William Kidd tinsmith¹

Parents:

• Birth*: William Kidd tinsmith was born on 19 December 1793 at Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, .^1,2
• He was the son of James Kidd baker and Janet McKinlay.¹
• Marriage*: William Kidd tinsmith married Catherine Thomas, daughter of John Thomas and Mary Arneill, on Friday, 31 January 1812 at Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, .^1,3
• Death*: William Kidd tinsmith died on 30 March 1861 at 23 St Andrews Square, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, at age 67; 1861 William Kidd tinsmith master married to Catherine Thomas, died 1861 March Thiertiethh 1h pm; 23 Saint Andrew's Square Glasgow, male aged 68 years, parents James Kidd baker (dec) & Janet Kidd ms McNeil, cause pleus [?]as certisfied by James Auik [?] MD, signed James Kidd son, Thistle Street, registered 1861 April 1st at Glasgow signed R C Hamilton assistant registrar, initialled WB [William Blackwood, registrar].^1,4

• Occupation*: William was tinsmith.¹

Census & Directory Entries

Head of Household	6 June 1841	He and Catherine Thomas, Mary Kidd, Janet McKinlay Kidd, James Hart Kidd, William Kidd, John Kidd, Alexander Kidd and Thomas Kidd were listed in the 1841 census at 40 St Andrews Square, St Andrew, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, . 1841, William KIDD, Tinsmith, 45, born Lanarkshire, SCO, residing 40 St Andrews Square, St Andrew, Glasgow, Lanark. Also wife Catherine and children Mary, Janet, James, William, John, Alexander &Thomas.5,1
Head of Household	30 March 1851	He was listed as head of household along with spouse Catherine Thomas in the 1851 census at 19 Lane back of St Andrews Square, St Andrew, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, . 1851, William KIDD, Tinsmith, 57, employing 3 men & 2boys, born Glasgow, Lanark, SCO, residing 19 Lane back of St Andrew Square, St Andrew, Glasgow, Lanark. Also wife Catherine and children William, Alexander & Thomas; also in the household were William Kidd, Alexander Kidd and Thomas Kidd.1

Notes

• (Witness) Note for Web: William Kidd tinsmith and Frances Crawford, James Hart Kidd, Alexander Kidd, Catherine Thomas, Thomas Fraser Alexander, Isabel McLean, Frederick Fox, Frances Kidd and Elizabeth McQueen Kidd were mentioned with William Kidd and Ann McQueen Alexander. William was born at home in 158 Cumberland Street in Glasgow on 5 September 1860 and named for his father's father William KIDD according to Scottish custom. Tragically, his 21 year-old mother Frances died of puerperal (childbed) fever when he was just nine days old.
  He can't be found in the 1861 Scotland census but the 1871 census shows William as a scholar aged ten, living with his bachelor uncle James Hart Kidd in Govan, Glasgow. William does not appear in the censuses after 1871 and his uncle James was lodging with a Mary Ann McPhail and others in 1881.
  Why didn't William live with his father Alexander? Alexander appeared in the 1861 census living with his mother Catherine. After his wife died, it almost seems like Alexander didn't want anything to do with his son. I wonder how that made William feel, to maybe be blamed for his mother's death and to all intents and purposes, deserted by his father?
  William went to sea in the 1870s when he was about 15 and worked on sailing ships for several years. Some time before 1885 he made his way to New Zealand and decided to stay.
  He worked as a coal miner in Brunnerton. He was of small stature and appeared frail. He always made the porridge in the morning, claiming only a true Scotsman knew how to make it.
  
