Nathaniel Bates

• Birth Notes
  • Emigrated from Sydney, NSW to Stewart Island, New Zealand in 1838.

• Death Notes
  • Buried in Riverton, Southland, New Zealand Cemetery Block A Plot 40

• General Notes
  • "Nathaniel Bates, b 24 Nov 1819 in Sydney to Thomas Bates and Ann Griffin, was my 4xgreat uncle.  He must have moved to NZ at an early age.  He lived in Riverton and had 26 children by three wives, Hinepu, Harriet Watson (Hariata Kuihi),  and Ann Williams.  Some of the associated names of
    children's spouses are Kirkton, Campbell, Kelly, Wilkinson, Dandy, Bootes, Hayes, Cowie, Robertson, Bolvin, Barton, Lundon, and Morrison."
    Info from Leith Davis, of Adelaide -  Date: 2000/06/14
    
    Nathaniel BATES 1819 - 1887       
    (Written by Marie Heilbrunn - Monday, 26 March 2007) 
    "Nathaniel was born 24 Nov 1819 at Sussex Street, Sydney, New South Wales to Thomas BATES, a Second Fleet convict, born C.1772 Harwich, England and his wife Ann, formerly GRIFFIN, the daughter of a soldier from Galway, Ireland. Nathaniel was Thomas and Ann's sixth child and was baptised at St.Philips, Sydney on 2 Jan 1820 and was raised on the shores of Cockle Bay, now Darling Harbour, where his father set up a boat building business after he retired from the army.
    Around 1837, at the age of 18 years, Nathaniel sailed to the South Island of New Zealand with his brother in law, George GREEN, an Englishman, who married Maria, Nathaniel’s sister on 19 Apr 1830 at St Phillip's Sydney NSW. Nathaniel worked as a whaler at Otakou, Purakanui and Stewart Island between 1838 and 1844. In Harwood’s Brokenewy Journal at Purakanui in on 19 August 1838 he recorded that word was sent to BATES to ‘come over and bring all his tools’, so it appears that Nathaniel learnt a trade from his father.
    George GREEN purchased four blocks, consisting of about 2,000 acres of land from the Maoris on Rakiura, now called Stewart Island and Centre Island. By 1840 there were 500 acres of wheat and potatoes under cultivation three weatherboard houses, pigs, poultry and other stock, under Nathaniel’s care.
    In 1845 on a voyage from Jacob’s River to Stewart Island, about 60 miles across the Foveaux  Straight, Burr Osborne recorded that four men, including himself and Nat BATES were caught in a squall and were forced into George’s Bay for the night. The Maoris that lived in the bay were hospitable and invited them to join their feast, where they were toasting something around the fire. It tasted like toasted cheese, but turned out to be red headed grubs.  Fortunately, the men were able to proceed to Horse Shoe Bay on Stewart Island the next day, in Nathaniel’s open boat, which weighed about two tons.
    The Otago Witness Issue 3, 8 March 1851, Page 3, contained a list of unclaimed letters, and included was ‘Mr Nathaniel Bates, Stewart's Island’. By this time Nathaniel was living fulltime at Jacob’s River. The family were included in the list of Europeans, Natives and half Castes residing at Aparima in 1852.
    Nathaniel was listed as 30 years old, a sawyer from NSW and resident for 13 years. Buildings included one house and two outhouses. One and a half acres of potatoes were in crop and stock included five cattle and six pigs, but no horses. His wife, Harriet, aged 19, a half caste, and their first two children, Lydia and John, as well Hinepu’s three children also resided there. Both Nathaniel and Harriet could read and write.
    In 1857 Nathaniel accompanied the surveyor and explorer John Turnbull THOMSON to Fiordland, through the Waiau Valley to the Takitimu Range, then east to the summit of Centre Hill from where Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri could be seen. That evening Thomson recorded that Nat Bates lit a camp fire, and the wood hens came out. Nat decided that a wood hen would make an addition to their salt pork and his attempt was sketched by Thompson and entitled Nat Bates trying to snare a weka for the pot at Centre Hill, 1857.
    Nathaniel also accompanied William Saunders and explored the back country of Otago in 1859, looking for suitable areas for grazing sheep, and reached the south side of Lake Wakatipu at Mt Eyre.
    In 1861 Nathaniel was registered to vote in the Jacobs River Hundreds New River District and in 1865-66 the Flax Point Riverton Electorate. From 1869 to 1875 he was registered in the Riverton Electorate. There are several parts of Riverton named after him and his sons, including Bates Street, George Street, Charles Street and Bates Point. By 1880 the family were living nearby at Raymonds Gap.
    Nathaniel drowned in the Aparima River late on 13 July 1887. He was returning home from the Commercial Hotel late at night and fell from the Jacob's Creek Bridge. His body was found on the beach the next day by a 13 year old boy, James CAMPBELL. He was a good swimmer, and at the inquest it was revealed that he struck his head on one of the piles of the bridge.
    The funeral was held on 15 July 1887 at Palmerston Street, and Nathaniel was buried in Riverton Cemetery, Anglican, Block A Plot 40. At the inquest held the next day at the Wallace County Hotel, Riverton, Harriett testified that she lived with the deceased, Nathaniel BATES, and Ann PAULEY at Raymonds Gap and they lived happily together, never quarrelling, or having disputes over money matters.
    The Otago Witness newspaper carried this notice on 16 July 1887:
    Nathaniel Bates, a very old settler in the Western District, was found drowned in the Aparima River on the 14th. Deceased was remarkable as being the father of 31 children.   © Marie Heilbrunn 2009
    Bibliography
    Scott, L. Bayne, F  Nathaniel Bates of Riverton, his families and descendant, ,Christchurch, Tablet 1993Tod, F, Whaling in Southern Waters,  Dunedin,  n.p, 1982Richards, R, The Foveaux Whaling Yarns of Yankee Jack, Otago Heritage Books, Dunedin, 1995.Hall-Jones, J, John Turnbull Thomson, Southland Historical Committee, Reed, 1963Hall-Jones, J, Early Fiordland, Wellington, Reed, 1968
    PapersPast http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast"
    
    
    

Details of Nathaniel's family with Hinepu (Unknown)

Details of Nathaniel's family with Harriet Kuihi Watson

Details of Nathaniel's family with Ann Williams