TE Crosse Biography

Thomas Ezekiel Crosse 1855-1952.

Left: Tom in London 1884, observing the English end of the fledgling frozen meat trade.

Right: Tom in 1948 at a luncheon for former chairmen of the Hawkes Bay County Council.

Woodland, St. George’s Rd. Hastings, modelled on the home of the Barker family Dumfries Scotland.  Tom married Susan Barker who died 1887 when Amy was born, then “Dollie”.  They moved to Hasting and built this house early 1890s.

Woodland was badly damaged by the 1931 earthquake and the top floor was removed. Tom sold it late 1930s and moved with Dollie to NAPIER.  The house was moved to Bay View a few years ago.

David Anne Thompson Crosse, née Barker. (Dollie) with Tom’s children, about 1902.

Rear Amy Susie (Barnicoat) daughter of Susan née Barker, Jessie (Abraham), Dollie, Hugh Edward, Louie Audrey (Hewat) front Thomas Grant.

Mary Margaret (Dewar) not born till 1904

Hugh Edward Crosse, M.C.   O.B.E.   1956

In 1923 Hugh took over 1,000 acres of hill country sparsely covered with native grass and made of it a beautiful fertile farm whose stock commanded top prices in the saleyards.  Like Tom, he served on the County Council, and H.B. Rabbit Board which he chaired for years.  A keen golfer all his life, he was N.Z. Amateur Champion in 1920.

He died in Napier in 1962.

Hugh Edward Crosse 1896-1962.

Second son of Tom and Dollie.

Served in France 1915-1918, won M.C., Major.

Married Delmira Bokenham (Mira), English actress 1922.  Took over Patoka station.  H.B. 1923.  Children Catherine, 1923, Susan Jane 1925. Thomas Hugh 1928.

Hugh served with 2NZEF 1940-44 in Egypt and Italy.

Patoka Homestead, 1951

Patoka Station Homestead was originally a one roomed whare for musterers and ploughmen built onto in several stages.  It must have reached this form soon after 1902, when Tom bought it and put in a manager with a large family.  It survived the earthquakes in 1931 with loss of chimneys and bottled fruit and was altered further after wool boomed in the 1950s.

Family Reunion, Palmerston North, 1926

T. Grant Crosse, M.C. joined the British Army 1913, fought in France 1915-19, married Isabel “Midge” Harman 1917, retired with rank of Major 1920, then in India in the Army or planting tea.

Visited N.Z. 1926, stayed with Audrey and Ralph Hewat – above – and at Woodland.

Audrey, Mira and Hugh, Richie and Jessie Abraham, Grant, with Janet A. on tricycle, David Hewat, Mary Abraham, Ann Hewat.

Grant and Midge retired to England about 1950

Grandchildren at Woodland, 1932.

Margaret Otto Barker – “Madge” or “At” – Tom   Catherine, Susan and Thomas Crosse.

The road from Patoka was tortuous, rough and dusty and Susan and Thomas always carsick.  We went to town twice a year, and to Woodland at Christmas

Cousins at Woodland 1935

Catherine, Susan, Tom, David Dewar, Margaret Dewar, Thomas Crosse.

Mary Crosse married John Dewar, a Scottish engineer working in India.  They came home on leave.  Other cousins whom we saw occasionally were the Abrahams and Hewats from Palmerston North.

In 1923 Richie Abraham died.  Jessie went into business making beautiful clothes for children.  The Hewats went to Australia.

Three Generations, 1938.

In 1939 Mira went to England. Tom, Dollie and At went to Patoka to care for Hugh.  When Mira returned they moved to Napier.  Woodland had been sold.  War had broken out and Hugh joined up and sailed for Egypt in 1940.

Mira became a matron at Wanganui Collegiate while a manager ran Patoka.

At died in 1942 and Dollie in 1943 and Tom went into Lodgings in Hastings.  I believe he still classed Patoka wool at shearing time.  He died in Hastings Hospital in September 1952.