Charles Reader ( NZ 1st Generation )
Above : Charles Reader at the farm gate.
Below : First Homestead at Omoana
Charles Reader was the first child of Charles John and Harriot Howes. He was born on the 21st December 1851 in Lyttleton, Christchurch New Zealand and Baptised at the Holy Trinity Church on the 11th January 1852. His father Charles John was a Carpenter at the time.
He married Sussanah Taylor on the 26th January 1876 in Christchurch. Charles like his forefathers learnt a trade associated with literature. He became a bookbinder and started up a shop at the premises at H.Lakes Stationery store as seen by the advertisement on your left in 1878.
On the 14th of June 1879 they adopted a girl which she was called Edith. Edith was baptised on the 18th of April 1883 at the St Albans Church in Christchurch, New Zealand. On the 30th of June 1899 at the age of 19 Edith whom had bad eyesight fell off a high cliff landing on rocks to her death. It was said that she was insane at the time as she never adjusted to being adopted. Edith was burried at the Henui Cemetry on the 1st of July 1899.
Charles and Sussanah moved to join his Brothers in the Taranaki region in North Island. While in Wellington Sussanah gave birth to a daughter on the 2nd January 1895 in Kilbirnie which they named her Lessie. They continued on to join their brothers William and Thomas in Toko where Thomas Lived.
On the 28th July 1900 Sussanah gave birth to a boy which he named after his father "Charles John" . He was born on the Toko Homestead.
Charles and Sussanah left Thomas's farm to start a new life building a farm in Partnership at Omoana with a man named "Billie Johnson" ( Pronounced Bill eye ). The farm at to be formed out of dense bush which had to be felled. In total they posessed 700 acres
End of Backblocks Land mark
Once the centre of a life in the small comunity of Omoana, the Reader and Johnstone boarding house, otherwise known as the "Post Office Boarding House", is being pulled down. The boarding house also served as the local store, post office and restuarant.
Above Picture of
Bill Eye Johnson
Charles John Reader Ernest Henderson Myrtle Reader
Charles Reader died on the 28th September 1929 from a heart attack. He is burried at the Hawera Cemetry.
Sussanah Reader Death Notice:
Reader: At Hawera, on Sunday October 15th 1916 Sussanah, dearly loved wife of Charles Reader. Omoana aged 56 Years.
Lessie was born on the second of January 1895 in Kilbirnie,Wellington.
As a child she helped out on the farm, while at school she would stay at her Aunt Ediths home in Napier.
On the 28th of September 1920 she married Earnest Albert Ford at Castle Street in Eltham,Taranaki.( As seen above )
Earnest was a tinsmith by trade and Lessie stayed at home maintaining the domestic duties .
Lessie and Earnest had three children. Two of them died before the age of twenty.
Lessie Died on the 29th of September 1962 in Auckland.
Descendants
Nola Ford Born 1924 and Died at the age of four from Pneumonia.
Ross Ford Born 1921 Died 1939 at Wellington Hospital from a ruptured Gullet which he acquired from a doctors accident at birth. It was sown up but reoccurred often .Ross died at the age of 19 years
Murray Ford Born 24 September 1923 at Eltham
As a boy Murray could remember walking through the bush from Omoana to Toko or Stratford to go to a relatives home. He could not remember whose household it was. only that it was an uncle ( Probably the home of Thomas Reader which was where his father was born ,
Murray learnt his trade as a mechanic and on the 22nd of June 1957 he married Lorna Ingrid Gordon at Levin .
Lorna loves roses and grew a large variety at their home in Papakura, and later in Palmerston North.
Picture to the left: Earnest Alfred Ford, Lessie and their son Murray.
Descendants
John Linton Born: 19th of May 1958 at Papakura in Auckland
and
Mary Lynette Born : 30th of November 1960 at Papakura in Auckland.
Contact me for the familes other details
Marriage of Charles John Reader to Myrtle Henderson
Golden wedding anniversary 26th of September 1975
Charles John Reader was the second child of Charles and Susannah Reader.
He was born on the 28th of July 1900 at Thomas and Mary Reader’s farm in Toko.
Charles was brought up in Omoana until Lessie and himself were sent to stay with there Aunt Edith in the Hawkes Bay while attending school .
They were only there for a very short time when they received the bad news that there mother had passed away.
Charles was only twelve when he received the letter.
Charles and Lessie returned to the farm to help their father where they could.
Charles felled bush in the winter in bush camps , while helping his father in the summer. For extra money he would do contract work on the roads and railways lines .
On the 26th of September 1925 he married Myrtle Alice Henderson at Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church in Wellington.They proceeded to farm as the manager by this time.
In the depression the farm went broke so they walked of the land and returned to Myrtle's parents place in Wellington.
Myrtle and Charles had one child , Lester John Reader . He was born on the 1st of January 1939 in Wellington.
In 1961 Myrtle's mother passed away, so they retired to Otaki to a house which was built largely from materials used in the buildings which housed the 1939 Centennial Exhibition. Charles was working for the demolition firm at the time .
He passed away on the 12th of May 1976 in Wellington .
Descendants
Lester was the only child of Charles and Myrtle Reader,
Lester worked as a Civil Aviation Technician and it was around this time that he met and married Shirley Clemett.
They got married on the 27th of May 1967 at the Chalmers Presbyterian Church in Otaki.
Later he specialised in Radar Equipment.
In 1987 he was transferred to the Airways Corporation to work as a Quality Assurance Specialist.
In 1991 Lester set up his own firm as a Quality Assurance Consultant and since then he hasn’t looked back.
Lester love is racing cars, He has been doing it for thirty nine years now. He also likes playing indoor bowls and tramping which Shirley can also enjoy .
Lester and Shirley have three children ,
Shane ,Helen and Karen .
Lester Died in 2010.
Left : Picture of Lester and Shirley Clemett
