Phillip Walter Hansen

(8) Phillip Hansen Phillip born 1828, died 1891. He emigrated to America.

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Philip Hansen

Philip Hansen was born in 1826, the eighth child of Thomas and Elizabeth. He was baptised on 29th August, 1830 by Rev William Yate. The baptismal records show that he had only one Christian name. His father’s occupation was listed as ‘carpenter’. Philip was still in the Bay of Islands in 1852 because there is a court record for a Philip Hansen in that year. He was being sued by HT Hickton for a debt relating to a boat hire. Where he was living, or with whom, is not known. What happened to Philip after 1852 is a complete mystery. Oral family history has Philip leaving the Bay of Islands on board the whaling ship Mohawk for America, or possibly England. A report of shipping movements from New Zealand that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 10th April 1858 did have a mention of the Mohawk. It stated that the Mohawk a ship of 350 tons under the command of Captain George Grant, took on board 850 barrels of freight in the Bay of Islands. After outfitting his ship, Captain Grant sailed home via Cape Horn and reached Nantucket on 28th August 1858. It is possible that Philip joined the crew of the Mohawk as it was outfitting in the Bay of Islands. In this way, he could make his way to America, or beyond, and the opportunities that it presented. As Philip, like all his Hansen siblings, never attended school and therefore was unable to read or write, it is not surprising then that the family soon lost contact with him.

Researched by Kath Hansen. Written by Eric Hansen