William Roger Kells, Undertaker of Palmerston North

Looking through any newspaper especially those from the past and you will always notice funerals and obituaries. Usually the notices will include the name of the funeral director and / or the company they are part of. Looking into the person, or the company you might find there is more to their lives than just a simple funeral and looking after those who have passed on. I have done a basic search on a family member that is down one branch of the family within the New Zealand town of Palmerston North. If you really want the complicated relationship then William Roger Kells is my Father in law of sister in law of 1^st great grand uncle, which means I probably ended up somewhere with Alice in Wonderland.

Deciding to have a look at the lives of William Roger Kells through online newspapers in New Zealand has led to some interesting discoveries and I wanted to touch on some of his business partners too at the same time. I wont go into too much depth into the lives of these people, but I am probably only scratching the surface about these people from a different period in time. The main skill involved within this blog for the people involved was carpentry, which included making of furniture and cabinetmaking. Conducting funerals through William and his colleagues seemed to be a natural migration for those working within the carpentry industry. From reading it is a common migration to build coffins if you are a carpenter.[1] Tracing the business through time, you can get a sense of what they are up to and how time is changing specially when you see the introduction of technology and techniques from horses to motorised vehicles being introduced.

William Roger Kells first comes to light as an undertaker around 1909 through an advertisement in the Manawatu Standard, a newspaper within the Palmerston North area of the North Island in New Zealand.[2] William went into business with Charles Pike as a business partner sometime in 1912, when the business was known as Kells and Pike. The other half of the business, Mr Pike was known as Charles Pike, or Chas. Pike. Charles was a member of a brass band, which I would guess was how the two men had met or were known to each other. William on his marriage in 1901 was a drummer in a brass band known as Jupp’s Band.[3] Jupp’s Band was managed by William James Jupp, who passed away in 1937, had started the brass band in 1889 and would last for around fifty years, which would include World War 1 in New Zealand.[4] Both men were carpenters listing themselves as cabinetmakers and upholsters through the many advertisements in the newspapers. William and Charles would dissolve their business together and go their separate ways around 1917. William would be located on 88 Rangatiki Street from 1917 onwards, although would move several times.[5]

Charles Pike otherwise known as Chas can be found through many advertisements throughout the local Palmerston North newspapers. In a 1922 advertisement for his business located at 193 Main Street, Palmerston North, he classed himself as a cabinetmaker and undertaker. He was well known for his furniture making for both the quality of the product and the price. The undertaking side of the business does come across as a side venture.[6] Charles Pike would go bankrupt in November of 1923.[7]

William Kells in 1917 had a news article written about him leaving Kells and Pike to go into business for himself. He seen that there was a demand for undertaking services in Palmerston North and had been a part of that business for many years. He can perform both burials and cremations, has a mortuary chapel on the premises, and a hearse drawn by horses. He does construction work when required.[8] Searching through advertisements meant I had to look using different spellings of William’s name. Many are WM. R Kells, William Kells, William R Kells. Around 1924, William Kells would end up with a new form of transport as he advertised the services of motorised hearses heading away from the horses.[9] In 1925 said he had been undertaker for 18 years, so that would mean he started around 1907. Someone had claimed they gave him money to bury a child, which never happened as is seen by the article from the NZ Truth located in the footnotes.[10] In August 1926, William moved to new premises in Palmerston North at 395 Main Street East. He had updated his hearses again, unless they were the same vehicles advertised in 1924. The move was meant to be due to a better location and closer to the Terrace End cemetery.[11]

In September 1929, William Kells had joined up with E.E Perrin a builder to form Kells and Perrin LTD at 81 Rangitikei Street.[12] The life of William Roger Kells, Undertaker was not always so straightforward as he was involved with several court cases including coroner inquests. The inquest was known as he Price Inquest held in April 1930. Walter Edwin Price had been found shot in his home. William Kells had to give evidence and the information provided by other people ended up being contradictory.[13] In November 1931 there was a court case where William was called as witness to a murder case known as The Karere Tragedy in the newspapers.[14] An article about Kells and Perrin points towards the reality the business is run by both senior and junior meaning father and son were in business together. Through the electoral roll in New Zealand the son, Joseph was classed as an undertaker from 1935. They were still within the funeral industry, now owning two motor hearses equipped with all devices used for handling a body.[15] Father and son are actually involved in the building trade together and the advertisement meant they were able to organise funerals anywhere on the North Island of New Zealand.[16] In 1934 the business Kells and Kerrin LTD changed to Kells and Son, when Joseph Kells was made into a full partner with his father William.[17] I don’t know how much longer William stayed as part of the business, but he would have still been working during the Second World War while Joseph was serving overseas. Joseph was mentioned as a funeral director in October 1945 at 619 Main Street in Palmerston North. [18] William would pass away on the 28 of October 1955 in Palmerston North and was buried in Terrace End Cemetery.[19]

