Grace CLULEE's family, where are you?

Last weekend my partner and I toddled off to Rotorua for the weekend.

On the way, we stopped at Paeroa and did the circuit of many and varied antique stores. At 'Arkwrights Antiques', I happened upon a small Holy Communion book [scroll down for photos] that was inscribed to Grace CLULEE on the occasion of her confirmation on 15 April 1894 at St Paul's [cathedral], Dunedin from [Reverend] J W A Melville* [interestingly enough he performed the marriage ceremony 2 months later for well known NZ barrister Alfred Charles Hanlon and his wife].

A nice thing to happen also tonight after getting it out to photograph, I thumbed through carefully and found the page for Holy Communion and there was a tiny pressed flower - what a delight! I'd like to think that this was put there on the day she was given it, but of course cannot be sure of that.

Grace CLULEE's family, if you are out there I'd love to give you this wee token of her life if she is on your family tree. It would be lovely to know what happened to her.

A search of the indexes for historical births, deaths and marriages shows:
  • Grace CLULEE born to Jeannie Comming[sic] and Alfred CLULEE and registered 1876 [1].
  • Grace CLULEE wed Angustus [sic] Nixon SCOTT c1913 [2] . If this is my Grace then presuming she was 7 or 8 at first holy communion, she would have been born around 1886 and therefore approximately 27 if this was her marriage. This then would not be the Grace CLULEE whose birth I found in the indexes, unless it was a later communion and she was 17 or 18 and this scenario also is possible.
  • There is a death registered in 1947 [3] for a Grace SCOTT dying aged 73 [thus born circa 1874]. The years are out by a couple but this is not unusual as personal information received by registrars is often only provided by relatives and can be incorrect. In the end i've found in other cases, even purchased certificates are not 100% reliable.
Searching the National Library of New Zealand's Paperspast website produces:
  • an article from Otago Witness 22 February 1894 mentioning a Grace CLULEE being recommended by inspectors for appointment [Caversham school?]
  • an article from Otago Witness 17 June 1895 mentioning a Grace CLULEE passing her annual examinations for pupil teachers.
  • an article from Otago Witness 26 March 1896 mentioning a Grace CLULEE gaining a second pass class in freehand drawing as a student at the Dunedin School of Art and Design, the Science and Art department in connection with the School of Design at South Kensington [London].
  • an article from Otago Witness 14 January 1897 mentioning a Grace CLULEE passing her annual examinations for pupil teachers with second class merits. This mentions 'Caversham' and gives the clue she possibly was teaching there?
  • an article from Otago Witness 18 February 1897 mentioning a Grace CLULEE gaining a second class pass in elementary model drawing in the London Science and Art Department's examination held in Dunedin the previous year.
  • an article from Otago Witness 2 March 1899 on a Grace CLULEE gaining a partial pass in the Otago Teacher Examinations.
  • an article from Otago Witness 8 March 1900 on a Grace CLULEE gaining a Class D pass in the teacher examinations in the Otago district.
Interestingly enough I have come across this surname one other time. Many years back I was in Kumara cemetery on the West Coast of the South Island and there is a CLULEE buried there.








The pressed flower marking the Holy Communion page


These are the pages the book fell open at the most easily
Back cover

 
Alfred and Jeanie had other children, siblings for Grace:
George Frederick, birth registration 1878/5690
Frances, birth registration 1880/7419

UPDATE 30 March 2013:
Being a lovely day yesterday, I decided to do some cemetery photography at Purewa and came across quite by chance Grace's parents grave!
 
 
 
* Assistant at St Paul's pro-Cathedral 1893-1895 [4]



References:
[1] NZ Department Internal affairs - Births, deaths and marriages index search website
https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Home/
registration 1876/10838



[2] NZ Department Internal affairs - Births, deaths and marriages index search website
registration number 1913/592


[3] NZ Department Internal affairs - Births, deaths and marriages index search websitehttps://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Home/
registration number 1947/30567

Comments

  1. hi,
    I am almost certain this is one of my ancestors. Daughter of Alfred Clulee.
    I will look at the family tree and get back to you, try and give you more information about her. The family would love to have this Holy Communion book, and a small record of Grace's life.
    regards,
    Evan Clulee
    Auckland

    evanclulee@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's fantastic Evan! I have emailed you.

