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I do love coming across some interesting mysteries especially when it has been something that you have not come across before, or had looked into further. Sometimes I take the information at face value and think it might be fully correct, but I have been shown through my own research that things are not always as they seem.
Recently I have written a blog about the Naturalisation of Jorgen Albert Jorgensen, but amongst that information is when he arrived in New Zealand in 1904. I will start with the misinformation first as it is actually really interesting and include the correct information later on with additional information. The Memorial as they call it includes information about Jorgen and includes details about his arrival in New Zealand. At 11am per SS Athenic on the 2nd day of March 1904 and has resided in New Zealand since that date.[1] I thought the time of arrival was strangely specific. His death in 1917 threw up more red flags as the local newspaper, the Manawatu Standard said he arrived in New Zealand at the age of 7 and would in 1904 go into business in Palmerston North.[2]
Several years ago I had researched a little about Jorgen Albert and had found where he had been born in Denmark. The same with his parents with his father also bearing the name Jorgen. There were several siblings as well. There had been nothing that I could find to say they arrived in New Zealand. Back to around now, on a whim I wanted to have a look at when the Athenic arrived in New Zealand in 1904. I was hoping to look at a passenger list through Paperspast, and soon found the information to be contradictory. In March 1904, a newspaper said the Athenic had left Plymouth on the 13th of Feb and was due about the 28th of March.[3]
Using the LDS website Familysearch, I looked through the shipping records and found two shipping records. One that was for Wellington and another for the same period with updated names for Auckland. It was great to have a manifest with a list of names and see what I could find. I knew I had the right shipping record when the name of the ship was the SS Athenic and onboard was a Mr. A Jorgensen, carpenter. The date was 28th of February 1905. Right below his name was a Miss Jorgensen a dressmaker. I turned to the New Zealand archives and Paperspast to search the names that I did have and no sister was present. An accidental shipping list that was for Auckland had the two names crossed out and with a contracted ticket number I had the right people. This record gave the given names of the Jorgensens. Albert and Agnes.[4] I soon found Agnes through the Familysearch website for the same parents.
The voyage of the Athenic took 70 days, had onboard 300 adults and the captain was a Kempson RNR. The passenger list was divided between English, Irish, Scottish and Foreigners. The ship itself had been launched in 1901. The ship would start sailing between England and New Zealand in February 1902.[5]
Agnes’ full name was Agnes Petrea Marie Jorgensen and she went on to marry Marius Honore in 1908. I don’t know what the origin of Marius is as he could pretty much be European like German or Danish, but he was living in Palmerston North funnily enough. Marius does have a naturalisation record for after World War 1, but I have to access that record sometime. They did move closer to Wellington at a later stage. They would go on to have three children all up, but I am unsure if one of them was from a previous marriage as at this stage I do not have that information, but they did serve in World War 2 and two of them at least were postmen. Agnes and Marius would both pass away in 1968, and there is a coroner report for that time for Agnes. It does seem that all roads seem to lead to Palmerston North with many family members and they then move on or stay for the rest of their time.
I do like coming across new and interesting information to correct what others do have through various sources. At the time I never realised a little searching would become a whole blog of sorts, though it does make me curious about the authorities of the time as I do wonder if they look any further than the ship that arrived and the date to see if the person applying for citizenship is being honest or if the correct information was forgotten, and the authorities went with it.
Sources
Jorgen Albert Jorgensen Naturalisation R24209427, 1914 – 1919.
Naturalisation of Jorgen Jorgensen blog
https://tangaroa81.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-new-zealand-naturalisation-of.html
SS Athenic, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Athenic, accessed 25/02/2025.
Personal, Manawatu Standard, 18 June 1917, p.5, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19170618.2.27, accessed 25/02/2025.
Shipping, Hawera & Normanby Star, 1 March 1904, p.1, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HNS19040301.2.2, accessed 25/02/2025.
New Zealand shipping records Athenic 1905 Jorgensen
"New Zealand records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/
ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-3G?view=index : Feb 25, 2025), image 171 of 269; New
Zealand. National Archives. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-3G?view=index
New Zealand shipping records Athenic 1905 Jorgensen
"New Zealand records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/
ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-XY?view=index : Feb 24, 2025), image 172 of 269; New
Zealand. National Archives.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-XY?view=index
[1] Jorgen Albert Jorgensen Naturalisation R24209427, p.3.
[2] Personal, Manawatu Standard, 18 June 1917, p.5, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19170618.2.27, accessed 25/02/2025.
[3] Shipping, Hawera & Normanby Star, 1 March 1904, p.1, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HNS19040301.2.2, accessed 25/02/2025.
[4] "New Zealand records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/
ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-3G?view=index : Feb 25, 2025), image 171 of 269; New
Zealand. National Archives. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-3G?view=index; "New Zealand records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/
ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-XY?view=index : Feb 24, 2025), image 172 of 269; New
Zealand. National Archives.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6YFD-XY?view=index
[5] AA Athenic, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Athenic, accessed 25/02/2025.
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