Ellen Crowe facts for kids
Ellen Crowe (born around 1847 – died January 24, 1930) was an important homemaker and community leader in New Zealand. She was born in Ballindooley, County Galway, Ireland.
Ellen Crowe's Journey to New Zealand
Ellen was born in Ireland, in a place called Ballindooley, around 1847. Her parents were Bridget Cody and John Silke. When she was about 12 or 13 years old, she was promised in marriage to a man named John Crowe. However, by the time Ellen was 18 or 19, John had already moved far away to New Zealand. John's brother, Ned Crowe, visited Ellen's family to tell them that John would send for her.
A New Life in New Zealand
Ellen was one of many single women who received free tickets to travel from Ireland to New Zealand in the late 1860s. This was part of a special plan by the Canterbury government to help people move there. Ellen sailed from London on a ship called the Bombay. She arrived in Lyttelton on August 18, 1866. We don't know exactly what she did for her first year and a half, but she likely worked as a servant.
On February 24, 1868, Ellen married John Crowe at a Catholic church in Christchurch. After they got married, the couple lived near Temuka, close to a place called Milford. Many of their nine children were born there. Ellen also helped her family move to New Zealand. Between 1871 and 1876, she helped her widowed mother, Bridget, her sister Mary, and her brothers John, Martin, William, and Patrick get tickets to come to New Zealand.
Building a Community in Southland
Ellen's sister, Mary Silke, married James Kean and settled in Southland. In 1882, Ellen and John Crowe also moved to Southland. They bought a farm there, but it needed a lot of hard work to clear the land before they could grow crops. Ellen's brothers also became farmers in the same area.
Ellen became a very important person in her small community. She was a key part of the Irish Catholic group in Southland, which was mostly made up of people from Scotland who were Presbyterian. Her husband, John, passed away in 1914. Ellen herself died on January 24, 1930, at her daughter's home in Otautau.
