Mr Pelu has finally come through - well, actually, he didn't. I gave up waiting and phoned again. I talked to a very helpful lady who found the my g-grandfather's death certificate and promised to send it that day. It arrived a week later.
This is very exciting because it provides the link between him and the Edinburgh/Sydney Sutherlands and gives me something more to search on.
My Great-grandfather - William Morrison SUTHERLAND died aged 46 years of Heart Failure in Lifuka, Haapai, Tonga on 9 April 1915. He worked from the Tongan Government (a civil servant!) and he had been in Tonga 19 years when he died. He married Neomai Mahe in Namuka, Haapai, when he was 28 years old.
This means:
He arrived in Tonga in 1896 aged 27 (I'd always thought he's arrived as a young man). He married in 1897.
My family bible was given to him by Mrs Burt in 1894, so that must have been given in Sydney.
Where to from here?
I'm really interested now in what he did there. I had thought he was a merchant - particularly as his father was an importer and I had an idea that this was all a family importing/trading operation.
I guess it's back to the Western Pacific High Commission Archives to try and find something about Tongan Govt Civil Servants.
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2 comments:
omg.i am janet dean nee sutherland.william morrison married to naomi mahe is my gpa. my father is the son william morrison married mareta ma'afi(from wallis and futuna. my siblings are naomi, william, samson(deseased), charlotte. mareta had two children from a previous relationship cissy and sawahe. and together they adopted two more robert and frances(deseased)my email janetgdean@hot mail.com wud so love to hear from you. cheers
William Morrison Sutherland is my great grandfather, my grandfather, his son, Robert Sutherland, My mother Christina Middlemas Sutherland now Latu and I was named after my grandfather, Robert, I am Robert Latu. born in NZ lived in West yorkshire for 15 years but now back home in NZ. I'm on FB Robbie Latu :)
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