Thomas John Teschemaker

Thomas John Cornelius Teschemaker and his brother Frederick Teschemaker (q.v.) were the sons of Thomas Teschemaker (q.v.). He was born in Tiverton, Devon, but spent some of his childhood at Exmouth, Devon. In 1855, following the death of his father Thomas, Tom and his brother Fred emigrated to New Zealand, along with their mother Harriet. They took over a 20,000-acre sheep run inland from Timaru near Lake Benmore, which they named Haldon, after the Haldon Hills in Devon. Eventually they built up the run to 57,000 acres, before selling it and in May 1868 buying another run, with 40,000 acres and 21,000 sheep, at Otaio Station, south of Timaru. With Fred’s death in 1878, Tom became the sole owner. He did not marry until he was in his 50s. His wife was Rosemary Mary Rolleston, daughter of William Rolleston who was the fourth and last Superintendent (i.e. elected head) of Canterbury Provincial Council. They had three daughters. On their deaths, Fred and Tom and their mother Harriet were all buried at Timaru Cemetery.

We are grateful to Peter Wingfield-Digby for compiling this entry.

Information on the lives of several Teschemakers and Thierens in New Zealand can be found in the handwritten notes available in the Macdonald Collection at the Canterbury Museum: https://collection.canterburymuseum.com/objects?query=teschemaker&limit=25 [accessed 27/11/2019]. For Thomas John see https://collection.canterburymuseum.com/objects/717930.

For an account of the landowning interests of Frederick and Thomas John in New Zealand see L.G.D. Acland, The early Canterbury runs, containing the first, second and third (new) series (Christchurch, New Zealand, Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd) [accessed via http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/AclEarl-fig-AclEarlTit.html 09/03/2011].