Grant

John Bathgate’s bride, Ann Melville Grant, was born c1848 in Crichton, Perthshire, Scotland. Her parents were Peter Grant and Elizabeth Melville – see more below.

Ann emigrated to NZ on the ship ‘Storm Cloud’ with her parents, arriving 27 April 1860 at Port Chalmers, Dunedin.

John and Ann married 23 August 1872 at her family home of ‘Granton’. Ann Grant’s wedding dress, as well as some family information, is featured in the book Women of Substance: The Otago women who wore ‘fabulous frocks’  by Seán G Brosnahan and published by the Otago Settlers Museum.

Ann died 13 April 1914 at ‘Rosemount Farm’ Crookston, aged 66 years, while visiting her sister. Beth Sim remembers her father George T Bathgate telling her that their family tended not to show much emotion, and when it was time to say goodbye before his mother left for Crookston, he went and hid so she wouldn’t see him crying. Of course he had no way of knowing that this was the last time he would see his mother alive.

Ann and her husband are both buried at West Taieri Cemetery.

An obituary for Ann was later published:

“By the sudden death of Mrs John Bathgate, of Gowrie Farm, West Taieri, which took place at Rosemount Farm, Crookston, on April 13, while on a visit to her sister (Mrs Thomas Sim), the West Taieri has lost another of its early settlers, Mrs Bathgate having arrived with her parents in 1861 in the ship Storm Cloud. She was the third daughter of the late Mr Peter Grant of Granton Farm, West Taieri. She was of a warm-hearted and kindly nature, and in her youthful days was known among her intimate friends as the “peacemaker.”  She and her late husband were well and favourably known for their kindness and hospitality, and will not be readily forgotten by those who had the pleasure of knowing them. Mrs Bathgate is survived by six sons and three daughters. Her body was interred in the West Taieri Cemetery alongside that of her husband who predeceased her by nearly four months.”

 

Peter Grant and Elizabeth Melville

Peter Grant, Ann’s father, was christened as Patrick Grant on 2 January 1808 in Kirkmichael, Perthshire, Scotland. His parents were Peter (also sometimes referred to as Patrick) Grant (Occupation: Farmer) and Janet Stewart. Peter and Janet were married 16 February 1788 in Kirkmichael, Perthshire, Scotland.

Peter married Elizabeth Melville (christened Elisabeth on 8 September 1813 Glenisla, Angus, Scotland) on a date unknown, Forfarshire, Scotland.

The parents of Elizabeth Melville were David Melville (Occupation: Farmer) and Ann Cameron. David and Ann were married 3 December 1809. Their marriage was recorded at Alyth, Perth, Scotland and also at Glenisla, Angus, Scotland.

Peter and Elizabeth Grant brought their family to NZ on the Storm Cloud, and are on the passenger list for the Storm Cloud which arrived in Dunedin 27 April 1860: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzbound/stormcloud.htm

(Some family information sources say they arrived in 1861 but the passenger list for Storm Cloud 1961 does not list any Grants: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzbound/stormcloud1861.htm )

Peter and Elizabeth were recorded as from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland, and brought 5 sons and 4 daughters with them. It is not known whether Donald Grant and wife, also listed as being from Blairgowrie, were part of their family. Elizabeth Grant’s obituary (see below) records one of her daughters as Mrs Thomas Sim. Thomas Sim and wife are also listed as passengers on this ship, and it notes that Mrs Sim gave birth to a son 5 February 1860. A similar list found in Papers Past website includes a John Grant and 2 sons, also from Blairgowrie, and again it is not known whether they were related to Peter and Elizabeth Grant.

It seems the first of the family to emigrate to NZ was their son David, who sailed from London on the ‘Palmyra’ and arrived in Dunedin 14 February 1858. David, a young surveyor, was encouraged by his Uncle, whose name was also Peter Grant (d.1874). This Peter Grant had the first farm on the West Taieri – initially he worked at Woodside and carefully noted how the flood waters on the plain ebbed and flowed before buying land on an area that remained dry, and named it ‘Cray’ after his home in Perthshire. It was on Swamp Road, today called Church Road. He was nicknamed ‘Swampy’ Grant. Scottish records include Peter Grant and Helen Melvil [sic], so if Helen was Elizabeth’s sister, this would make Peter Grant his uncle on his mother’s side. Peter and Helen were married 24 October 1841 near Kirkmichael. Cray is a place name in Kirkmichael, which is near Blairgowrie.

