Background of the Williams of Sanson family

A truly remarkable NZ pioneer couple, George & Annie (nee Halsted) Williams were married 17 June 1859 in Romsey Abbey, England. They came to NZ on the ship "Columbus" arriving in Auckland in October 1864 and then moved to the Hutt Valley in 1865. They brought with them two daughters, Louisa (2yrs old) & Myrtilla (1yr old). Their first born Edith had died at the age of three.

In Lower Hutt they were Headmaster & teacher at the Hutt School based in the gaunt blockhouse (which was once Fort Richmond) on the side of the Hutt River close to where the main bridge crosses the river today. They were also Headmaster & teacher at Taita School.

At one stage George stopped teaching for a while and moved into the music industry in Wellington. He was an accomplished musician, playing the organ in church, leading choirs, a singing teacher and bandmaster of the Hutt band, amongst others.

In 1873 they moved to what is now Sanson, and there helped build the first school and one of the churches. Both taught at the school and lived next door in the schoolhouse.

In 1886 they decided to move to their other block of land in Cemetery Rd, Sanson. There they had to break in the land for farming and build their home. This house (unfortunately rundown now) can still be seen on the current farm.

Eventually they retired back into Sanson with the farm passing onto their youngest son and subsequently to his son. George & Annie both died in Sanson and are buried there along with many other members of the family.

They had eleven children.

• Edith (died at 3)
• Louisa married Hastings Malcolm. She had two children. She died in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
• Myrtilla married George Stutter and this family had a lot to do with Petone. She had three children. She died in Adelaide.
• Gertrude was the 1st born in NZ, in Lower Hutt. She married Walter Harris and had two children. She died in Sanson.
• Edith Halsted was born in Wellington. She married Frank Whitton and had two children and then married Aubrey Wills and had a further two children. She died in Christchurch.
• Ethel was born in Taita, Lower Hutt. She married John Perrett and had eight children. She died in Sanson.
• Mabel was born in Taita also. She married Thomas Geertson. They adopted Hilda's youngest child. She died in Rongotea, a small town between Palmerston Nth and SH 1.
• George was the first son and the 1st child born in Sanson. He married Lillias Eddie. He was a policeman and detective in Wellington in the early 1900's. He had one daughter who died at age 5. We think that he may have had two sons named Jack & Ken. However we have not been able to trace what happened to this family. We believe they moved to Perth, Australia at some stage, perhaps in the 1910's. (If anyone can help trace them please let us know.)
• Hilda was born in Sanson. She married William McCabe a farmer. She had five children but died (in Sanson) in childbirth.
• John was born in Sanson. He married Olive Dixon. He had two children. He farmed at Waipukurau and the farm is still in the family. He died in Hastings.
• Thomas was the youngest and he was also born in Sanson. He married Ruby Bowater and took over the running of the Cemetery Rd farm. He had two children. He died in Sanson.