[Weller History home page] [Weller family tree]
Joseph Weller, baptised 1766 at High Wycombe, was the fifth child and fourth son of William Weller (1727-1802) and Ann House (1733-1817). He married Mary Brooks in 1801, they lived in Folkestone and six of their children survived infancy:-
| Name | Born | Married | Died | |
| Joseph Brooks | 1 August 1802 | 28 July 1835. Buried in Sydney | ||
| Mary | 20 November 1803 | in infancy, Folkstone | ||
| George | 26 December 1805 | Elizabeth Barwise | 13 April 1875 | |
| Mary Brooks | 21 August 1807 | in infancy, Folkstone | ||
| William | ||||
| Fanny | 23 December 1811 | George Johnston 30 July 1831 | 1896 | |
| Edward | 1814 | 1893 | ||
Joseph Senior was unwell, suffering from consumption, and was advised by his doctor to take a sea voyage. He became interested in emigrating to Australasia. His son Joseph went to Australia in 1825, returning from Sidney on July 7th, and his second son George also went to Australia the following year, returning from Sidney on December 20th. These seem to have been "reconnaissance" journeys, for a decision of the family to emigrate followed.
Joseph Junior and Edward were the leaders, arriving at Sidney in July 1829. The rest of the family followed early in 1830 :- Joseph Senior and his wife, his two daughters Fanny and Anne, and his son George and his wife.
Some of the family's ample capital was invested in land and property but their main interest was directed towards whaling and in 1831 a barque the "Lucy Ann" was purchased from the New South Wales government. This set sail for New Zealand on September 25th. With Joseph Junior and Edward aboard and an appropriate cargo and crew.
They landed at a promontory ‘Te Umu Kuri’ (which became known as Wellers' Rock) on the east coast of Otago harbour- and established a Whaling Station there.
It is not known what arrangements were made with the Maories, but construction of the whaling station started immediately. There must have been a considerable number of workers involved because while this construction proceeded a considerable quantity of timber (spar and planks) was accumulated which was dispatched to Sidney on the return voyage of the "LUCY ANN" in February 1932. Unfortunately a fire destroyed most of the buildings early in 1932. News of this reached Sidney in April and in May George Weller was sent to assist his two brothers in the reconstruction.
Whaling operations in 1832 were clearly severely restricted by this but the station was reestablished and a considerable amount of agricultural land and timber workings were developed. Early in 1833.
George returned to Sidney where he and his father continued to look after the Australian side of the family operations. With Joseph Junior in charge of the New Zealand operations, assisted by Edward, whaling at Otakou (as the Weller station was then known) and other stations on the eastern coast of New Zealand was very successful. In 1834 Joseph Junior became ill of consumption and returned to Sidney in August of that year. He died on September 6th. 1835 at age thirty one.
So Edward became manager of Weller's Otakou establishment when he was only twenty years of age. For a few years the business flourished and was in fact one of the biggest stations on the New Zealand coast, and did considerable business with calling ships as a general store.
Difficulties began to increase. The number of whales using those coastal waters became fewer in number; opposition from other whalers became more severe; there were difficulties with the native Maoris and also with the New Zealand Government over land possession. By early 1840 Edward was complaining of ill health and asking for the appointment of a manager to assist him. In August of that year a Mr. C.W. Schultze was so appointed and also a new clerk named Harwood.
Edward Weller sailed for Sidney on December 18th. 1840 and did not return.
In Sidney George had also been facing difficulties and in February 1841 he filed for bankruptcy.
From the time of their arrival in Australia the Weller funds had been partly personal and partly a family partnership. At the time of the bankruptcy filing George and Edward were the only partners
and each had private property and funds. Discharge from bankruptcy proceedings was granted to Edward on October 5th. 1842, and to George on October 9th. 1842.
Both George and Edward moved to Maitland, New South Wales, but George returned to England in 1849 to try to remedy his difficulties. He died in 1875(?).
In 1893 Edward was living in a cottage on East Maitland Road, West Maitland when the district was hit by severe flooding. Attempts were made to persuade him to leave his home but he refused. As the flood water rose he apparently climbed into the loft to escape them and it was there , trapped below the roof, that he was drowned.
