JACKSON, Isabel Maud
Born 8 February 1909; died 22 November 1918; buried 23 November 1918; age 9
Isabel (sometimes Isobel) was registered as Isabella Maud JACKSON when she was born in Wellington on 8 February 1909. She had one older brother, John Andrew, born in 1907 also in Wellington, and two younger siblings born in Wanganui: Harry in 1914 and Stella in 1915.
Their parents were Andrew Scott Jackson, a marine engineer born in 1873 and Ethel Maud Jackson nee SMITH (known as Maud); they had married in 1906. Isobel’s mother was born in New Zealand in 1884, and came from Lyttelton in Canterbury. Maud’s father, William Andrew Smith, was a ship’s master who worked on coastal vessels transporting goods and livestock around New Zealand. In 1903 he was in charge of the schooner, the Jessie Niccol berthed at night in Wellington Harbour (in a berth allocated by the harbour board) on 19 December. William had retired for the night and was reading in his bunk when the ss Rotomahana, a much larger vessel, struck the Jessie Niccol and sank it. No lives were lost but the event brought to an end William’s accident-free 27 years at sea. An enquiry found the accident resulted from insufficient lighting of the Jessie Niccol on anchor watch for which William was censured but as the regulations did not provide specific lighting requirements, and the schooner was in the berth specified by the harbour authority (notwithstanding it lay in the path of other vessels leaving and approaching the wharf), William did not lose his certificate that enabled him to operate as a ship’s master [i].
Isobel’s father originated from Birkenhead, Cheshire. On the 1891 census for Toxteth Park in Liverpool, Andrew Scott Jackson was working as a metal turner’s apprentice, and was living with his Scottish-born, widowed mother, Sophia and one older brother and two younger brothers and a sister. By 1901 Andrew Scott Jackson was at sea working as the 4th engineer aboard the ss Delphic. At 29 he was still single but during the next 5 years he met Maud, perhaps when in port at Lyttelton, and they married and set up home together, initially in Wellington. Working in merchant shipping was a job that would have taken Isobel’s father away from home for extended periods and, in common with her siblings, she probably developed a stronger relationship with her mother.
In 1915 Andrew was working as an engineer aboard the steamer Rakiura which grounded while passing too close to Stephen’s Island (at the northernmost tip of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island) [ii].
Isobel spent her early life in Wellington before the family moved to Wanganui prior to 1914 where her father was working as an electrical engineer [iii] and the family was living in Gonville. But by February 1915 Isabel – the spelling used on all her school records – was attending Brooklyn School in Wellington, though this lasted for just one year as she was ‘sick’ [iv] and withdrawn from school on 2 February 1916. Her family lived at 122 and at 130 Ohiro Road over this time and by 10 April 1916 she was re-enrolled at Brooklyn School.
The same year Isobel’s father Andrew enlisted for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and was placed on the 2nd Division Reserve Roll where his name appears as a marine engineer at 122 Ohiro Rd, Brooklyn, Wellington. He was classified ‘E’ meaning he had five dependants, his wife and four children. He was therefore most unlikely to be called up for active service.
Isobel’s last day at school came on 8 November 1918. For the next 14 days Isobel was ill with influenza. It was not common for the influenza epidemic to strike her age group, so perhaps she was in a weakened state from her underlying or prior illness/es. On 22 November Isobel died at the 32-bed Temporary Hospital which had been providing care since 18 November at Brooklyn School. Her family was still living at 222 Ohiro Road at the time [v].
Isobel was buried the following day in the Public 2 section of Karori Cemetery with the Old Testament quotation ‘It is well with the child’ added to her headstone. In March 1919 when her mother paid for her plot, the Jackson family was still living at 222 Happy Valley Road in Brooklyn (where it ran on from Ohiro Road through Brooklyn Village). It was from this address (but called 222 Valley Road) that younger brother Harry was enrolled in Brooklyn School on 19 August 1919. In October 1919 Harry was withdrawn from school for the destination, ‘Berhampore’ as the family was moving again. The Jackson parents spent the rest of their lives in the Newtown area ending their days at 167 Owen Street.
Isobel’s father Andrew was buried in the same grave as his daughter when he died aged 88 in 1961 and her mother Maud was cremated at Karori Cemetery when she died in 1970 aged 85.
Researched and written by Jenny Robertson
Grave Information:
Section: PUBLIC2
Plot: 310 I
Sources:
[i] Evening Post 21 January 1904
[ii] New Zealand Times 21 April 1915
[iii] 1914 electoral roll for Wanganui
[iv] According to her school record destination
[v] This address was also known as Valley Road or Happy Valley Road.
