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An interesting and Historic Maori war Officer’s Commission…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Auckland
Date:
9-May-2011
Lot No.
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Description:
An interesting and Historic Maori war Officer’s Commission document to an early Settler of Auckland, the document is named to John Gordon, commissioning him Captain in the Otahuhu rifle Volunteers in May 1871. John Gordon, a direct descendant of the Gordon Highlanders was born in Edinburgh in 1829. In 1840 he came to the Bay of Islands where his father received a Government appointment. He was educated at the Bay of Islands Government school and at the end of 1840 moved to Auckland where his father, in the first Auckland land sale, purchased a large piece of Waterloo Quadrant. Shortly afterwards his father purchased land at West Tamaki, where he started farming, later purchasing a sizeable farm at Otahuhu where he died in 1853. Mr John Gordon then took charge of the farm although he ran a business in Otahuhu. In 1859 he was returned as a member of the first Diocesan Synod of Auckland and represented the district of Papakura for 16 years. In 1860 he joined the troop of Royal cavalry Volunteers under Colonel Nixon, and served with it during the Maori troubles of 1863-64. Mr Gordon remained in the troop until 1871 when he was offered and accepted the command of the Otahuhu rifle Volunteers, a command which he held until 1882, when the Company was disbanded. He was appointed secretary to the New Zealand Agricultural Association in 1865 and held the position for some years. He was also elected to the Auckland provincial Council for Raglan from 1868-1873, Chairman of the Otahuhu Road board 1878, a member of the Otahuhu school and licensing committees until he left the area in 1887 when he removed to Auckland (largely taken from Cyclopaedia of NZ, Auckland pub. 1902).
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified