This website is a repository for several photo albums belonging to Ella Barker, second wife of David Barker, and her descendants.
David Barker was Lieutenant Governor in Dumfries and quite a wealthy man. He entrusted 50,000 Pounds to his brother-in-law, Robert Wilkin, as a down payment on St Leonards sheep station in New Zealand, but Wilkin died bankrupt in 1886 and the bank seized his assets which included a bank account with David Barker’s money. David Barker still had properties in Scotland, from his first wife, Margaret Crichton Otto, but it was entailed on the children of that marriage and poor Ella was left with 5 small children and very little money. She had been employed as Governess to the ” first family ” and, apparently, was too proud to ask them for help. There was a rift between the two halves of the family for many years – long since healed, I’m pleased to say!
David and (Isab)ella Barker emigrated to New Zealand in 1885 from Dumfries, DFS, Scotland with the 8 children from David’s first marriage and 3 little ones of their own (one of whom was my grandfather, Archie.) Ella’s sister, Catherine, married Robert Dampier Atkinson in 1893 and they lived in Cust for a time (I think.) For some reason, Catherine is recorded in NZ as Katharina, but her birth certificate clearly says “Catherine” !!! Originally David and Ella lived in a house in Christchurch called Avonholm, but they moved to Waikari to live in the Manse there because of David’s health (he died in 1889 of Pthisis Pulmonellis, and is buried in Papanui cemetery.)
Dorothy Gaunt, grand-daughter of Archie Barker