John Cooke & Florance Jane Clough nee Reynolds Information

He was christened at St Andrews church Mangonui on the 4th Sept 1893. It has been said that John was born in a tent behind the Mangonui pub, though no proof of this has been found. He would have attended Mangonui Primary from about 1898 till the family moved down to Auckland about 1899, where the family settled in Collage Rd Ponsonby. I think he left school at the age of 13 years. I don�t know what he did in the early years job wise, though I have a photo of him and his father Isaac with a group of men at the timber mill in Newmarket about 1908. The family kept in contact with the far north as I have a photo of him as a groomsman at age 20 in 1913 at the wedding of his first cousin Daisy SMITH and Harold WAGENER. His sister Muriel COON, NIXON nee CLOUGH aged 16 at the time, is also in the wedding photo.

The photo below is of the wedding. From left to right, Fred WAGENER, Muriel CLOUGH, Harold WAGENER groom, Daisy SMITH bride, Gladys WALMSLEY and John CLOUGH.

John married Florence Jane REYNOLDS(Cartlidge) her father had changed his name when he came out to NZ. Born 26 Dec 1897 Greenwich London. She was the 3rd child of William Charles and Mary REYNOLDS(Cartlidge)nee OWEN.

They where married at the Methodist Church in Grey Lynn Auckland on the 24 May 1916, (photo) John was a labourer at the time of marriage. Witnesses to the wedding W.C THOMSON of Henemoa Rd and C REYNOLDS Grey Lynn Occupation Carter.

It appears that they lived with Florence�s parents after they married for a while, though by the time the first child Charles was born in Jan 1917 they had moved to Ariki St, and this is where Charles was born.

The house in Ariki St to the right was demolished in 1978, on the photo sent to Charles from his mother is a x, which was the room where he was born.

John was called up for service for the 1st World War on the 19th May 1918, he was attested and marched into camp on the 12 September 1918, C company 48th Reinforcements. By the time he finished his training the war was over and he demobilised on the 30th Nov 1918. At the time he was mobilised he was a Grocer�s Assistant, and his address was 45 Henemoa St. He was working for the Eaton Brothers, grocer's. Grandad was a bit of a shortie, 5ft 1 3/4 inches and weighed 8 stone 12 pounds, Complexion fair, eyes blue, hair brown, according to his army records. Also they where back living with Florence parents.

About 1919 he was working for E.S. WILES, West End, Baker of Grey Lynn, delivering bread.

The photo to the left is of granddad with his truck.

From about 1920 to 1928 I have not much information on them. Then in 1927/28 they where living on Rangitoto Island, he was a caretaker at the Quarry and I think he use to use the crusher as well. This is where their youngest son William (Bill) CLOUGH was born in 1928. They where living at Abbotsford St Auckland between 1930/38.

Granddad had a band and by 1938 Bill had joined it as the youngest drummer in NZ at the age of 10. Granddad was on the piano, Jack his middle son was on the trumpet, sometimes his daughter Joyce would play as well. There also was another player but I do not no his name. They use to play various halls around Auckland dances on Saturday nights etc. It was one of these dances that Charles CLOUGH met Ethel HOSKINS my parents, also Jack CLOUGH dads brother met Olive HEYES. In the very early days when Joyce was very young they would place her behind the piano where she would sleep till it was time to go home.

The above photo was taken of grandma abt 1916 before she was married.

Our Grandparents brought the St Heliers bay hotel about 1941/42.

The photo to the left is the St Heliers Hotel taken in 1890.

Florence�s mother Mary REYNOLDS gave all her children 200 pounds to buy a house. Florence thought it better to buy a business, she had the business head in the family, both of them where incredible workers. Funnily enough Kaye and I had our first night of our honeymoon at the same hotel in 1967, I didn�t know until I saw granddad and he told me that they use to own it.

They sold and moved to Hunters Corner in Papatoetoe where they brought a dairy, those days you had to make all you own ice blocks.

