DONALD COUTTS b. Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland c1827: d. Rotorua NZ 20/10/1899
Donald (age 24 – Agri labourer, shepherd) immigrated per the Canterbury Association immigration scheme to NZ on the ‘Travencore’, which sailed from Gravesend on 6 December 1850, arrived Lyttleton,NZ 31 March 1851.
He married at John Anderson’s house, Kaiapoi 16 Oct 1856 to Ann MACKAY b. Sutherlandshire, Scotland 1825 (possibly Durness). Ann (age 26) arrived at Lyttleton on the ‘Duke of Portland’ 26 Sept 1851 with parents BARBARA and RODERICK MACKAY.
Other issue on board – Donald MacKay age 28, John Clarke MacKay age 24, Jane MacKay age 16. Also on board were married daughter Barbara (age 30) and husband Thomas Barclay (age 33), Alexander Barclay age 5, Barbara Barclay age 4 and Roderick Barclay age 2. Another son, Hugh MacKay, emigrated to the USA where he established himself in the publishing business. When last heard of he was an editor of a newspaper (circa 1930s).
Donald Coutts had ‘Bankhead’ farm and a mill at Kaiapoi Island, Waimakariri from 1858 to 1874. Renamed ‘Coutts Island’ after the 1868 floods. In March 1874 he moved his family to Patea, Taranaki and bought a farm there at £2 per acre. He called his farm ‘Burnside’.
Issue of Donald and Ann Coutts:
(1) Jane Coutts b. Kaiapoi Island 18/5/1858:d. Christchurch 17/7/1944. Married 26/12/1879 to John Thomson b. Belfast 11/4/1848: d. Wellington 11/1/1923 – 1 son, Edgar Coutts Thomson b. Patea 26/1/1881: d. Wellington 15/6/1904, no issue.
(2) Hugh John Clarke Coutts b. Kaiapoi Island 16/9/1860: d. Auckland 15/6/1939. Married 30/4/1884 to Elfrida Charlotte Barnes b. Auckland 17/12/1865: d. Auckland 30/10/1939 – 4 daughters. (This is my line and I have descendants’ details)
(3) Henry Donald Coutts b. Kaiapoi Island 14/11/1866: d. Auckland 1946. Married to Margaret Brown – 1 son, died young, no issue.
WILLIAM COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire, date unknown. Emigrated to Sth Island, NZ. He married but was drowned in the Waimakariri River. His 3 daughters were then raised by Donald Coutts. One was Elizabeth Payne whose husband was a miller near Patea, Taranaki. Family was still there in 1950’s. The book “Rangiora” by D. Hawkins 1983, published by Rangiora Borough Council records that Donald had a brother William who was a shepherd at McLean's station, Ashfield on the Waimakariri. William was drowned in the river while swimming horses across. Since he was a quite religious man it was considered he could not have committed suicide - September 1865.
LEWIS COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire 1833 - Emigrated to Sth Island NZ (age 27) in 1861 on the Rhea Sylvia with his wife Jennet (age 20). It left Bristol on 15/1/1861 and arrived Lyttleton 6/5/1861. Their descendants farmed near Gore, Southland, NZ. Issue 9 daughters and 2 sons.
ELIZABETH COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire c1836 - Emigrated to Sth Island NZ (age 25) arriving Lyttleton 6/5/1861 on the Rhea Sylvia – appears on the same passenger list as Lewis Coutts and wife. She married and had a family of 8 daughters and 1 son.
ANNE COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire 1837 – Emigrated to Sth Island NZ. Married, 3 sons known.
ISABELLA COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire 1838 – Emigrated to Sth Island NZ. Married Sept 1862 to James Troup a farmer at Waimakariri. Issue - 2 sons known. The book “Rangiora” by D. Hawkins 1983, published by Rangiora Borough Council (LT 20/9/1865) quotes in a paragraph about Donald COUTTS of Coutts Island - “Coutt's sister Isabella married in September 1862 to James Troup, a farmer on the Waimakariri”.
JOHN COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire 1841 – Emigrated to Sth Island NZ. Married, 1 known daughter Jeannie, the family lived at Gore, NZ.
JANE COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire, date unknown – Emigrated to Sth Island NZ. Married, 6 sons and 3 daughters.
MARY COUTTS b. Aberdeenshire 1847 – Emigrated to Sth Island NZ. Married, 1 son known, John Coutts.
Five of the above are listed in the IGI with parents John COUTTS and mother Jane MACDONALD who married at Glenmuick, Aberdeen, Scotland on 02 OCT 1825.
Lewis COUTTS b. 07 APR 1833: chr Glenmuick 17 APR 1833
Anne COUTTS b. 28 APR 1837
Isabella COUTTS b. 21 SEP 1838: chr Glenmuick 14 OCT 1838
John COUTTS b. 20 MAR 1841: chr Glenmuick 23 MAR 1841 (may be deceased in infancy)
John COUTTS b. 29 OCT 1842: chr Glenmuick 14 NOV 1842
Mary COUTTS b. 24 DEC 1846: chr Glenmuick 01 FEB 1847
It is possible that DONALD, WILLIAM, ELIZABETH and JANE were cousins of the above though my family believed that all listed were siblings.
I am the gg granddaughter of Donald COUTTS. My family believed that these listed were all siblings as they kept close contact throughout their lives, but it’s possible there are two families, cousins, who immigrated to NEW ZEALAND during the 1850s and 1860s.
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