At the time of the bankruptcy Octavious Harwood, a clerk employed by Edward Weller bought part of the Otakou station. He entered into partnership with C.W. Schultze the manager and together they ran the station-mainly as a general store. Edward's sister Anne married this Mr. Schultze in April of 1949.
Edward married a Maori named Paparu in 1835, and they had a daughter in 1836 who was named Fanny but seems to have been known my the Maori version of "Hana". Paparu died in 1838. Edward married again in 1839 to Nikuru, daughter of a Maori chief. She died in 1840 at the birth of a daughter called Nani.
Nani had a son, Tom Ellison, who came to England on a rugby tour. In the acknowledgments at the beginning of ‘Advance Guard’ there is a Mr. George Ellison of Helensburgh, Dunedin.
The New Zealand folk song WEB site contains a song about the Weller Brothers of Sydney who supplied provisions to New Zealand shore whaling stations from their base at Otakou Soon May The Wellerman Come
Towards the end of 1831 the Weller brothers of Sydney decided to form a whaling establishment at Otago Harbour and purchased from the New South Wales government a barque of 214 tons called the ‘Lucy Ann’, under the Command of Captin Owen with necessary stores in September. On return Feb 29, the cargo was flax and timber consigned to J.B. Weller. At beginning of April and before the Whaling season began news was brought from Preservation that a fire had broken out accidentally at Otago establishment and burnt 80 houses, destroying the whaling establishment. This was a great blow and Wellers lost the whole whaling season.
In May when in Sydney Cove ready to sail to N.Z. an attempt was made to burn the ‘Lucy Ann’ and a reward was offered, but no culprit was ever identified. On May 28 she sailed and George Weller went with her, presumably to go to Otago. At this time Weller had a vessel building at Port Pergassas and the return cargo was such a one that could have been got at Port Pergassas, Stewart Island.
Captain Worth told on his return, that Mr. Weller while on an island had been surprised by the natives and captured with the intention of being put to death and eaten, as had happened a short time before in the Vittoria. One of the chiefs was friendly to Weller so they drew lots with pieces of wood; the friendly chief won and Wellers life was spared and he was brought in safety to another island where he had the good fortune to find his brother. The scene of this incident is not given.
On September 14th 1832 the Lucy Ann again sailed for New Zealand but under command of Captain Weller. In March 1833 the Lucy Ann was in Paterson River, Stewart Island, and was spoken by the Caroline.
On May 5th Captain Worth sailed for Otago, and returned on Nov 7 1833 with the first whale oil, 130 tons recorded as coming from Otago Harbour.
In Nov. 1833 the Lucy Ann brought news of the launching of the Joseph Weller, the first vessel built at Stewart Island.
Shortly after the arrival of the Lucy Ann, George Weller intimated to the Controller of Customs, Sidney, that his brother had launched a schooner and applied for a sailing letter and was informed that a vessel built in N.Z. could carry produce to N.S.W. or Tasmania, but no authority was given to grant licence to foreign built Vessels. Authority was given from London to the Joseph Weller, 490 tons.
On August 16th 1834 the Lucy Ann returned from her second voyage having left N.Z. on July 21. The Joseph Weller arrived the following day bringing Guard, of the shipwrecked ‘Harriett’.
Captain Anglin’s account of his Otago experience was as follows.
When the Lucy Ann was at Otago, a large body, 500 natives arrived from Cloudy Bay where they had been at war with a contending tribe. They were insolent and struck Mr. Weller repeatedly and assaulted Captain Hayward; then half left to go to Port Binn, the rest remained and resolved to take the Lucy Ann and assassinate Weller, Hayward, Anglin and the rest. Anglin heard of this and put the Lucy Ann in a state of defence; then the natives gave up the idea of taking the vessel and Captain Anglin, for the better security of the residents of Otago persuaded some of the chiefs on board and set sail for Sydney, keeping the chiefs as hostages.
Under date July 21 1834, a letter was published in the Sydney papers evidently written by Weller- Sorry inform you natives very insolent and troublesome. Were on point of plundering Lucy Ann and the Brig Mary Elisabeth, narrowly escaped capture, they would have killed most of us but that I told them the Chiefs son which you have with you would be hanged. I shall be obliged to leave the place if some protection is not offered to Europeans.’
