Robert Collings Tennent (1849-1939) was born in Rio de Janiero, Brazil to British parents Robert Tennent and Penelope Cowper

- he emmigrated to New Zealand with his widowed mother, 2 brothers, Douglas Cowper Tennent and Edward Cowper Tennent, sister Isabella and 2 other unnamed siblings on the BRITISH EMPIRE which landed in Lyttelton in 1864
-(on the pasenger list their name is spelt Tenant)
- they settled in Nelson in about 1865

- brother Douglas Cowper Tennent (1851-1920) moved north to Marton to start a business of Tennent and Simpson, auctioneers, stock and station agents, he became the Mayor of Marton in November 1896 and was a Grain Merchant, Accountant, Land, Estate and Commission Agent
- he married Agnes Mary Ellen Greenwood (1858-1937) in 1878
their children were:
1879-? Cecil Cowper Tennent - may have moved to Australia
1881-1970 Elsie Gascoigne Tennent - born in Nelson
- her birth notice in the NELSON EVENING MAIL
- married Robert Nicholas Todd 1906
1882-1970 Percy Douglas Tennent
- his birth notice in the NELSON EVENING MAIL
- married Elsie Julia Commons in 1914
- she was a duaghter of William McKenzie Commons & Catherine Sarah Wrigley
1884-1964 Dorothy Isabelle Tennent
- married Albert Victor Oliver 1917. He is possibly a brother of Otway Oliver who married Dorothy's sister Noeline (see siblings at end notes)
1886-1969 John Greenwood Tennent - engineer Feilding
- served in WWI, serial number 7/522, trooper with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles
- married Kate Augusta Crump in 1925
- she was a daughter of Philip Charles Crump & Mary Symbourne Commons
1887-1972 Charlotte Marion Tennent
- married Herbert Boyer 1915
1889-1975 William Cowper Tennent
- married Elsie Mary Allden Johnson in 1926
- was cremated at Purewa Crematorium Auckland, ashes scattered
1896-1974 Noeline Jessie Tennent
- married Otway Ernest Oliver 1921. He was 1 of 9 (known) children of James Oliver & Ellen Josling (*see notes at end)
In 1914 when sons William Cowper & John Greenwood served in WWI, Douglas was living in 6 Mathieson Street, Wanganui. William was living in 34 Bourke Street, Palmerston North, John was living in Whakamatau (west of Christchurch)
- In January 1905 Douglas and William James Tennent were living on 1 acre, Section 16, Rangitikei Agricultural Reserve
- it is very possible that this William James Tennent was a younger brother of Robert, Douglas & Edward (one of the unnamed on the passenger list)

- brother ? William James Tennent (1856-1930) married Katherine Jessie Kesteven (1853-1924) in 1881 in Christchurch
- their marriage notice in the TIMARU HERALD
their (known) children were:
1882-1946 Edith Penelope Tennent - didn't marry
- cremated at Karori, Wellington
1883-1960 Hobart Cother Tennent - farmer Palmerston North 1885-1969 Oswald Kesteven Tennent - bank manager in Hawera, in 1931 applied for his drivers license after 1 weeks driving experience
- married Kathleen Kiver Allison in 1915. She the eldest child of Henry Allison & Elizabeth Jane Kiver. Her siblings were: Henry Kiver Allison, Charles Wynn Kiver Allison, Eric Victor Kiver Allison, Leslie Tracy Kiver Allison
- Oswald & Kathleen had Peter Kenard Tennent in Christchurch 1918
1886-1917 Kenard William Tennent - killed in action Ypres Belgium
1888-1979 Ida Frances Tennent - graduated with a BA from Victoria University, Wellington 1908
- married George Max Cleghorn 1918. He was a son of George Cleghorn & Helen Browning (1868-1955) who married in 1888. George was previously married in 1886 to Helen' sister Annie (1861-1887)
In 1917 when sons Hobart Cother & Kenard William served in WWI, William James was living in 69 Essex St, Masterton. His wife Katherine was buried in the Archer St cemetery Masterton in November 1924

