary Francis
- born in 1848 in Wellington
- Eliza married Richard CHURCHILL in 1875
- she married Frank MERRIN in 1900

- sister Jessie barnett Franics
- born 1850 (possibly) Wellington
- she married George Duncan TOOGOOD n 1901

- sister Amelia Francis
- born 1854 in Wellington
- Amelia never married

Again I thank you very, very much for my ancestry information.
I have posted a new Journal to try and track my ancesters back as far as possible.
Who knows, there may be others out there like you that can help.
I have phoned family members over the week end to share the info you have given.
Sincere regards,
John Swan.

may be abit late as this is a few mnths old but have done a huge amount of work on the swan family tree. can add alot to what is here so if you read this and want info feel free to contact me

Hello moomoo,
Just write all your info in the comment box below so that everyone researching these names and reading this will benefi from what you have

bit hard to know where to start not done any research for quite awhile but i suppose to start.
On board ship were 3 siblings, Stephen our direct descendent also James his younger brother and frances a sister, They were travelling with the Francis family. James was killed in the Boulcott farm uprising and i have the date of his death and burial somewhere lol. He was buried beside the Hutt river. He was killed from a shot accidently discharged by one of the other militia cleaning his rifle. Frances Married a John Russell and she died in the back of a cart while nursing a baby, This was in the 1850`s. Likewise i have the date somewhere. Stephen was the only one to live to old age dying in 1901 at the age of 90. There is alot of debate about their parents and his age. Research places them from Marden Kent and parents Thomas swan and Frances brown. They did have a stephen but he was born in 1817. Stephens age at death in 1901 was 90 making him born 1810-11. Also his death cert has his mother as Fanny francis or Frances francis. I tend to believe this line as i have had snippets of info given to me to back this up but its not proven so the debate continues. In my research had also heard that Stephen and Sarah were actually 1st cousins which was common practise, Sarah had a baby before she married Stephen and was raised by Stephen and sarah. The Francis and Swans were very close in the growing up yrs and alot of the Swan childrens baptisms were witnessed by Francis family members, vice versa i would think too. I was in the process of documenting the Swan family line from Stephen through to today and have about 1000 to 1500 names before it got the better of me. Hope this helps as have more info than my little brain can hold

Hi from Oldies, (John Swan)I am thankful to you Guys and thats no Bull Moomoo. I have spent hours searching but I congratulate you guys.
The last of my fathers family ( George Swan who died at age 91)My uncle Lewis the last of my fathers family died in November last year.
So much family history died with him AGED 86 yrs.
A question for you Guys, my brother David Swan and I have asked each other ARE WE THE ONLY MALE SWAN DESCENDENTS APPART FROM OUR SONS?
Are there others in New Zealand?
Because my father George was the only Male from a family of 7 one girl Ruby a twin with Raymond who adopted children. My father one of the six boys had 5 children 2 boys my brother David and I John.
I would very much like to complete a family tree with help from you.
I work full time and don`t have the time and energy. I am willing to pay $ for a family tree,can you help or suggest from where. Ngairedith you have saved me time and $, I feel that I ow you.
Regards, John Swan

Hey John it is all about helping each other. I work for a winery and we are not far from our vintage so thats gonna tie me up but i would love to get my stuff out and do some more. I always wanted to complete the decendency from stephen and sarah down to today. No your not the only Swans left but until i dig into my geneology i cant help just yet. I would love to help you and in return all i would like back is your branches and dates to fill in some gaps. My home phone number is 06 8444253 and my name is Mel. I come down from James Swan and Sarah Jane worsley. My Nanas grandparents. I really do have a lot of info including quite a bit on the Worsleys as well .

ok John have just dug my folder out and yup ive some catching up to do,,we come down the same line and are distant cousins lol. anyway i will give you a bit more to work with but i have to get my head around what ive got. Im not sure how you want to put your family tree together but i know it can be a headache especially when you ask for information and they scream at you then slam the phone lol.
James Swan was born 19 June 1851 in lower hutt, baptised at St james church 10 aug 1851, Married 30 July 1879. Died 25 july 1941 and buried 28 july 1941 at the pahiatua cemetary. Sarah Jane worsley was born 26 march 1860 and died 12 january 1948, buried 14 january 1948 also at the Pahiatua cemetery. Her parents were Charles Worsley and the mother was Ann nee Emery.
Children were
James Charles born 30 April 1880
Elizabeth Mary born 8 Jan 1882
George Edward born 24 Mar 1884
Frances Ellen born 26 Aug 1886 ( my great grandmother )
Ethel Ivy born 24 Jun 1888
Charles Stephen born 12 Aug 1890
Annie Teresa born 14 Jun 1893
Lily Bertha born 5 Nov 1895
Florence May born 4 Apr 1898
Violet Winifred born 11 Jun 1901
Alfred John born 16 Feb 1905
Hope this helps still have lots more lol

Hi Mel from John.
This family tree stuff is like a drug and very exciting.
Very much appreciated.
I will try and get my retired sister to jot down my Dads side etc.
Not enough hours in the day for me, well change hours to energy.
Regards, John.

hello im nathan hirst,son or margaret swan colin hirst your sister adopted by raymond stephen swan and joan agnes swan.hello uncle john :) im also tring to find info for my tree this site has helped me lots,http://ngairedith.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=ngairedith&view=86&pid=458&ver=11438

or if you are on facebook add me ffdunewar@hotmail.com

Hi All, I too am a cousin from Te Puke, New Zealand and it is very exciting to find you all.
My great grandmother was Elizabeth Ann Swan, whose parents were Stephen and Sarah Ann Swan (nee Francis).
Elizabeth Ann, came to live with my grandmother and grandfather after her 2nd husband died, Peter Jensen. She lived until she was in her 90s and is buried in the Rotorua cemetery.
My understanding is that when John Francis married Frances she was his 2nd wife, Francis Frances was Mrs Frances Pearce and we actually originated from the first wife, but her name is unknown to me so if anyone knows?
John Francis was born in England in 1806 died Wellington 3 April 1874.
And has anyone any information prior to this?

