Sunday, August 24, 2014

A bit of history

I did some googling to see if there was any trace of my great-grandmother in Tonga - having been there I wanted to see if I could find out any more. I couldn't; although it's not really surprising as she would have been a child or teenager - and a female one - hardly the stuff of historical record. However I did manage to find her father, my great-great-grandfather, in a number of newspaper reports back from Tonga. His name was Arthur Wright and in 1897 he was in Vava'u - according to an article in the Launceston Examiner of 8 April - where he "kindly welcomed" the writer and "exhibited the process of manufacture of copra".

The other mention is in the Sydney Morning Herald of 20 November 1902 - apparently they had a correspondent in Nuku'alofa who wrote an occasional "Letter from Tonga". I don't know how legible it is, but here's the relevant extract:



So it turns out my great-great-grandfather was the chief mover in founding the International Temperance Society of Tonga. I did find a photo of me in Nuku'alofa on my birthday - very happy, but perhaps not doing the family proud.


2 comments:

  1. that's so cool that you found something about your great great grandfather! i am very fortunate to have known my great grandfather, who passed away when i was 25. he had many stories from when he was a boy in europe and in america. it's good to have that connection. makes me feel 'grounded', if that makes any sense.

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  2. What were Messrs Vinca, Ussing and Perston doing in Tonga, though, that they needed managing?

    So amazing. My ancestors were joiners in Paisley and so on.

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