David Grant bought 75 acres (at 10 shillings per acre) adjacent to Cray Farm, and named it Granton. Two years afterward, his father Peter Grant having arrived and purchased an adjoining 75 acres (for £150), they set to work at Granton, beginning with a crop of oats. They progressively acquired more land so that eventually their farm consisted of over 2000 acres. It seems the part of George T Bathgate’s ‘Kinfauns’ farm on the side of Beehive Road that had his homestead (and later known as ‘Kinfalloch’) was originally owned by Peter Grant, later passing to David Grant before being transferred to John Bathgate in April 1887, then to George T Bathgate in May 1915.

An Otago Witness column, CHATS WITH THE FARMERS, in its 22 September  1877 issue, describes a visit to Peter and David Grant’s ‘Granton’ farm: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18770922.2.52&srpos=1&e=01-09-1877-29-09-1877–10-OW-1—-2granton–

Another article on Granton farm and its management:  http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18881116.2.13.1&srpos=1&e=16-11-1888-29-11-1888–10-OW-1—-2granton–

There seem to have been 2 homes on the Granton farm, one a cottage, where the first David Grant lived, and the other the house which was home to Peter and Elizabeth and younger members of their family.

Peter Grant died 30 January 1878, aged 70, and is buried at West Taieri Cemetery.

Elizabeth Grant died 22 February 1905, aged 91.

Found on PAPERS PAST website: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW19050301.2.171&srpos=3&e=-03-1905—–10-OW-1—-2elizabeth+grant— (see last item in the column)

Mrs Elizabeth Grant, relict of the late Mr Peter Grant, of Granton Farm, West Taieri, who died on February 22, was a native of Perthshire, Scotland, and came to the colony by the Storm Cloud in 1861 in company with her husband. The West Taieri was the first place they settled after landing, and Mrs Grant resided there eversince. Her husband died some years ago. Deceased was a sterling type of a Scotch woman, and a staunch member of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs Grant was married about 1833, and had a family of seven sons and four daughters. Only six of these, however, survive her – viz., Mr David Grant (Granton Farm, West Taieri), Mr James Grant (Nightcaps), Mrs Thomas Sim (Tapanui), Mrs John Bathgate (Gowrie Farm, West Taieri), Mrs McLeod (Granton Farm), and Mrs Mair (West Taieri). Besides, there are quite a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The deceased lady until a few months previous to her death scarcely ever knew a day’s sickness.

Advocate. [From PERSONAL ITEMS column in The Otago Witness, Issue 2659, 1 March 1905, Page 65.]

Other children of Elizabeth and Peter Grant 

They had 7 sons:

Donald Grant, born 29 March 1835, with his birth registered at both Alyth and Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland.

David Grant, born 18 August 1836, Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland. David Grant died 21 November 1908, aged 72.

Thomas Grant, born 12 July 1838, Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland. Unfortunately there were occasional very severe floods in the Taieri, and in 1868 Thomas drowned while trying to get back to his home.

Peter Grant, born 7 May 1842, Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland.

Charles Grant, born c1843. The Otago newspapers recorded that Charles Grant, late of Granton, Taieri, died suddenly at Crookston 16 September 1894, aged 51.

James Grant, born 28 May 1856, Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland.

There was another son, John, who was killed in a farm accident on 30 June 1866, as recorded in the Otago Daily Times 3 July and 20 July, and The Otago Witness, 6 July 1866. No DOB is currently known nor his age when he died.

There were also 4 daughters:

Helen Grant, born 21 March 1840, Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland. Helen was most likely Mrs Thomas Sim.  The Otago Witness records Thomas Sim died 16 December 1908 at ‘Rosemount,’ Crookston, aged 74. BDM records show Helen Sim died in 1927, aged 86.

Ann Grant, born c1848, who married John Bathgate, as detailed above.

West Taieri Parish marriages records Mary Cuthbertson Grant married James Mair 8 November 1888. No ages given.

Green Island, Dunedin, Parish marriages records Elizabeth Grant (30) married Stewart McLeod (45) 29 April 1891. Stewart and his brother William owned part of Granton from 1891. William died 5 June 1903.

There was yet another Peter Grant, no relation of Ann Grant, in the early days on the Taieri, who built the brick house on the ‘Gowrie’ property on Allanton Road. In 1896 John Bathgate acquired part of the farm lands and the house. The original homestead was demolished some years ago because of the very high cost of maintaining it, but some of the outbuildings remain. (Information obtained from The Bathgate Story by James Gibson, 1989, and Taieri Buildings by Daphne Lemon, 1970, pp 44-45. The latter has a sketch of the original brick house, and a sketch of the servants’ staircase is found in More Taieri Buildings by Daphne Lemon, 1972, p 57. A photo ‘Harvesting on the Taieri Plain at Grant’s Gowrie’ is found in Century of Service: The Taieri County and its Council, 1877-1977 by Edgar Farrant, 1976.)

[ashgallery code=”928″]