Jessie McCulloch Brown

Birth

Jessie McCulloch Brown was born on the 3rd of November 1867 to parents Isabella Brown (née McFarlane) and Thomas Brown.¹ Jessie was the second of six children, she had an older brother named Thomas Brown, two younger brothers: John MacFarlane Brown and Robert Symington Brow, and two younger sisters: Emma Isabella Brown and Florence Jane Brown.

Marriage & Children

Jessie McCulloch Brown and Charles Speight were married on the 17th of August in 1898 ² by Reverend James Gibb. The wedding was held at the residence of the bride’s mother, although the celebrations were considered a relatively quiet affair, out of respect of the recent loss of Jessie’s father, Thomas Brown.³

Jessie and Charles had five children together:

• Norman Charles Speight was born on the 6th of July in 1899 ⁴. Norman married Winifred Zeta Hunt on the 18th of October in 1927 ⁵, and together they had two sons: Charles Herbert Speight, born 31st August, 1928, and Russel Norman Speight, born 12th of September, 1932. Norman died at his residence of 132 Cannington Road, in Dunedin at the age of 79 ⁶.

• Allan Francis Speight was born on the 16th of November in 1901 ⁷. Allan married Dorothy Frances Napier on the 20th of January 1932 ⁸, and together they had four sons: William Allen Speight, born 20th March 1933; Robert John Speight, born 2nd September, 1935; James Geoffrey Speight, born 2nd August, 1937; and David Napier Speight, born 16th April, 1942. Allan died on the 10th of February in 1974 at the age of 74 ⁹ he is buried with his wife in Lynwood Cemetery, Te Anau, Southland.

• Hugh Speight was born on the 4th of July in 1904 ¹⁰. Hugh married Katrena Rosalind Bardsley on the 11th of March, 1930 ¹¹ and together they had one daughter Deirdre Mignon Speight, born in 1932. Hugh died on the 1st of February 1969 ¹².

• Colin John Speight was born on the 16th of November in 1907 ¹³. Colin married Elinore Dorothy Lee on the 7th of June in 1934 ¹⁴, and together they had 4 children. Colin died on the 4th of September 1995 ¹⁵.

• Winifred Jessie Speight was born on the 2nd of November in 1910 ¹⁶. Winifred married Glynne Mansell Lloyd on the 10th of April in 1935 ¹⁷, and together they had three sons. Winifred died in 2004 ¹⁸.

They also had a beeauuutiful springer spaniel named Dash 💛

1912

In March of 1912, Jessie and her husband Charles visited Pembroke Hotel in Wanaka. ¹⁹

1914

In 1914, Jessie was mentioned in the newspaper for her generous donation to a fundraiser to ensure that all of the New Zealand soldiers heading to the front would have cardigan jackets to keep them warm. Jessie donated £100 to the cause.²⁰

1927

On the 18th of October in 1927, Jessie’s eldest son Norman Charles Speight married Winifred Zeta Hunt at the First Church in Dunedin. Jessie and Charles held the reception at their home following the ceremony.²¹

1928

In February of 1928, Jessie and her husband visited Queenstown with their daughter Winifred Jessie Speight, their son Hugh Thomas Speight, and his fiancée Katrena Rosalind Bardsley.²²

Sadly, Jessie’s husband Charles Speight died on the 19th of February 1928 at the age of 62 ²³. While out on a walk Charles began to feel faint, so called his son Hugh to come and collect him, when he got home he went to bed to read. Charles died that afternoon, it is suspected that the cause of death was heart failure.

1930

After a few years of mourning, Jessie’s son Hughie finally married Katrena Rosalind Bardsley on the 11th of March in 1930.^{24 25 26 27}

A month after Hughie and Katrena’s wedding, Jessie and her daughter Winifred Jessie Speight, and her son (I think it would have been Colin, but it doesn’t say) left on a tour of England, Scotland, and on to the Continent Jessie’s daughter-in-law Winifred Zeta Speight (née Hunt) threw them a going-away tea-party.^{28 29}

Later that year, Jessie was mentioned in the papers with regard to a donation to the Otago Early Settlers’ Association of Otago. Jessie donated a framed portrait of her father Thomas Brown, who had come to New Zealand on the ship ‘Lady Egidia’ from Greenock, Scotland.³⁰

1932

In 1932, Jessie’s second-oldest son Allan Francis Speight married Miss Dorothy Frances Napier at St. Augustine’s Church in Waimate.³¹

1934

June 1934 brought with it another family wedding, Jessie’s youngest son Colin John Speight married Elinore Dorothy Lee at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Anderson’s Bay.³²

1935

Finally, on the 10th of April in 1935, Jessie’s youngest child, and only daughter got married to Glynne Mansell Lloyd at the First Church in Dunedin.³³

1942

During WWII, Jessie’s son Norman served in the military as a Colonel. In January 1942, in the War Casualties report in the Evening Star and the Otago Daily Times, Norman was reported as “Missing, Believed Prisoners of War.³⁴ Norman was reported as being safely repatriated by April of the same year.³⁵

1946

In 1946, Jessie sold an allotment of land in Oban, on Stewart Island to Dugald McAlpine Watson and Doris May Watson for £1570.³⁶

Death

Jessie McCulloch Speight died 33 years later on the 7th of May 1958 at the age of 90 ³⁷.

Will

I’ve included the first four pages of Jessie’s Will below (you can click on them to make them bigger), she left her jewellery, clothes, and trinkets to her daughter, along with a parcel of land in Dunedin. The rest of her belongings were split equally between her children, and she left each of her grandchildren £1000, and other extended family members (siblings, nieces/nephews) £300, her chauffer Robert Charlton £100, and her great-grandchildren £100. She also left sums of money to a range of charities.³⁸

References