Van STAVEREN, Henry
Born 28 May 1890; died 19 November 1918; buried 20 November 1918; age 28
On the morning of 26 November 1918, the legal profession gathered at the Magistrate’s Court in Wellington to honour Henry Van Staveren and three other recent victims of the flu epidemic (two of them lawyers, one a Court official). In the words of The Free Lance on 21 November, Henry was ‘a rising young barrister with remarkably fine prospects’.
Born 28 May 1890; died 19 November 1918; buried 20 November 1918; age 28
On the morning of 26 November 1918, the legal profession gathered at the Magistrate’s Court in Wellington to honour Henry Van Staveren and three other recent victims of the flu epidemic (two of them lawyers, one a Court official). In the words of The Free Lance on 21 November, Henry was ‘a rising young barrister with remarkably fine prospects’.
The late Henry Van Staveren, youngest son of the Jewish Rabbi of Wellington
(Photo and caption from Free Lance 21 November 1918)
(Photo and caption from Free Lance 21 November 1918)
Although Henry’s father, Herman, was born in Holland, he was a British subject. He was educated in Antwerp and London and ordained as a rabbi in 1868. In 1875 he married Miriam Barnett, a Londoner, at the Great Synagogue in London.
Two years after their marriage Herman was suggested as a rabbi for the Wellington Hebrew Congregation in New Zealand. This was agreed and the couple, with their first child, arrived in Wellington in mid-1877. A residence was completed in 1878 behind the wooden synagogue at 128 The Terrace and this was to be the family home until the parents died in 1930 (i). The house was enlarged as the family grew, eventually reaching nine daughters and four sons.
Alongside his work with the Jewish congregation, in Wellington and elsewhere, Rabbi Van Staveren played a large role in the charitable work in the city,notably as a member of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board and associated organisations until his death. His biography is available here.
Henry, the youngest son, was born in 1890. He was a pupil at The Terrace School (ii) and Wellington College (iii).
In 1905 Henry’s brothers established their importing and general merchandising enterprise Van Staveren Brothers Ltd. The Van Staveren family name is remembered in Wellington by the name of the building at 36 Taranaki Street that housed the business. The building is on the WCC heritage list http://wellingtoncityheritage.org.nz/buildings/151-300/279-former-van-staveren-building.
Henry did not join his brothers in business when he finished secondary school, instead going to Victoria University College to study law. He graduated LLB in 1915, and began working as a barrister and solicitor with the firm established by Herbert Webb.
On 14 May 1917 Herbert announced that he and Henry had entered into partnership under the style of Webb and Van Staveren, operating from 235 Lambton Quay. Numerous advertisements in local newspapers followed, advising that the firm had ‘Money to lend on approved security’. Henry’s work in the courts, defending a variety of cases, was frequently reported. Clearly, he was on his way.
In November 1918, however, he caught the flu. He was ill for 9 days and died at home, aged 26. There was a large turnout for his funeral in the Jewish Section of Karori Cemetery, and he was buried in Plot 23 B. Although a lawyer, he had not made a will. He was unmarried.
Henry’s parents died 9 months apart in 1930 and were buried alongside their youngest son.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Section: JEWISH
Plot: 23 B
(i) The old wooden synagogue, a suitable size for a congregation of 200 members when Herman arrived, was far too small for over 1400 by 1925, and was replaced by a larger brick building (since demolished) opened in 1929. Nigel Isaacs, ‘Staveren, Herman Van’, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara, first published 1993
(ii) This school was then on The Terrace on the seaward side of the intersection with Bolton Street
(iii) Details of Henry’s schooling are taken from the news report of his funeral, The Evening Post, 20 November 1918
Two years after their marriage Herman was suggested as a rabbi for the Wellington Hebrew Congregation in New Zealand. This was agreed and the couple, with their first child, arrived in Wellington in mid-1877. A residence was completed in 1878 behind the wooden synagogue at 128 The Terrace and this was to be the family home until the parents died in 1930 (i). The house was enlarged as the family grew, eventually reaching nine daughters and four sons.
Alongside his work with the Jewish congregation, in Wellington and elsewhere, Rabbi Van Staveren played a large role in the charitable work in the city,notably as a member of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board and associated organisations until his death. His biography is available here.
Henry, the youngest son, was born in 1890. He was a pupil at The Terrace School (ii) and Wellington College (iii).
In 1905 Henry’s brothers established their importing and general merchandising enterprise Van Staveren Brothers Ltd. The Van Staveren family name is remembered in Wellington by the name of the building at 36 Taranaki Street that housed the business. The building is on the WCC heritage list http://wellingtoncityheritage.org.nz/buildings/151-300/279-former-van-staveren-building.
Henry did not join his brothers in business when he finished secondary school, instead going to Victoria University College to study law. He graduated LLB in 1915, and began working as a barrister and solicitor with the firm established by Herbert Webb.
On 14 May 1917 Herbert announced that he and Henry had entered into partnership under the style of Webb and Van Staveren, operating from 235 Lambton Quay. Numerous advertisements in local newspapers followed, advising that the firm had ‘Money to lend on approved security’. Henry’s work in the courts, defending a variety of cases, was frequently reported. Clearly, he was on his way.
In November 1918, however, he caught the flu. He was ill for 9 days and died at home, aged 26. There was a large turnout for his funeral in the Jewish Section of Karori Cemetery, and he was buried in Plot 23 B. Although a lawyer, he had not made a will. He was unmarried.
Henry’s parents died 9 months apart in 1930 and were buried alongside their youngest son.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Section: JEWISH
Plot: 23 B
(i) The old wooden synagogue, a suitable size for a congregation of 200 members when Herman arrived, was far too small for over 1400 by 1925, and was replaced by a larger brick building (since demolished) opened in 1929. Nigel Isaacs, ‘Staveren, Herman Van’, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara, first published 1993
(ii) This school was then on The Terrace on the seaward side of the intersection with Bolton Street
(iii) Details of Henry’s schooling are taken from the news report of his funeral, The Evening Post, 20 November 1918