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You're very welcome Loraine.

Have to say this thread was great fun to work on - didn't know what was going to turn up next - I'm a little envious of such colourful ancestors!

Hey you wonderful people.
I cannot begin to thank you for all of the work you have put into this request
for me. I am going to print it off and sit down and have a good read.
Grace is just the tip of the iceberg. This family had so many twists and turns
that someone should write a book. Ellie, my great-grandmother, was as interesting
if not more with all of her marriages, divorces, illegitimate children and trouble with
the law. That is another story.
Cheers,
Loraine
Adelaide

Jabez's father also Jabez was also a bankrupt back in 1895 when young Jabez was 11.

There is a lot recorded on that family in the papers going back to 1869.

I never had any 'interesting' ancestors :-(

Yes Gins, one needed a pinch of salt reading that article.

Tell you what, there was more going on in Grace's life than that book I mentioned that's set in the same place.

Yep....what a girl!

Marie, you have to question the 'accidental' death of Fitness John Morley :-0

Her brother in law/lover's death:

1918/10375 Adams Charles Craddock 31Y

He died of flu

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=PBH19181107.2.12.2&srpos=1&e=-------50--1----2craddock+adams--

I think Loraine's going to get an eye opener when she returns.

So far we've discovered Grace Ethel since going to NZ:

Sold her husband's shop and house while he was in the war and spent all the money.

Had an affair with her sister's husband

Got divorced by her husband

Married a man who then went bankrupt

Went to prison for shoplifting - 1 month's hard labour

Was declaimed by her brother in law (who was accidentally shot dead by another sister in law)

Was the recipient of a mysterious newspaper ad.

What next?

I don't believe it!!

Craddock Adams was the man that Grace Edith was having a relationship with while her husband was fighting in the war - it's in the second of the two articles I posted about her divorce. It says he was dead by the time of her husband Samuel's return.

What a woman! :-0

(I think 2 of her other siblings had names beginning with E)

I was wondering is this was the 'E' Morris that was looking for Grace?



Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922
Name:Ellie M Morris

Birth Date:1889

Father's Name:John W Morris

Mother's Name:Anastasia M

Birth Place:New South Wales

Registration Year:1889

Registration Place: Mudgee, New South Wales

Registration number:27331



And here in NZ - marriage


1916/1828 Ellie Mary Morris Charles Craddock Adams

This looks like the J M Fitness that Marie posted in the newspaper article. His wife was Dorothy Maude Groves m 1919


1933/3121 Fitness John Morley 48Y

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19330410.2.17&srpos=1&e=-------10--1----2%22john+morley+fitness%22--

It looks like Jabez was his brother, cant find a match on BMDs though?



Cripes, an interesting family!

1932 - 34 both Albert James McDonald and Jabez Fitness were declared bankrupts.. at that time McDonald was farming and Fitness was Share milking in the Waikato area.

Rose is listed as his widow in Palmerston North on his Military papers .. when he died the Internal affairs sent her his Victory Medal and British War Medal.

His cemetery record at Terrace End Cemetery Palmerston North has his occupation as a bootmaker.

Samuel was born Cape Town South Africa 18 Sept 1881


On his military records his marriage to Grace was at Katoomba 13 April 1903.

The children's births..
Walton Albert 22 Nov 1903 Katoomba
Roland 5 Nov 1905 Wellington
Eileen Maud 3 Aug 1907 Wellington.


Interesting that his 2nd marriage in the Auckland Star states they got married in Wellington.. on his discharge papers it states they were married in the Registry Office in Auckland.

What the !!!
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19391229.2.6.3&srpos=2&e=-------10--1----2grace+fitness--

Advert dated 29 Dec 1939
"Will Grace Fitness (nee Morris) meet me Star Hotel, Newton, 12 noon Saturday? White flower coat. - E Morris"

Going by the surname of the person placing the ad it must be a relative.

Did she turn up?? What happened??

With her first husband:

New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981
Name: Grace Cousins
Electoral Year: 1911
District: Wellington Central
Region or Province: Wellington

Living 188 Aro street with Samuel, a dealer
................................................................................................................

With her second:

New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981
Name: Grace Ethel Fitness
Electoral Year: 1928
District: Waikato
Region or Province: Waikato

living Tahuna Road, Morrinsville with Jabez, a sharemilker


New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981
Name: Grace Ethel Fitness
Electoral Year: 1935
District: Rotorua
Region or Province: Bay of Plenty

Living Te Poi, Jabez now a farmer


New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981
Name: Grace Ethel Fitness
Electoral Year: 1938
District: Remuera
Region or Province: Auckland

at 95 Clonbern Road. Jabez is now a labourer


(Quite coincidentally, I'm reading a novel at the moment set in that very area, thought the place names seemed familiar!)

A little more on Grace's remarriage:
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19240611.2.2.3&srpos=6&e=-------10--1----2%22jabez+fitness%22--

Grace went to prison in 1932:
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19320712.2.21&srpos=1&e=-------10--1----0grace+ethel+fitness--

Charged with her daughter Ethel Maude McDonald

Someone took out an advert declaring they had nothing to do with her
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19320730.2.10.4&srpos=2&e=-------10--1----2grace+ethel+fitness--

More on Samuel's death:
http://goo.gl/if1g8

(Articles from Papers Past http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ )

I wonder if this is a remarriage for Samuel?
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19200325.2.101&srpos=1&e=-------10--1----0samuel+albert+cousins--

24 March 1920 Samuel Albert Cousins of Great North Road to Rose Elizabeth Condren.

Samuel Albert Cousins divorced Grace in 1919 and got custody of two of the children:
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19191219.2.21&srpos=7&e=-------10--1----0samuel+albert+cousins--

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19191220.2.90&srpos=8&e=-------10--1----0samuel+albert+cousins--