- brother Edward Cowper Tennent (1848-1914), farmed in Nelson for 2 years before moving toWagga-Wagga, NSW. He was a Classical master at Hobart Tasmania, Minister in the Presbyterian Church in 1881, officiating in Tasmania and Dunedin NZ.
- he married Amy Margaret ? in Australia and a son Stuart Ralston Tennent was born in Tasmania in 1888. Stuart died of wounds 16-8-1915 at sea from Egypt to Gallipoli. He was serving with the Wellington Mounted Rifles, 2nd Reinforcements, serial number 11/831. He had been living at 319 Willis Street, Wellington. He is buried at the Alexandria (CHATBY) Military and War Memorial Cemetery in Egypt
- He married again, to Edith Jessie Huxtable in 1897. Jessie's father was C. H. Huxtable of Elphinstone Rd Hobart Australia who had married Ella Mary Ridings of Newtown Auckland in Hobart,
- Edward & Edith were married at Dr Fooks in Auckland
(How they knew Dr Fooks is not known.)
Edward was living in Martinborough at the time of Stuart's death, he was then the Prebyterian minister for Martinborough. The Sermon given prior to his being sent to Martinborough in 1909
Edward was killed in a motor car accident, overturning his car at Hinakura, 26km east of Martinborough

Robert was responsible for the formation of The Nelson Rugby Club. He was totally sports minded and at the age of 19 shortly after moving to Nelson, he and other young men of Nelson formed the club
He was a key figure in taking the game of rugby up to Patea and the Manawatu
Of Note
They play for the ROBERT COLLINGS TENNENT TROPHY in Queensland, Australia

Robert played First-Class cricket from 1873-1874
- his major team was Nelson

He was a manager of various branches of the Bank of NSW in Nelson, Timaru, Invercargill, Taranaki, Wanganui, Patea and other places

He married Emily Mary Boor (1854-1944) in 1875 in Nelson
- Emily was possibly born in Nelson
- their marriage notice read:
TENNENT - BOOR, 20 Oct, Nelson, Robert Collins (sic) Tennent, Bank NSW, Patea, 2nd son of late R.N. Tennent esq, Rio de Janeiro, to Emily Mary, eldest daughter of Leonard Boor Esq, MRCS, Nelson - Dr Leonard Boor was in Masterton when he wrote a letter to Sir Donald McLean in 1868

- their children were:

1877-1936 Emily Cowper Tennent in Nelson
- married Philip Henry Mules (1876-1960) in Timaru 1908
- their marriage notice in the COLONIST
- Dr Philip Henry Mules, M.B., F.R.C.S. (Edin.), was born at Brightwater, Nelson, his father was Right Rev. Charles Oliver Mules, (1837-1927) Bishop of Nelson (includes a photo) - the Rev Mules arrived into Nelson on the 6th June 1867 as a saloon passenger on the CISSY Charles married Laura Blundell in 1870. Charles and Laura had about 5 children. A son, Edmund Kennedy Mules (1877-1962) was a vicar at Otaio Church and Bluecliffs, a chaplain with the forces in WWI, 2nd reserves, a curate at Christchurch St Michaels under the very Catholic Canon Harry Burton (Edmund married Aileen Grace Burton in 1913)
- Taken from Woodville at NZETC:
... (Philip Henry Mules) went to Edinburgh, where he passed his final examinations in the year 1902 and immediately accepted an appointment as house surgeon of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary under Dr. MacGillivray.
Subsequently for three months he held the position of house physician to the Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital, under Dr. Barbour, and then engaged for some time in locum-tenens work.
In July, 1903, he passed the M. D. clinical examination and in the following year was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Dr. Mules then returned to New Zealand as ship surgeon of the "Kumara," and was afterwards for some time medical examiner to an insurance office for the North Auckland district.
Dr. Mules subsequently settled in Woodville, where he took over the practice formerly conducted by Dr. Dawson
- they had Charles Marwood Mules in 1909. He died 1997
- they had Margaret Emily (Margie) Mules in Woodville in 1916
- Margie became a School Dental Nurse
- she married Ian Morton Ollivier (1908-1996) in Palmerston North in 1943. He was 1 of 6 children of Cecil Claude Morton Ollivier (1878-1935) & Florence Minnie (Flossie) Milsom. Cecil was an accountant, a Fellow of the Institute of Accountants in New Zealand. He was a director of Christchurch Cinemas, the Golden Bay Cement Works and the Glaxo Manufacturing Company. Chairman of directors of Beath & Co, of Bonds Hosiery Mills and the Woolston Tanneries. A committee member, steward and vice-president of the Metropolitan Trotting Club in Christchurch, he bred horses and in 1922 won the NZ Cup with "Agathos". He died in 1935 and his property later became the site of the Glenelg Health Camp
- Ian and Margie lived in Chapel St, Masterton
they had 3 sons, Michael Morton, Andrew Morton & Peter Morton Ollivier
- Ian died in Masterton, burial not yet found

