Catalogue
Catalogue
Object Type
Name/Title
Williams Family Papers, 1783 - 1963
Primary Maker
Date
1783-1963
Physical Description
3 x Hinged lid boxes + 9 x London boxes + 1 x Hollinger box + 8 Outsized items
Collection
Level of Current Record
Parent
Member Object
Related Object Notes
MS-1991-76; MS-1991-78; MS-1991-79; MS-1991-80; MS-1992-1; MS-1992-2; MS-1992-3; MS-1992-4; MS-1992-5; MS-1992-6; MS-1993-128; MS-1993-129; MS-1993-131; MS-1995-41.
Content
Boxes 1 - 4 - Correspondence and Papers (series A(i)(a) in inventory)
Boxes 5 - 9 - Volumes of Correspondence and Papers (series A(i)(b) in inventory)
Boxes 9 - 10 - Journals, Diaries, Daybooks (series A(ii) in inventory)
Boxes 11 - 13 - Other Materials, Printed Materials, Materials relating to the collection (series A(iii), B(ii), B(iii), C(i), and C(x) in inventory)
Public Access Text
Comprises Series A - C (inclusive) of the superseded MS-335.
Inventory sequence B(i) Printed materials Books, pamphlets, and broadsides, [Box 12 Items 1 - 56] transferred to Paula Legal, Associate Curator Heritage Publications.
Subject Notes
Henry Williams (1792-1867) immigrated to New Zealand in 1823, in order to further the mission effort established by Samuel Marsden and the Church Missionary Society. He was stationed primarily in Northland, and during his tenure in the Bay of Islands built New Zealand’s first church at Paihia. In 1840, Henry Williams and his son Edward Williams translated the Treaty of Waitangi – Te Tiriti o Waitangi into Te Reo Maori, and subsequently travelled throughout the North Island explaining the document and persuading Maori to sign. In 1844, he was installed as Archdeacon at Te Waimate. He used this position during the tumultuous periods of war to advocate for and negotiate peaceful solutions amongst Iwi. However, when the Government blamed the ignition of the Flagstaff War on the missionary’s purchase of land, Williams’s position in the Church Missionary Society was revoked. From 1850-1854, Williams and his wife Marianne retired to Pakaraka. At the end of Governor Grey’s first term in office, he was reinstated to the Archdeaconate, a position he held until his death in 1867. [Further reading: Faith and Farming: The Legacy of Henry Williams and William Williams, pg. 21 ; Robin Fisher. 'Williams, Henry', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2010. Te Ara - the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w22/williams-henry (accessed 20 March 2018)] -- William Williams (1800-1878) was the younger brother of Archdeacon Henry Williams, whom he followed into the service of the Church Missionary Society and to New Zealand. William trained as a surgeons apprentice before entering Magdalen Hall, Oxford, in 1822 as a candidate for CMS training. In 1824, the same year that he received his Bachelors in Classics, he was ordained deacon and later priest. In that same year he also met and married his wife, Jane Williams. When the pair immigrated to New Zealand, William and his family were initially stationed at Paihia, where he was charged with the English boys' school and having completed a surgeon’s apprenticeship, he also acted as the mission doctor. William occupied the Waimate Mission for five years before establishing the Turanga, Poverty Bay mission Kaupapa in 1840. Bishop George Selwyn appointed William Archdeacon of the East Cape diocese, and he was later consecrated first Bishop of Waiapu a post he held until 1876 when he suffered a major stroke. He died in Napier on February 9, 1878. Williams was active throughout the Flagstaff war, Taranaki wars, and Kingitanga movement. William had proficiency for Te reo Maori and used this skill to communicate the unease demonstrated by Maori over the manner in which the Government was purchasing land. He also published a pamphlet in 1847 that defended the role of the Church Missionary Society in the years leading up to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi – Te Tiriti o Waitangi. [Further reading: Faith and Farming: The Legacy of Henry Williams and William Williams, pg. 275 ; Frances Porter. 'Williams, William', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2010. Te Ara - the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w26/williams-william (accessed 20 March 2018)]
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Last Update
12 Dec 2023
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