Born 8 February 1909; died 22 November 1918; buried 23 November 1918; age 9
Isabel (sometimes Isobel) was registered as Isabella Maud JACKSON when she was born in Wellington on 8 February 1909. She had one older brother, John Andrew, born in 1907 also in Wellington, and two younger siblings born in Wanganui: Harry in 1914 and Stella in 1915.
Their parents were Andrew Scott Jackson, a marine engineer born in 1873 and Ethel Maud Jackson nee SMITH (known as Maud); they had married in 1906. Isobel’s mother was born in New Zealand in 1884, and came from Lyttelton in Canterbury. Maud’s father, William Andrew Smith, was a ship’s master who worked on coastal vessels transporting goods and livestock around New Zealand. In 1903 he was in charge of the schooner, the Jessie Niccol berthed at night in Wellington Harbour (in a berth allocated by the harbour board) on 19 December. William had retired for the night and was reading in his bunk when the ss Rotomahana, a much larger vessel, struck the Jessie Niccol and sank it. No lives were lost but the event brought to an end William’s accident-free 27 years at sea. An enquiry found the accident resulted from insufficient lighting of the Jessie Niccol on anchor watch for which William was censured but as the regulations did not provide specific lighting requirements, and the schooner was in the berth specified by the harbour authority (notwithstanding it lay in the path of other vessels leaving and approaching the wharf), William did not lose his certificate that enabled him to operate as a ship’s master [i].
Isobel’s father originated from Birkenhead, Cheshire. On the 1891 census for Toxteth Park in Liverpool, Andrew Scott Jackson was working as a metal turner’s apprentice, and was living with his Scottish-born, widowed mother, Sophia and one older brother and two younger brothers and a sister. By 1901 Andrew Scott Jackson was at sea working as the 4th engineer aboard the ss Delphic. At 29 he was still single but during the next 5 years he met Maud, perhaps when in port at Lyttelton, and they married and set up home together, initially in Wellington. Working in merchant shipping was a job that would have taken Isobel’s father away from home for extended periods and, in common with her siblings, she probably developed a stronger relationship with her mother.
In 1915 Andrew was working as an engineer aboard the steamer Rakiura which grounded while passing too close to Stephen’s Island (at the northernmost tip of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island) [ii].
Isobel spent her early life in Wellington before the family moved to Wanganui prior to 1914 where her father was working as an electrical engineer [iii] and the family was living in Gonville. But by February 1915 Isabel – the spelling used on all her school records – was attending Brooklyn School in Wellington, though this lasted for just one year as she was ‘sick’ [iv] and withdrawn from school on 2 February 1916. Her family lived at 122 and at 130 Ohiro Road over this time and by 10 April 1916 she was re-enrolled at Brooklyn School.
The same year Isobel’s father Andrew enlisted for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and was placed on the 2nd Division Reserve Roll where his name appears as a marine engineer at 122 Ohiro Rd, Brooklyn, Wellington. He was classified ‘E’ meaning he had five dependants, his wife and four children. He was therefore most unlikely to be called up for active service.
Isobel’s last day at school came on 8 November 1918. For the next 14 days Isobel was ill with influenza. It was not common for the influenza epidemic to strike her age group, so perhaps she was in a weakened state from her underlying or prior illness/es. On 22 November Isobel died at the 32-bed Temporary Hospital which had been providing care since 18 November at Brooklyn School. Her family was still living at 222 Ohiro Road at the time [v].
Isobel was buried the following day in the Public 2 section of Karori Cemetery with the Old Testament quotation ‘It is well with the child’ added to her headstone. In March 1919 when her mother paid for her plot, the Jackson family was still living at 222 Happy Valley Road in Brooklyn (where it ran on from Ohiro Road through Brooklyn Village). It was from this address (but called 222 Valley Road) that younger brother Harry was enrolled in Brooklyn School on 19 August 1919. In October 1919 Harry was withdrawn from school for the destination, ‘Berhampore’ as the family was moving again. The Jackson parents spent the rest of their lives in the Newtown area ending their days at 167 Owen Street.
Isobel’s father Andrew was buried in the same grave as his daughter when he died aged 88 in 1961 and her mother Maud was cremated at Karori Cemetery when she died in 1970 aged 85.
Researched and written by Jenny Robertson
Grave Information:
Section: PUBLIC2
Plot: 310 I
Sources:
[i] Evening Post 21 January 1904
[ii] New Zealand Times 21 April 1915
[iii] 1914 electoral roll for Wanganui
[iv] According to her school record destination
[v] This address was also known as Valley Road or Happy Valley Road.