1878-? Leonard Cowper Tennent
- born in Carlyle, which is now called Patea
- his birth notice in the WANGANUI HERALD
- served in the Anglo-Boer War, serial numbers 8501 & 1036 with the 4th & 10th Contingents
- he was a trooper with the No 9 Otago Company. At enlistment he was living in Dunedin, worked as a clerk, was aged 21 years, height 5ft 9 3/4in, chest 36 1/2in, weight 1Ost 5lb.
- in June 1900 he sent a letter to his parents
- he was then in Beira, Mozambique
- in 1903 was living in a house on land he had bought on the old Spionkop battlefield in South Africa

1879-1958 Evelyn Arnold Tennent - born in Patea
- was a bridesmaid in Christchurch 1908 at her sister Emily's wedding
- married Wybrants Olphert DSO DSC RD RNZNVR (1880-1938) in 1910
- they settled in Lower Hutt
- other Wybrants Olphert in New Zealand:
*1845 - 1915 Wybrants Olphert
*1880 - 1938 Wybrants Olphert (above)
*1911 - 1991 Wybrants Olphert - married Heather Mary Horrax in Kelburn, Wellington 1939
*1915 - 1974 Wybrant William Charles Olphert
- one of the first 2 married Florence Salmon in 1903

1881-1951 Robert Valentine Tennent (born Valentines Day)
- married Kathleen Gertrude Cook (1884-1956) in 1907
- she was a daughter of John & Annie Eliza Cook
- Kathleen remarried in 1922 to James Monteath (1877-1959) - James had been married in 1907 to Kara Muriel Devenish-Meares (1877-1921). There were many Devenish-Meares in East Australia, Kiama, Sydney, Wollongong etc and in the south of New Zealand Timaru, Christchurch etc. The name may have originated in Ireland

1882-1951 Harold Douglas Tennent
- served in the Anglo Boer War, serial number 7833 with the 9th New Zealand South Island Contingent - embarked from South Island on the SS KENT 12 March 1902
- served in WWI, serial #18912, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 6th Reinforcements 4th Battalion, H Company
- he sent his father a letter from Capetown, South Africa in October 1914 where he was the a sergeant in the Natal Light Horse. His father was then with the Bank of NSW in Invercargill
- married Ruth Lois Cleeve-Edwards (1897-1984) in 1919

1885-1905 Muriel Edith Tennent
- died aged 20 unmarried
- also buried in Old Gorge Cemetery

