Thomas Chamberlain

Thomas and Catherine came to New Zealand on the ship "London" arriving on 2 May 1842. Thomas Chamberlain[1] was born at Preston Capes, Northamptonshire, England on 10 June 1806 the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Edinborough) Chamberlain[7]. He was married in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England circa 1831 to Sussannah Catherine Bull. Sussannah and her sisters had kept a school and Thomas' family had felt he was marrying beneath him. Sussannah was born on 7 February 1809[2]. The Chamberlains were leasing land at Daventry from Sir Chas Knightly in 1841 he told them that he wanted their land fro cropping. After a lot of pressure they agreed to a price for one crop, the land to revert to them after the crop was harvested. He planted a crop of acorns. They had effectively lost their land and so had to leave so came to New Zealand. Sussannah and Thomas came to New Zealand in the ship 'London' arriving on 2 May 1842 with three children; their youngest Edwin had died on the way out and was buried at sea.

Chamberlain Road, Karori Named after Thomas Chamberlain, one of Karori's earliest settlers, who arrived in Wellington with his wife and three children in May 1842 on the London. He soon took up and cleared bush-clad land in Parkvale, the Parkvale Road area of Karori. They moved on after about three years to a dairy farm in the subdivided part of Northland area, then part of Karori. In 1855 the family moved again this time to the Wairarapa. source Karori Streets Karori Historical Society.

Thomas died on 5 January 1859, aged 52, of a heart attack, just a year after moving his family to Masterton. Sussannah died many years later on 1 January 1891 age 82. Both buried Masterton Cemetery.