Sources

Family History, Christchurch Library,https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/family-history/death-burial/

Cowling, Charles A Brief History of Undertakers, 3 August 2012, https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/2012/08/a-brief-history-of-undertakers/, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Funeral Notice’, Manawatu Standard, 8 November 1909, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19091108.2.4.2, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Obituary Mr W. J. Jupp’, Evening Post, 10 February 1937, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19370210.2.158, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Social Gossip’, Free Lance, 13 July 1901, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZFL19010713.2.16, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Advertising Memoranda’, Manawatu Times, 7 September 1917, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19170907.2.8, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘National Dairy Show’, Manawatu Standard, 20 June 1922, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19220620.2.35, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘In Bankruptcy’, Manawatu Times, 10 November 1923, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19231110.2.8, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘W.R. Kells’, Evening Post, 31 October 1917, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19171031.2.139, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Page 6 advertisements column 4’, Manawatu Times, 9 February 1924, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19240209.2.52.4, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Page 8 advertisements column 4’, NZ Truth, 16 May 1925, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTR19250516.2.40.4, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Page 16 advertisements column 3’, Evening Post, 1 March 1927, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19270301.2.148.3, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Page 1 advertisements column 1, Manawatu Standard, 24 September 1928, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19280924.2.4.1, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘The Price inquest’, Manawatu Standard, 11 April 1930, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19300411.2.90, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Charge of Murder’, Manawatu Standard, 11 November 1931, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19311111.2.10, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Kells and Perrin LTD’, Evening Post, 15 June 1932, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19320615.2.162.2, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Kells and Perrin, LTD’, Evening Post, 1 November 1933, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19331101.2.200, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘W.R. Kells and son, LTD’, Evening Post, 14 June 1934, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19340614.2.177.2, accessed 18/05/2020.

Unknown, ‘Funeral Directors’, Manawatu Standard, 10 October 1945, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19451010.2.5.1, accessed 18/05/2020.

---

[1] Charles Cowling, A Brief History of Undertakers, 3 August 2012, https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/2012/08/a-brief-history-of-undertakers/, accessed 18/05/2020.

[2] Unknown, ‘Funeral Notice’, Manawatu Standard, 8 November 1909, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19091108.2.4.2, accessed 18/05/2020.

[3] Unknown, ‘Social Gossip’, Free Lance, 13 July 1901, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZFL19010713.2.16, accessed 18/05/2020.

[4] Unknown, ‘Obituary Mr W. J. Jupp’, Evening Post, 10 February 1937, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19370210.2.158, accessed 18/05/2020.

[5] Unknown, ‘Advertising Memoranda’, Manawatu Times, 7 September 1917, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19170907.2.8, accessed 18/05/2020.

[6] Unknown, ‘National Dairy Show’, Manawatu Standard, 20 June 1922, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19220620.2.35, accessed 18/05/2020.

[7] Unknown, ‘In Bankruptcy’, Manawatu Times, 10 November 1923, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19231110.2.8, accessed 18/05/2020.

[8] Unknown, ‘W.R. Kells’, Evening Post, 31 October 1917, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19171031.2.139, accessed 18/05/2020.

[9] Unknown, ‘Page 6 advertisements column 4’, Manawatu Times, 9 February 1924, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19240209.2.52.4, accessed 18/05/2020.

[10] Unknown, ‘Page 8 advertisements column 4’, NZ Truth, 16 May 1925, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTR19250516.2.40.4, accessed 18/05/2020.

[11] Unknown, ‘Page 16 advertisements column 3’, Evening Post, 1 March 1927, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19270301.2.148.3, accessed 18/05/2020.

[12] Unknown, ‘Page 1 advertisements column 1, Manawatu Standard, 24 September 1928, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19280924.2.4.1, accessed 18/05/2020.

[13] Unknown, ‘The Price inquest’, Manawatu Standard, 11 April 1930, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19300411.2.90, accessed 18/05/2020.

[14] Unknown, ‘Charge of Murder’, Manawatu Standard, 11 November 1931, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19311111.2.10, accessed 18/05/2020.

[15] Unknown, ‘Kells and Perrin LTD’, Evening Post, 15 June 1932, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19320615.2.162.2, accessed 18/05/2020.

[16] Unknown, ‘Kells and Perrin, LTD’, Evening Post, 1 November 1933, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19331101.2.200, accessed 18/05/2020.

[17] Unknown, ‘W.R. Kells and son, LTD’, Evening Post, 14 June 1934, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19340614.2.177.2, accessed 18/05/2020.

[18] Unknown, ‘Funeral Directors’, Manawatu Standard, 10 October 1945, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19451010.2.5.1, accessed 18/05/2020.

[19] William Roger Kells, Terrace End Cemetery, Palmerston North, https://www.pncc.govt.nz/services/cemetery-and-cremation-search/warrant/?id=21072, accessed 18/05/2020.