    Cheers
    Sarndra

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very interesting! I'm a researcher and have been working on the Clulee family for a client. She is a descendant of the branch that ended up in South Africa. Alfred Clulee, George Frederick Clulee, and Rev. Charles Clulee were brothers from Birmingham, England. Alfred and George went to NZ and Charles went to South Africa. Ultimately George left NZ and ended up in Durban, SA. My client is the granddaughter of Rev. Charles Clulee, a slightly more distant connection to Grace.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for that Kathy :-) it may well help someone else.

    I haven't heard back from the previous commentor, so i still have the little book here!

    Cheers
    Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  5. hi again. I can't locate my copy of the Clulee family tree. Trying to contact our relative who wrote the family tree. Will let you know when i have done this.
    Do you still have the book?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was just thinking about you a few days back :-)
    Yes i still have it...no problems there :-)

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Sandy. Long time between posts.
    Thanks for your posts on Flickr. Through those it sparked research on my Gt Gt grandfather Alfred Clulee 1838-1930. I was also able to visit his graveside last year. Passed on yr info to the "Clulees around the world " page on Facebook. A lot of grateful relatives...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Evan! Thanks for your message. Glad the images brought joy to people and was the impetus for you to continue with your research. It is super rewarding isn't it. Sorry about the delay in releasing the comment! I've just found a link on my profile to a whole bunch of them and the blog did not alert me to any new messages earlier!

      Delete
    2. I have the book here in a box somewhere. Email me a physical address i can send it too and i'll hunt it out. myname@gmail.com - don't forget to spell my name right! Cheers

      Delete
  8. Also wondering if you could please send me the link to the photo of Alfred Clulee on Flickr. I've tried to find this online without success. Evan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Evan. I just got it offline not sure where now. A reverse image search on google images may bring it up. Cheers

      Delete
    2. oops I got it ONLINE of course 😆

      Delete
  9. Lastly. You don't still have Grace Clulees Holy Communion book do you? This Grace Clulee is either a daughter or grand daughter of Alfred Clulee 1838-1930. Evan

    ReplyDelete
  10. My name is Diana Carter and I live in Vancouver, Canada. I believe I am a descendant of George Frederick Clulee. Strangely the family have recently been trying to find more information about him. He was married to my great grandmother, Dora Cargill, a granddaughter of Dunedin's Captain Cargill. The couple had 5 daughters and one son, and I am a descendant of Mary Clulee who was the second or third daughter. It was very interesting to find this information about the family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Diana! That's a very interesting sounding family for you to research. Sorry about the delay in releasing the comment! I've just found a link on my profile to a whole bunch of them and the blog did not alert me to any new messages earlier!

      Delete
  11. Hello, I am a granddaughter of Alfred broomfield clulee who was born in Dunedin on 13th of December 1900, his parents were George Frederick clulee and Edith broomfield clulee nee Powell so I assume that grace clulee was his aunt his parents divorced and his mother remarried Archibald Bisset-Smith. My grandfather was sailing with his step father on the ss otaki when it was attacked on 10.3.1917 Archibald was awarded a posthumous VC and my grandfather was taken prisoner. My grandfather settled in England and had 8 children he died in November 1970 my email is alisonmartinsmith@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Alison. That's an interesting family history! Thank you for adding. It may help someone else. Sorry about the delay in releasing the comment! I've just found a link on my profile to a whole bunch of them and the blog did not alert me to any new messages earlier!

      Delete
  12. hi there. Keen to reconnect. And wondering what happened to Grace Clulee communion book. I've been doing more Clulee family research in recent years, and sending this info on to the Clulee family

    ReplyDelete
  13. hey just seen this site , can help with info . The situation is that Miss Grace Clulee was appointed to Karangahake School as an assistant teacher in 1909 until she married the twice widowed headmaster of that school Mr. Augustus Nixon Scott . Mr. Scott's first wife was Amy Edwards married in 1893 died in Nov 1900 aged 27 then in 1903 married Amy's older sister Mary who died in May 1910 aged 38 . Mr Scott was the headmaster of Karangahake school from Oct 1896 until April 1913 then becoming headmaster of Grafton school in Auckland until he retired in 1924 . Mr Scott died in June 1946 aged 80 , he and his first two wives are buried at Ohaupo Catholic cemetery between Hamilton & Te Awamutu . Mrs Grace Scott ( nee Clulee ) died in Nov 1947 aged 73 & is buried at Waikumete ( west Auckland )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very interesting! Thank you. Didn't have much luck with wives did he! Quite possibly help those researching her tree - bits and bobs they may not know.
      Have a wonderful festive season

      Sandy

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prohibitionist and Suffragist

Rosannah LODGE, early Christchurch feminist

The Kennedy ancestral hunt

Making connections - the s.s. Tainui Disaster