Thomas Pocknall

  Research Notes:

Thomas Pocknall (1842), son of William and Sarah (Bowers), married Eliza Kirkman Allen of Adelaide Place, Chatham, at the Congregational Church, Rochester, Kent. Their home was "Birchwood". Thomas was listed as a labourer. They emigrated to New Zealand aboard the "Asia" leaving Gravesend on 8th Feb 1874, arriving 27 April 1874 at Otago, with four children. Thomas is listed as being a blacksmith. They produced another 7 children in NZ. Thomas died at Caversham (Dunedin) NZ in 1889, occupation given as gardener. Their son George, a cabinet-maker, went to Melbourne and married Elizabeth Mitchell in 1890. Eliza and 2 of their sons, William Walter and Leonard Albert, and daughters Hannah, Caroline, Harriet, Louisa and Ada, went to Victoria in May/June 1891 on the "Westralia" :- Eliza re-married, to John Williams. William married Sarah Hosking, and set up a leather goods business (suitcases etc) in Fitzroy, which closed in the 1970's. Leonard married Annie Maxwell, and worked as a carpenter in the Maffra area of Gippsland . Caroline married (1) James Jones (2) Albert Firth. Harriet married Herbert Dodsworth, Louisa married Albert Firth, and Ada married Alexander King. Annie married William Potter in Tasmania in 1892, and later returned to New Zealand. Frederick married Mary Jackson & with his family came to Melbourne, where he worked for George, before returning to NZ in 1893. Hannah (Rose) returned to NZ, and married Joseph Gwyn. Another son, William John, died in infancy ^{1 5}

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census UK: Aged 8, 1851, Hockenden?, St. Mary Cray, Kent, England. ⁶

• Census UK: Hammerman, aged 28, Mar, 1871, Constitution Hill, Gillingham, Kent, England. ⁷ Claims b. St Mary Cray

Thomas married Eliza Kirkman Allen on 2 Oct 1860 in Congregational Chapel, Rochester, Kent, England.¹ (Eliza Kirkman Allen was born on 31 Dec 1842 in Adelaide Pl., Chatham, Kent, England ¹ and died on 29 Oct 1920 in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia ¹.)