Thomas Hartley and the business Thomas Hartley and Son. Kohukohu

Thomas Hartley and the business Thomas Hartley and Son. Kohukohu

The life of a business can be played out through many records as paperwork seems to have the habit of surviving throughout time. The business of Thomas Hartley and Son has many sources of information from newspaper articles to applications for the business licences through the New Zealand Gazette. Sometimes the meaning for a business to fail would play out elsewhere than from official records. I have given a basic run down of my interpretation of the records that I do happen to have.

The first time Thomas Hartley appears within the New Zealand Gazette in regards to the creation of a business is during 1897 along with several people requiring a license to occupy part of the Hokianga Harbour foreshore and creation of a wall, which I am guessing would prevent erosion problems. The board does seem to have various conditions to the use of the license, which include navigational equipment and vessels to be kept in good condition especially when reading the license requirements in 1907 when they do appear. I am sure there would be earlier times, but I am going by the information that I do have.

In 1907 Thomas Hartley and Son wanted a license to occupy part of the river at Hokianga for timber booms. There was no Harbour Board and they had to apply for license through the Governor in council. They were held by terms and conditions from the government such as the timber booms to be in good working order and repair. The license holder were liable for any injury when the booms encountered any person or vessel. The licenses were renewed until around 1917 where the licenses would be revoked first within the Waima River in Hokianga and then again in the year of 1919 in Kohukohu where the site was then used as a Benzine store.

During 1913 the company Thomas Hartley and Son asked for their license along the Kohokohu foreshore to be revoked, although the reason stated was they had no use for the timber booms as they had the license since 1907. Rent had been paid for the year ending on August 5^th 1913. In the 1913 Gazette, Thomas Francis Hartley was listed as license number 227. In 1914 the annual fee for the rent of the foreshore location was 5 pounds per year and the license that was granted by the court was done in Rawene.

They developed a fleet of six or seven launches, both steam and oil driven. Also had pontoons (punts) and dinghys which constituted to a flourishing buisiness in those days. Some of the boats were built by Joseph Fell a boatbuilder of Kohukohu. He built the s.s. Traveller; Waihou; Pearl; Alfred; Melvel; Rosa; Chopper; Sierra Marie; Kotere; Cream; Roma and Irene.

Sources were taken from records found within the National archives in New Zealand and the various New Zealand Gazettes between the years 1897 to 1914.

Update from the previous blog Life of a Timber Mill Manager Cut Short.

Update from the previous blog Life of a Timber Mill Manager Cut Short.

 

I felt there was a need to update the information from a previous blog I had written in the past. I won’t change the blog itself, but I will place the update here and include some information that was disputed within some comments. I think it would be easier to write this up instead as a comment. I will try to clarify much of the information through official records such as Births, Deaths and Marriages. Names of people can be different to what you know. It is not my intention to deliberately upset people, but it does happen.

It was mentioned that John Arthur Gabolinscy’s name was Jack and I have looked at the records and every official record I do have has the name as John.. The only place the records call him Jack is actually on the service records for the Second World War. The service record would be something I will research in the future.

The birth certificate for Hartley does state that his name was in fact Hartley within the birth certificate and within records through the national archives in New Zealand Hartley’s name does exist especially within the Forestry service for the 1970s. He might appear elsewhere within other records. 

While records are restricted through the National archives of the murder trial is restricted until around the year 2051 including any reference to William Giovanni Silveo Fiori including police records except for the coroner’s inquest. There is one way to be able to gain some insight into what the house at the time looks like. It does sound morbid, but interesting as well. I was able to gain access to detailed drawings of the house and a layout to the house within the village of Minginui. Measurements had been taken as well. The records are from the Rotorua Forest Field Book with details written by J Gabolinsky and J Overington, which includes a survey of the pay roll robbery. It was actually by chance I had found this book in Auckland.

As time goes on more records are usually found by accident, but a search through the New Zealand Archives does bring forth some little gems of information that had not been available before, but there are ways of getting around the records including checking to see if you can have permission to have access to certain records.

Life of a Timber Mill Manager cut short