Edward Ned Benge

Ned ran the family farm after mill was sold, Sarah was 15 when she married Ned- he marked register with an 'x'. Sarah died at 21 and he married Mary Ann (Annie/Anna Mabey) who had had an illegitimate child, David Mabey, by her brother-in-law James Harris at age 17 (he married her older sister Mary Jane- they would 've been married 10 yrs by the time he fathered the child with Mary Ann). whether this was consensual or not no one knows, It states that Rachel Mabey (mother) marked register of baby's birth with an 'X'. Mary Ann ripped the page out of the family bible to cover up the record.

Ned was left a widower with 3 young children under age 5 when Sarah Stoodley (part Maori) died in childbirth aged 21 (her sister Matilda married Samuel Benge (Ned's brother) and she also died in childbirth aged 28) and Mary Ann needed a respectable man- it seemed the perfect solution.

He adopted David Mabey and they had several more children together. Ned was said to be rather thick. In " Upper Hutt the history" Tom Mabey (their second son) writes about the early days and how hard his mother worked- they ran a boarding house they had bought off the Collins family (Bloomfield house). She had 12 drovers at any given day as well as a large family to take care of. Ned still worked for the family sawmill business.

Perhaps this scandal is why the Harris's moved to Sanson where James (very ambitious) ended up owning 3,000 acres. There is also an account of him going gold hunting in the Northern Territory in 1884). he is said to've gone on the trip after a disagreement with the wife.

https://sites-cf.mhcache.com/e/1/az1zaXRlc192MSZzPWEyMmFkYjg0Njk4Y2...

Obituary

About Benge, Edward 'Ned'
Evening Post, 1 July 1896
A MAN DROPS DEAD - A very sudden death occurred at Upper Hutt yesterday afternoon. A painter, named James MILLS, was walking with Mr. Edward Benge (for whom he was working) to the train, en route to the Wellington Hospital, when he suddenly fell in the road and at once expired. Deceased was well known in the district, having worked at his trade about the Hutt for the last ten years. He was about 50 years of age, and has no relatives in the colony. Deceased had been complaining of a pain in his left side, and had been attended by Dr. Purdy, but as he was getting no better, Mr Benge decided to take him to the hospital. It is supposed that death was due to heart disease. The Coroner has decided that an inquest is unnecessary.