John Haining Geddes

Birth

John Haining Geddes was born on the 2nd of July in 1839 in Kircudbrightshire, Scotland, to parents Alexander Geddes and Helen Geddes (née McMillan). ¹ John was christened on the 7th of July 1839 in Kirkpatrick Durham, where he was educated and served five years’ apprenticeship to his trade. He learned cutting at Liverpool, and afterwards entered into business on his own account at Kirkpatrick. ²

Emigration to Victoria, Australia

After landing at Victoria in 1863 at the age of ~24, John became a cutter for Messers Warnock Brothers at Maldon, a quartz-mining township, where he continued for nine years, and was afterwards in business on his own account for four years. ² I haven’t been able to determine which ship John came to Australia on at this point.

Marriage

On the 20th of February, 1867, John married a Miss Martha Mirk at Kyneton, Victoria - the marriage was performed by a Reverend John Pennell. ^{3 4} Martha was originally from Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, the youngest of the four daughters of Captain Andrew Tod Mirk (born in Bo’ness, Scotland) and Mary Mirk (née Cumine/Cumming).⁵ Martha’s father Andrew had drowned in 1848 in a storm at Peterhead Harbour in the north of Scotland when Martha was 10 and her mother also died while she was young.

While still in Victoria, John and Martha had three children: Alfred Alexander Geddes, born 15th November 1869 and christened on the 9th of January 1870 in a Methodist church in Maldon, Victoria, Australia; ⁶ Ada Selina Mary Geddes, born on the 27th June and christened on the 6th of August in 1871 in a Methodist church in Maldon, Victoria, Australia; ⁷ and Ethel Ellen Geddes, born on the 22nd of January, and christened on the 8th of March in 1874 in a Methodist church in Maldon, Victoria, Australia. ⁸

Emigration to New Zealand

In August, 1875 John and his family moved to Otago on the ship Omeo, which dropped them at Bluff Harbour, John’s occupation on the ship’s records was listed as ‘Miner’ ⁹ but it seems as though he soon got back into his work as a Tailor, partnering with a James Kim in Balclutha. ¹⁰ The family spent two years in the Clutha region before settling in Invercargill, where John established his own business as a merchant tailor. ² After settling in New Zealand, John and Martha had two more children: Arthur John Geddes, born in 1876 in New Zealand ¹¹ and Herbert Haining Geddes, born in 1880. ¹²

Merchant Tailor - J. H. Geddes & Sons

John’s Merchant Tailor business in Invercargill was established in 1877, and for the first ten years was conducted in Tay Street. They then moved to a “handsome three-storey building” on the corner of Dee Street and Don Street, in which the cutting and fitting rooms were on the ground floor, and the work room was on the second floor. ²

Community Service

John was a member of the East Invercargill Borough Council for several years, in 1884 it seems he was nominated as a candidate for the Mayoral election - however he chose to withdraw his candidacy. ¹³

A year later he was nominated again, and ran, and won the election by a margin of 17 votes against a Thomas Findlay.¹⁴ John occupied the mayoral chair for one year.²

John was also attached to the Loyal St. George Lodge of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, and in 1904 held office as Past Provincial Grand Master. ²

John retired in 1907, leaving his business to his two sons, Arthur and Herbert Geddes.¹⁵ After retirement, John and his wife Martha moved back to Victoria, Australia,⁴ where their daughter Ada Selina Mary Blue lived with her daughter Mavis Germaine Blue.¹⁶

Death

John passed away in 1926 at the age of 73, just five months after the death of his wife, Martha. ¹⁷ John is buried with his wife Martha and daughter Ada Selina Mary Blue at the Coburg Pine Ridge Cemetery in the Presbyterian Area, plot number 904.¹⁸

In his will, John left £500 to his two sons Arthur and Herbert, and £300 to his granddaughter Mavis Germain Blue. Any remaining funds after that were to be divided equally between his children and granddaughter Mavis Germain Blue in equal shares. It is stated that the extra money left to Arthur, Herbert, and Mavis is due to the assistance they had rendered to John and Martha.¹⁹

References