1887-1967 Hugh Cowper Tennent
- born in Wanganui, died in Honolulu, Hawaii
- his birth notice in the Feilding Star
- married Madeline (Madge) Grace Denham Cook (1889-1972) in Cape Town, South Africa in 1915
- Madge Cook was born in England, studied art in Paris under William Bouguereau. She had one-person shows at the Honolulu Academy of the Arts, and her works have been exhibited in London at the Wertheim Gallery, in Paris at the Bernheim-Jeune Galleries, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco as well as frequently in Honolulu at the Academy of Arts, Gumps, and the Grossman-Moody Gallery.
- Hugh served in WWI, serial number 17838 New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 9th Reinforcements 1st Battalion, E Company. He embarked from Wellington 29th July 1916
- after their marriage they returned to New Zealand where Madge became the head of the art school in Invercargill
- their children were:
1916 - Arthur Hugh Cowper Tennent was born in Woodville while Hugh awaited further military orders. When orders came, Hugh was posted to France in support of the allied effort in World War I. Hugh returned from France in 1917 with a badly wounded arm. An accountant by trade, he was offered a position as treasurer to the government of British Samoa, which he chose to accept. The Tennents lived in Samoa for six years where they had a daughter, Valentine Leslie Tennent 1919
- In 1923 the Tennents left Samoa to go to England, stopping in Hawaii. They were entranced with the islands and were persuaded to stay. Their home at 203 Prospect Street in Honolulu, Hawaii is now a museum of her art Tennent Art Foundation Gallery

1892-1945 Kenneth Boor Tennent
- served in WWI, serial number 7/1320, Sergeant, Canterbury Mounted Rifles, 6th Reinforcements. Enlistment address was Cattle Valley, 14km east of Fairlie, Canterbuy
- he was awared the Military Medal
- married Mary Warren in 1927
- he died aged 53 and was cremated at Karori, Wellington

1899-1977 Alan Arnold Tennent
- twin with Ivan
- married Marion Linton McGregor in 1925
- Marion remarried in 1940 to John Te Herekiekie Grace Ngati Tuwharetoa; interpreter, public servant, community leader, high commissioner
- photo of Colonel Alan Arnold Tennent taken about 1945
- the McGregor Park Reerve in Ohai, Southland is a large reserve covering 80 hectares of land used by the public for picnicing, walking and overnight camping. This part of the reserve contains a mown area, a simple swing set and a pavilion. A trotting training track used by the Nightcaps Trotting Training Club is located adjacent to the developed public area. Part of the reserve near the township and along the Wairio Stream has been developed as a revegetation project by the local community. It was acquired in 1952 by the Nightcaps Town Board from Alan Arnold Tennant and Marion Linton Grace (Alan's ex wife) for the use, benefit, enjoyment and recreational purposes of the inhabitants of the districts of Nightcaps and Ohai

1899-1900 Ivan Gaye Tennent
- twin with Alan - born in Timaru
- their birth notice in the TIMARU HERALD
- died aged 13 months

1901-? Doreen Isabel Tennent
- was a bridesmaid in Christchurch 1908 at her sister Emily's wedding
- she would have then been aged 7
- the Rev C.K Mules mentioned as best man was actually Edmund Kennedy Mules

In 1915 Robert was with the Bank of New South Wales, in Invercargill when Kenneth went to war and still there in 1916 when Harold went to war

Robert died in Woodville on 14th April 1939 and is buried in the Old Gorge Cemetery
His wife Emily died aged 90, 5 years after him
- she was cremated on 10th October 1944 at Karori Crematorium

NOTES
..Sally Ann Tennent was cremated at Karori on 21st August 1934 aged 16 months - parents unknown at this time
..Another possible brother (unnamed on the ship passenger list) is George Edward Tennent. Born in about 1857, he was a draper in Wellington, married Annie Candow in 1877. He died in May 1907 and is buried in Karori
..*children of James & Ellen Oliver
1879-1938 James Oliver Josling Oliver
- married Zeta Maud Jackson in 1912
1880-1965 Eleanor Amy Elizabeth Oliver
- didn't marry
1882- 1964 Grace Adelaide May Oliver
- didn't marry
1884 - Ohvay (sic) Ernest Oliver
- married Noeline Jessie Tennent in 1921
1886 - Albert Oliver
- possibly married Dorothy Isobelle Tennent in 1917
1888-1972 Florence Ivy Maud Oliver
- didn't marry
1889-1895 Ruby Iris Minnie Oliver
- died aged 5 years
1890-1891 Gladys Eloise Mary Oliver
- died aged 10 months
1892-1961 Oscar Dudley Oliver