The Fourth FROUDE Family In New Zealand

Robert FROUDE and Sarah Ann DEAN
The Fourth FROUDE family to arrive in New Zealand was Robert FROUDE (1851 - 1937) and his wife, Sarah Ann DEAN (1852 - 1900).  Robert was the oldest son of Thomas FROUDE (1827 - 1920) and Sarah McCAULEY (About 1830 - 1919).  This Thomas was the brother  of David, Robert and John, who provided the first three FROUDE families in New Zealand. These three arrived in New Zealand in 1858, 1858, and 1865 respectively. So Robert would have been a young impressionable lad of seven or eight years old when the letters started arriving of this new life in a far away place. By the time Robert was 14 or 15, letters would have been arriving from all three families and from Grand Aunt Jane and her successful husband, John PROBERT.

Then in 1867 or 1868 sixteen year old Robert's (1851) uncle Robert (1837), and his wife Priscilla and two children, Emmeline Alice, and Edith Sarah, made a trip back to England, not returning to New Zealand until 1881, by then having had another seven children. They stayed while in England in the Salford, Manchester area. Young Robert's parents, Thomas and Sarah moved to Salford from Belfast sometime between 1 March 1870 when their youngest child Winifred was born in Belfast and the time of 1871 census (2/3 April 1871).

So finally on the 2nd November 1880 Robert departed London on the "Sydenham" to see for himself what this new land was like. He was on the same boat as his Uncle's family but may have worked his passage as he is not listed in the passengers. I first heard this story about 40 years ago. And it seemed "logical" that he would come out when they did.

For years I have believed this to be the case, but a doubt has arisen recently because of the date of birth of Lillian FROUDE whom I now know was born in Manchester on the 2nd November 1881. For a normal nine month pregnancy Robert would still have had to have been in England in February 1881.



The barque, Remington in later Years.

We do know however that Sarah Ann and the four oldest children sailed out to New Zealand on the "Remington". It departed London on 14th January 1882, and arrived in Auckland on the 2nd May 1882.

"This is the first time the Remington has visited Auckland and she has made a very fair passage of 105 days. She is an iron vessel of 999 tons register, and under charter to New Zealand Shipping Company, in command of Captain Nicholas." A passenger listing is here. It shows Sarah Ann and the four children but no Robert plus there is a small note further down about all being healthy.

Robert FROUDE and Sarah Ann had a further seven children before Sarah Ann died on 28 July 1900 from abdominal cancer and exhaustion! Her children at the time of her death were Sarah Dean (25), Annie (23), Isabella (21), Lillian (18), Winifred (16), James Anthony (14), Robert Dean (12), Evaline (10), Thomas Gilbert (9), Edith (7), and Hilda (5).

Robert then married 20 year old Janet Martin ANDERSON on the 24th August 1900. Together they had seven children, the youngest being born when Robert was 62.

These children were: Ethel (1901), Janet Forrester (Jen) (1904), David Anderson (1905), Henry (1907-1907), Esther Elizabeth (Bess) (1908), Margaret Jane (Madge) (1910), and Walter John Anderson FROUDE (1913).

None of Robert's (1851) brothers and sisters or parents came out to New Zealand. All continued to live in the Manchester area.

So Robert FROUDE and his two wives created a very large family of 18, 17 of whom lived to be adults. The fourth FROUDE family in New Zealand was thus the largest of the FROUDE families.

Janet Martin died on the 28th August 1920 just 40 years old. Robert married for a third time to Jessica Mary (Jessie) SHEPHERD (1873-1940). They were married on the 21st October 1924 at the Methodist Church, Sydenham, Christchurch. They moved back to Dunedin.

Robert FROUDE died on the 2nd July 1937 in St Kilda, Dunedin, aged 85.  Below is a photo of Robert FROUDE taken in 1924 when he was 72 years old.