History group seeks Edwin Fox settlers in Marlborough

Do you have ancestors who arrived in New Zealand board the Edwin Fox and who settled in Marlborough?

If so, the Blenheim Family History Group would like to hear from you. Members have set themselves the challenge of trying to identify whether any immigrants carried by the illustrious ship whose hull now resides in dry dock at Picton actually lived in the district.

The project is a follow-up from the Edwin Fox Muster Day at Queens Birthday weekend, when group members helped visitors from all over the country with research about their immigrant families.

Few of the visitors were descended from immigrants who ever lived in Marlborough, but the BFHG decided it might be interesting to find out if any did.
The Edwin Fox made four voyages carrying immigrants to New Zealand: in 1873 to Port Chalmers [Dunedin] via Lyttelton, in 1875 to Wellington, in 1878 to Nelson and in 1880 to Lyttelton.

It’s possible that some of those bound for Port Chalmers in 1873 got off at Lyttelton in passing, and that some moved from where they did disembark.

A large number of those on the voyage to Nelson were identified in the passenger list as “destined for Marlborough Province”.  Among them were several names still to be found here, but the question is: are they descendants of these passengers? And did any passengers move to Marlborough from the other ports of arrival? The project is being carried out with the assistance of the Edwin Fox Museum in Picton and the Marlborough District Council’s heritage staff.

If any readers can help with the group’s research they can get in touch via [email protected]. Progress will be posted intermittently on our website.