The Joseph Weller returned to Otago on Sept 4 and Mr. Weller decided to send some oil direct to London. He chartered the John Barry, 540 tons. Four days after the John Barry left Sydney the Joseph Weller sailed from Otago under Circumstances set out in a letter published in the Sydney Herald October 16 1834, from captain Hayward.
28, Sept 1834.
The schooner Joseph Weller arrived 21 inst., all safe; her timely arrival gave
us respite of a few weeks, because as soon as the Lucy Ann arrives and the two
chiefs which went up in her, return, they tell us they will murder us all and
divide our property amongst them. They have been taking our clothing, food of
our very plates, and help themselves to oil. They say, white people afraid of
them and that number of vessels have been taken by them and white man killed,
and Europeans dare not punish them, They would retire into the bush and white
man do not know how to fight with a New Zealander. We asked them why they wish
to kill us; they answer with indifference, it was necessary for their safety
that no one should know what became of us. We are under constant apprehension of
being burnt in our beds, and the natives robbing and shooting those that remain.
The Schooner Joseph Weller brought news that two ships of war were coming to
revenge the murder of the people of the Harriet, This suppressed them a little
but When they heard of the smell number of men (60), they laughed at the idea;
and had the chiefs that went up to Sydney in the Lucy Ann returned, all would
have been over with us. Everything is got ready for an immediate attack but we
put great hopes in the statement that two men of war are on the Coast.
We are well armed and prepared for the worst, we have petitioned the Governor for assistance, but we are fearful that it will arrive to late to rescue us from destruction. I have dispatched Mr. Snowden in hope he may make arrangements for sending down two vessels to bring away all our property, as we intend to abandon the place.
The next trip Of the Joseph Weller, she was provided by the Government with 6 Swivels and a long gun. Edward Weller came up in her from Otago and brought word that the natives had become very civil and he intended to remain a few months longer.
The plethora of news from Otago in 1834 gave place to a common place repetition of arrivals and departures during 1835.
The Joseph Weller which left Sydney on May 24th for Otago with Edward Weller and a whaling gang returned on the July 25. Shortly after she left on her last trip, Joseph Weller Who had been suffering from consumption, died, his remains were preserved in a puncheon of rum and shipped to Sydney on the barque Sushanna.
The total produce of the Station from the time of its establishment in 1832 to 1836, was 800 tons of oil, 37; tons of whalebone.
On the 20 April 1836, the Joseph Weller under command of captain Gaunson took away her last cargo of oil and bone, she was then sold to Mr. Peacock for the coastal trade of Australia.
The Joseph Weller being sold, Weller had to make other arrangements and purchased a brig, the Harriett of 302 tons, for £1500, he also had the Nimrod and secured 290 tons of oil in addition to that secured by the Harriett.
In March 1837 an agitation was on foot for a rise in wages, and Jones, Weller and the Cook Strait merchants refused to grant it.
The ‘Henry Freeling’ reached Sydney on the 20 Aug. and Weller at once chartered the Dart to run down to Otago and bring up the balance of the oil. In March 1838, the ‘Dublin Packet’ was purchased by George Weller, and on June 30 sailed for Sydney with 120 tons of oil. At the end of 1839 the Dublin Packet was on the N.Z. coast and on 19 Feb was sent to the Otago and Taieri Stations. June proved a disastrous month for Weller, and the 6th she was sent with some stores to the Taieri Station and put out two anchors, but at dusk she was drifting and struck the reel with great force. Several of the crew were injured and she became a total wreck. She was insured for £1200 & £100 but George Weller bought her for £4100.
During June in Sydney a customs regulation bill was before the Legislative Council, and among others Weller gave evidence on July 8th as follows, "I have made some considerable purchases of land at New Zealand, in all about 400,000 acres, all purchased from chiefs. It was reported in August that Mr. Weller had a scheme on hand to locate about 50 families on land purchased in Otago. A number of mechanics and others expressed a desire to emigrate. In 1839 the barque Honduras was sent by Weller to collect the oil left by the Dublin Packet and take it to London. Captain Bruce reported meeting the ‘Henry Freeling’ wind bound at white Clover.
Mr. Schultze had gone down in her as a passenger, the boat was wrecked, but no passengers or lives were lost. The Lucy Ann left Otago on Jan 28 1840 for Taieri brought back Mr. Schultze who had gone down in the Henry Freeling. On March 27, Mr. Samuel Lyons held an auction of land on the Matuara River, the land sold for 7 pence an acre.
