John Rochfort
| John Rochfort | |
|---|---|
John Rochfort
|
|
| Born | 21 May 1832 London |
| Died |
8 March 1893 (aged 60) Kihikihi |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Occupation | Surveyor and engineer |
| Notable work | Surveyor and engineer on the construction of the North Island Main Trunk Line |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Elizabeth Hackett (m. 1863; d. 1864) Amelia Susan Lewis (m. 1867) |
John Rochfort (21 May 1832 – 8 March 1893) was a New Zealand surveyor and engineer.
John Rochfort was born in London, England, the youngest son of Frank senior, a goldsmith, silversmith and jeweller, and Sarah (née Button). He was one of nine children born between 1818 and 1837. His older brother James, born in 1830, was a qualified architect and surveyor who was employed for seven years at a large practice in London under an architect who was also the district surveyor of St James’s, Westminster. John followed James into the profession, and by the age of nineteen when he first left for New Zealand he was qualified to work as a surveyor and draughtsman.
John and James Rochfort arrived in New Zealand in February 1852 on the Marmora. The Marmora stopped at Lyttelton for ten days and then took them to Wellington. When they disembarked, James realised that he wouldn’t find work as an architect so departed for Sydney. John found work as a surveyor, but the pay was so low that he decided to go to the goldfields in Victoria.
After quitting his job, John walked across the Rimutaka Range to Port Ahuriri (Napier) through the bush just to experience more of the country. He sailed from Ahuriri to Wellington, and departed for Melbourne on the barque Napoleon in July 1852. Before leaving New Zealand, the Napoleon put in at Nelson, which made a good impression on him and no doubt influenced his decision to later emigrate there.
After several months on the Victorian Goldfields, where he met up and spent some time gold mining with his older brother Joseph, John decided to return to New Zealand. However, while in Melbourne he received word (probably that his father was seriously ill), so instead returned to England. Following the death of Frank senior in August 1853, John, his mother Sarah, and siblings Mary Dorothy, Frank junior, James and Augusta emigrated to New Zealand. They arrived in Nelson in December 1854. The family soon established themselves in the province, where Frank had a store on Haven Road in Port Nelson, and Sarah, Frank and James had a sawmill and a farm called Knowle Wood in the Riwaka Valley, on the western side of Tasman Bay. However, by the end of 1858 the farm, sawmill and store had all been taken by creditors to pay off their debts. John was referred to as living at Haven Road and Riwaka, employed as a surveyor, but was not financially invested in the family businesses.
...
Wikipedia