  Ann was named for her mother's mother, Anne McQUEEN.
  She was born at Stafford, Hokitika during the gold rush era. Situated on the bar-bound mouth of the Hokitika River on the West Coast of the South Island, Hokitika sprang into life in 1864 when gold was found at her back door and despite its hazardous entrance and the snags that infested the river, Hokitika was officially gazetted as a port on 8 March 1865 by the Canterbury Provincial Government which was desperate for revenue. It developed into a thriving mining town and an important port. The first settlers were John Hudson and James Price who set up a store on the banks of the Hokitika River in 1865 to cater for the miners pouring in following the gold strike in 1864. In 1866, with a population of more than 6,000 the town was almost twice it's present size. People were either digging for gold along the banks of the river or servicing the gold mining industry that had spread along rivers in the region. By 1866 Gibson Quay was usually crowded with small ships - or at least those that had survived the ordeal of entering port. Despite this more overseas vessels and more immigrants arrived at Hokitika than at any other New Zealand port in 1867. Between 1865 and 1867 there were 108 strandings - 32 of which were total wrecks. River floods joined the surf in making difficulties. Food and supplies came by sea by many coasting-craft which broke their backs crossing the bars or which ended their working-life on the north or south. Hundreds of adventurers were willing to pay £5 apiece for the 12 hours' passage from Nelson and the high rates of insurance did not deter ship-owners. The Hokitika Harbour Board did not come into existence until 1876 and the Hokitika Harbour limped on long after the gold ran out, trade dwindled and the port was closed in 1954. Hokitika was the largest 'port of value' between 1865 and 1867.
  In 1948 there still several banks, hotels, boarding houses, a hospital, newspaper, breweries, dairy factory, a whitebait canning factory etc. and the largest gold dredge in the world was still working three miles from the town. The population of the Hokitika borough was 2,840 with gold mining (sluicing and dredging), saw milling and farming the chief support for the town.
  
  Ann was the elder daughter of Isabel and Thomas. Her father was the mine manager at Brunnerton when she met William Kidd.
  She was a self-taught nurse and midwife. It must be remembered that they always lived in mining communities that were quite small and most had no doctor, and the nearest hospital was far away. Ann's grandson Frederick ("Snowy") Fox had grown up with his grandparents close by. Snowy told how his grandmother Ann was often out at nights attending sick people or delivering babies.
  When Snowy himself was born his mother Frances (nee Kidd) was very sick and they could not get Snowy to breathe. He was premature and weighed only two and a half pounds. Ann put him under the kitchen tap and ran warm water over his face; after two minutes of this he cried. She oiled him, wrapped him in cheesecloth, tucked him under her coat and took him to her home, which was just along the road. Despite his perilous beginning, Snowy lived till his nineties.
  Ann got her skills from delivering many babies over many years and looking after sick people. With her daughter Elizabeth (Ann), she also laid out the bodies of anyone who died. (Ann) was about 15 when her mother died so she was pretty young to be doing this.
  
  In 1895 the family moved to Millerton.
  
  On 20 October 1914 Ann died in Westport of breast cancer. William was an electrician at this time and went to Otira to work on the tunnel project. Work had begun around 1909-10 on the building of a tunnel through the Southern Alps, connecting Westland and Canterbury. His youngest daughter Elizabeth (Ann) went with him, presumably to keep house.
  William and Elizabeth (Ann) later moved to Wellington where William worked as an insurance agent. Upon Ann's marriage in 1918, William's address was 92 Austin Street. One year later, both were living at 29 Edinburgh Terrace.
  While living in Wellington, William took his grandson Frederick ("Snowy") Fox to buy a new pair of boots to match his new suit. When William felt in his pocket for the money to pay for the boots, he discovered he had been the victim of a pickpocket. He was upset, but the next day went back to the shop, paid for and collected the boots. William decided he would not lose any more money to a pickpocket. He purchased a gun and carried that in his pocket, only to lose the gun to another pickpocket.
  Snowy remembered his grandfather taking him on many occasions, down to the docks to see the ships that came into Wellington Harbour. William never lost his fascination with ships or his love of the sea.
  William lived with his daughter Elizabeth (Ann) and family in John Street, Newtown in Wellington till he died in Wellington Hospital on 17 July 1927.
  
  NEW ZEALAND ELECTORAL ROLLS -
  1885-86, Greymouth electorate, KIDD, William, Coaldale, miner.
  1890, Greymouth electorate, KIDD, William, Coaldale, miner.
  1893, Grey electorate, KIDD, William, Coaldale, miner, residential.
  1896, Motueka Supp 1 electorate, KIDD, William, Seddonville, miner.
  1905-06, Buller electorate, KIDD, William, Millerton, engine driver.
  1911, Westland electorate, KIDD, William, Otira, labourer.
  1914, Buller electoratel, KIDD, William, Granity, engine driver.
  1919, Westland electorate, KIDD, William, Otira, labourer.¹
• Reference LGB*: Reference: 858.¹