Ellen Jane Howan

Ellen Jane, whose father Captain Sam Oakley was eventually lost at sea, was born and brought up in Wellington. Perhaps Samuel and Ellen Jane had met before he deserted. Perhaps they were introduced by her seafaring father. Perhaps John adopted the name “Samuel” after his future father-in-law. A lot of perhapses - we’ll never know. Samuel took his wife back to live in the raupo whare on his 110 acre farm where he grew food and raised cattle. Of the fourteen children they were to have, the first three were born in that raupo shelter. I have been told that Ellen Jane was a very strong character, both mentally and physically - I guess she had to be in those early days. During the land wars when the settlers were warned of impending trouble and fled to the township, Ellen Jane took her children - at that stage only two daughters - in to the bush and kept them there until the danger had passed. Source: https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/345d8217-2d3b-459f-8522-dc88874...