LUCY Ann, bought from the N.S.W. Sept 1831.
Joseph Weller, built at Port Pegassus 1832, sold 1836.
Harriett bought 1836.
Nimrod,
Dublin Packet, bought 1838 and wrecked at Taieri Station 1840
Henry Freeling wrecked Jan 1840 at Tautuku.
Johnny Jones bought Sydney Packet for his first trip to his new whaling station
at Preservation Bay in April 1835.
Though possessing a name with a German appearance, Charles William Schultze was by birth a Scot, the son of an Edinburgh merchant. As a young man he sailed to Australia and in Sydney obtained a position in the firm of Wellers Brothers.
The name of Weller is well known in the early history of Otago. Three brothers, Joseph, George and Edward there appear to have been, and they were enterprising merchant ship-owners and whalers. Towards the end of 1831, M’Nab tells us, they established a whaling station in Otago harbour, where they encountered almost as much trouble from the opposition of Jones as from the none-too-friendly natives.
In 1832 their station was totally destroyed by a fire which burned down 80 houses (probably most or them were raupo huts). But they persevered, building and buying ship after ship, and overcoming obstacle after obstacle. One of their schooners which was in Port Nicholson in 1824 assisted in the rescue of Guard and his comrades belonging to the Harriet.
Giving evidence before the Legislative Council of New South Wales in 1839, George Weller claimed to have purchased 400,000 acres of land in Otago from Tairoa, a prominent chief, and announced his intention of settling a colony of white people upon it. A month or too later Schultze was sent down on behalf of the firm in the schooner Henry Freeling which was to bring back for the Australian market a cargo on Otago potatoes.
Unfortunately she was wrecked at Tautuku about September 1839, and it was some months before Schultze found his was beck to Sydney in the Weller's schooner Lucy Anne. Though that he new of Otago, it is known that Schultze's interest in that province was not dead, for in 1844, when the New Edinburgh scheme was definitely postponed, we find him obtaining a refund of the money that he had paid to the New Zealand Company for two sections of land.
Having married a daughter of one of the partners, Schultze was closely associated With the firm, for whom he returned to New Zealand in 1842 on a trading voyage in the schooner Shepherdess, which he commanded, After a few voyages to Tahiti for cargoes of fruit for this market (the last was in 1844) he decided to remain in Wellington, and started in business as a flour miller at Kaiwarra. The mill, built these by him and Mr. Matheson, contained two pairs of stones, and was successfully operated by Schultze for 20 years until he retired from business. The dam was visible until the erection of the Atlantic Union oil tanks on the spot a year or two ago. The granary was established in Willis Street.
Schultze, like most of the successful businessmen of the day took a strong interest in the public affairs of the province. He was an officer of militia in the days when active service was always a propility, being gazetted captain in 1863. From 1863 until his death he was a Justice of the Peace.
When self-government came into force, Schultze who had been a member of the Settlers Association, did not long remain outside politics. At the first election he was defeated by Brown, but in 1854 he was elected to represent Wellington City in the Provincial Council and he continued in the council with a gap of a few months until 1865.
During Fetherston’s Superintendency he was Speaker from 1861 to 1865, and on four occasions he was called upon to act in the absence of Fetherston as Deputy-Superintendent. This service was recognised by a handsome personal gift or a silver cup from the Superintendent. In the council Schultze was a useful member but his speakership was not altogether a bed of roses. Politics ran high in those days, and an opposition paper referred to Schultze in such uncomplimentary terms that he left impelled to take action to vindicate not less his personal character than the dignity of the Speakership. The slanderous sheet, relying upon its unique world wide knowledge of personalities
declared that he was the ugliest and most ill-behaved man in any assembly in the British Empire. A Jury found for Schultze and awarded him £200 damages. This he never received, for the good reason that the paper Caused publication.
Schultze was a good Presbyterian, and was a member of the building committee of St. Andrew's Church in 1866. He was also a prominent freemason, being an early member of the Pacific Lodge. He was one of the first directors, in 1877, of the Wellington Steam Tramways Company.
He died on 2nd March 1899, leaving a widow, one son and several daughters.
[Weller History home page] [Weller family tree]