The Clough Store Hunters Corner Papatoetoe Auckland

While they where in the shop Grandad also helped out on his daughters duck farm in East Tamaki. Joyce married Leslie GUBB, and when Les got called up into the home guard in the second world war. Granddad spent a lot of time there helping Joyce run the farm.
The Grandparents went into partnership with the shop next door, it was called CLOUGH and DELEMERES. They sold haberdasheries, and with the dairy next door it kept them busy. Granddad use to slice the bacon in the bacon machine and if the grandchildren where there he would give the kids a bite. While they lived at the shop Bill the youngest was still at home and when he married he lived over the shop with his wife Annie HEYES. Jack and Bill married Olive and Annie HEYES who where sisters.

The photo to the left taken about 1925/26 is John and Flo with their children, left to right, Charles, John(Jack), Joyce, Bill (William)was not born until 1928

Grandma was good for a real sweet breakfast if you stayed with them, she would give you hot milk, bread and sultanas and sugar. She was also so tidy and everything was neat and in its place, loved to have her photo taken and anyone just had to show a camera and there she was. She also loved to wear scarves and always liked to look nice, loved her garden and there was never a weed in the whole place. Grandma organised the garden while grandad was building the house.

There was a brass plate at the back door which she use to polish every day, you could eat your lunch off it. While they where building the house Grandma had taken her engagement ring off to do something, and she had put it on the inside framing, by the time she had finished what she was doing granddad had closed the wall in, she was left without her engagement ring, it would be still there today. Was always chirpy, boy though she was sure a sloppy kisser, you got a kiss from Grandma you had a real wet cheek. She could be fussy though, I remember Aunty Joyce and Mum where having a smoke and Grandma was hovering around them with a dust pan just in case they dropped ash on the carpet. Grandma was in her element when the place was full of family, she use to love having family around her

The above photo is of granddad at home on the piano, playing writing and just enjoying his music. The bloke on the left is his oldest grandson Les GUBB.

Granddad just loved music and any excuse he would be on the piano, he would entertain for anyone at any time. He taught the piano and wrote his own music, he was like this all his life. Even their dog Monty if he could get into the house, sit under the piano and would howl when grandad played. Unfortually it didn�t come down our line but most of the cousins are musical. What with Granddad on the piano, Grandma on the harmonica, Bill drums and Piano, Jack trumpet and piano, Charles played the trombone, Joyce piano. It goes on all through the next generation except my family. Though now my granddaughter Sofia loves to sing. Any excuse for a singalong out would come the music. Granddad even made me sing Davey Crocket king of the wild frontier

The photo to the left is Mareati, this would have been taken in the 50's when the road was shingle and only a few houses that can be seen. The Grandparents house is on the left hand side looking towards the beach about 3rd on left.

The Grandparents retired quite early, they had brought a section at Maraetai Beach, and this is where they built their house. It was a big section about a third of an acre. Granddad built it himself, and while they where building it they lived in a bus caravan which they owned. They also built a shed down the back of the section which was used as a kitchen and slept in the bus. He was a pretty versatile man. One of the things he loved to make was weather vanes, though he was also into boat building and anything with a hammer and nails.Fishing was another love, bowls, and both of them where the foundation members of the Maraetai Bowls Club. He also taught the piano, like his dram of whisky.

The BUS, Charles is in this photo. The grandparents lived in this while they built their house. I think it was an 1949 Bedford 0.

The car to the right is the type of car that the grandparents owned

He brought a green Vanguard about a 1949, I think it was quite new when he brought it, the big bench front seat and right hand column gear lever. Monty always travelled in the boot. I can still smell that car even now . They always had a travel rug on the front seat. They had the car for years. Grandma never drove at all, I think she tried but never completed her training. Granddad also ran the picture theatre at Maraetai. He was the projectionist and Grandma would take the money. As kids we would put out the seats on a Saturday afternoon and put them away on Sunday after they had a church service. We also would help Granddad paste up the film advertising. He made us a sledge so we could sledge down the back of his place towards the beach.