Hi from John swan or Johnny Swan on birth certificate.
My email address is john@teamswan.co.nz.
I have not got time to do the family tree thing these days but appreciate your efforts and pleased to have all you cousies out there.
i have not taken the time to make up a family tree, my brother David and sister inlaw Diane Swan are or have been doing so.Ph them 07 5441 659 tauranga.
i am very very busy helping with the Christchurch rebuild these days.Ph 03 3852774.
027-279 2542, postal address PO box 35157 Shirley post code 8640. My physical address is 2 Voss st Shirley, Christchurch.
Contact my brother and sister inlaw. i think Peter Jensen lived in Dannevirke.
Hi Nathan Hirst from John Swan, i saw Colin at the start of the year on one of my trips to Christchurch.Think of you all and your Mum.Go for it mate.

Hi to all you Swan decendants
I have only just found this site and are amazed at the info on it regarding the Swan family.

Special Hello to John Swan (cousin) and Nathan Hirst (nephew). And Hello to my new cousins that have shown up.

I was adopted by Raymond Stephen Swan, however even though I do not have Swan blood I consider the Swans as my ancestors.

The start of my info was from John and his sister-in-law Dianne and then have built some more from there. Seem to be progressing outwards rather than up past Stephen. I have entered the info I have on Myheritage if anyone wants to view, under SwanFamilytree2.

My dad Raymond also had a son with his first marriage(June 1941) to Ellen Doris (nee Sheehan) who they named Terry. Something happened and they split and Dad never saw his son again. When asked Dad would deny the child as being his so we always wondered if it was true. A few years ago after my fathers death, Uncle Lou gave my sister a photo of Terry that he had kept and the child was definitely a Swan. SInce then sadley Uncle Lou and my sister have passed away so it now remains a mistery. I did try and find his birth cert some years ago but came to a stop as the only Terry Swan born anywhere around the correct time (Ellen would have been pregnant when they married) was adopted out a few years after his birth.

Does anyone happen to know about Terry?

Look forward to keeping in touch.
Judith Grootjans

Hello Swan family.
I was born in Pahiatua in 1942 and can clearly remember Steve, Ethel and Florrie Swan. They lived together in a little cottage. One of the sisters had been married and had a different surname. I was interested to learn that their origins were in Taita. I am a descendant of a family that arrived in Wellington on the 'Bolton' in 1840 and settled Taita, and eventually Pahiatua.

A search of the Mangatainoka (Pahiatua) cemetery records shows the following results:
Charles Stephen Swan. died 8.9.1973 aged 83 Plaque in RSA section
Florence May McCullough. died 29.6.1973 aged 80 No headstone
Ethel Ivy died 10.2.1971 aged 81 No headstone

Their last address was given as 5 Sedcole Street, Pahiatua
I hope this information is useful

thanks, i have not got the time to look at this info, but appreciate your info.
Cheers John.

SWAN. if you would like photographs of the headstones from Clareville Cemetery, can assist, just did a SWAN grave yesterday think buried with the surname OWEN if that rings bells? the headstone is full of lichen, I didnt have anything with me to clean it off, which I normally do to photograph it. was doing this for another SWAN enquiry, I get a lot of early settlers descendants asking for help, I specialise in the cemetery old graves.. Clareville Taphophile.. Mangatainoka cemetery is on line with photographs where possible, but I do the local towns.. Clareville. Greytown. I do know the family historian in Australia was in contact the other week with him.. thanks.

Hello to all my relatives, My name is Kathy and I am a adopted out child of a sibling of John Swan (oldies) I did get to meet with my grandparents George and Doreen, when they were in Norsewood. I did keep in touch with them when they moved up to Tauranga, until their deaths. Is their anymore information on Doreen, I see she was adopted ? where was she from, from a couple of photo's she sent me, they seemed English, unfortunately she was unable to tell me. I was also told the George had Viking blood somewhere along the line ??? But the family line seems to come from Kent ?? I have been given bits of info, so it is fantastic to finally get a lot more information, it has been quite surprising. I live in Upper Hutt. Thanks heaps

Hi kathy, i was wondering if you could please let me no when and where you were born and is Valaire Your birth mother?

Hi all. I have a Joseph Swan BARNETT (1862 - 1903) on my family tree and found these posts in my search for his descendants. He is my 2x great grand uncle and I am looking for his marriage (if there was one) to give me some traction on tracing his descendants. Any help on him or the BARNETT family (esp Henry and Jane) much appreciated. enzedsweetie@yahoo.com

Hi littlelotta sorry for the very late reply but yes my birth mother is Valerie Swan (Married to Lou Gates) cheers

Hi posted an. We are cousins, George's brother Raymond was my dad. The Viking reference comes from Nils and Ane Jensen who came from Denmark in 1874. They would be your great geeat grandparents. If you would like to email me judeg66@gmail.com I have some more details on them

Does anyone have any info on my late grandmother Doreen Lillie Swan, I know she passed away in Tauranga but mainly lived in Norsewood Married to George Wilfred Swan. I know she was born in England and adopted by Leonard Sargent, but is there any other information on her. thanks in advance