Omana beach as it is today, the trees are still there.

He hung a big rope on the Pohutukawa trees at Omana beach so we could swing out on full tide into the water. We would take their dog Monty with us where ever we went. A good stand of Manuka across the road from their place into the gully, we would spend hours down in the creek at the bottom with Monty chasing anything that moved, including cars on the way home. He was a real tyre chaser.

Monty look alike, this little bloke was much cleaner than Monty, he use to rub himself under the car and had hardly any fur on his back

The trips down to the Grandparents those days where long and dusty. From Howick it was all shingle and I remember it seem to take for ages to get to Maraetai. Today they commute to Auckland for work.

The Clough reunions where real musical affairs, with most of the relations musical in some way. Grandad�s eldest brother Richard (Harry) CLOUGH would sing �At 17 I would fall in love quite madly�, my dad would sing �Home on the range� they where good nights. The last one Granddad and Grandma attented was on his 80th birthday in 1973.
He was always ready with a joke and Maureen told me when Bev her sister took her boyfriend around to meet them. Grandad was up a ladder painting, he looked down at them and said in a Scottish accent, crossing his legs, And don�t yee be looking at my bonnie wee bagpipes. Bev was so shocked, I don�t know what her boyfriend thought, but that was Grandad, you had to take him the way he was. His jokes where harmless and he could be quite dry as well. When ever you saw Grandad you would see a roll you own stuck behind his ear, his favourite was Pocket Addition. I remember when Uncle Jack, Dad, Granddad went out fishing and us kids had to fill a 4 gallon tin with pipi�s off the beach. When they got back with their catch, the fish was filleted a fire was started, we all had fresh fish and boiled pipi�s, fresh bread for lunch. I can still taste and smell it all now as I write this, it sure was a feast and a half.

The Maraetai Beach and Wharf where we spent hours playing swiming collecting shell fish and jumping/diving off the wharf

Granddad lived his life to the fill to the extent of a heart attack while painting his house at age 80. He always said to me he would like to go with a paint brush or hammer in his hand, that is the way he went. He had a massive heart attack and passed away in Middlemore hospital. It was a big funeral, with all the family coming from all over. I had came up from Christchurch with Kaye and Tania, we where one of many to say our farewells. He was laid to rest at Mangare cemetery in Mangare Auckland. It is funny now thinking back, when I asked him about his middle name Cooke, he said he could have been named after Captain Cook. Unfortunately that was not the case. His middle name and that of his son John (Jack) was from his Great Grandfather wife's maiden name, who was named Anne Clough nee COOKE. She had been married before to a bloke called WARRINGTON, he died quite young and Anne was a widow at 25. She married Isaac CLOUGH in 1837.

The family photo to the left was taken at Bill's 21st in 1949. Left to right rear. Charles John Clough, Joyce Mary Gubb nee Clough, John (Jack)Cooke Clough, William(Bill)Owen Clough. Front, Florence Jane Clough nee Reynolds, John Cooke Clough.

Granddad Clough got me started on this quest of tracing our roots, he wrote to me and gave me the first clue that the family came from Bradford Yorkshire, and the name of the ship that they came out on was the Eagle Speed. I was surprised though that he never mentioned any thing about his fathers sisters, or a uncle that died in Auckland at the age of 8 in 1881. He never mention about his Grandfather John Cooke CLOUGH who he was named after or the similarity�s that his Grandfather married a SMITH as his father Isaac married a SMITH.

The above photo's are of Granddad Clough's grandparents John Cooke Clough born 1838 Bradford Yorkshire and Elinor Clough born 1839 Shrewsbury Shropshire

I think of my grandparents differently to a lot of the other family as our family was not as close to them, though I always enjoyed the excitement of going down to see them at the beach, they always made me welcome and would make my stay there memorable. There was never any photo�s of our family down there and as a kid I always wonder why. I won a competition in the early 1960's, and had to fly with mum to Wellington. Granddad and Grandma came to the airport to see us off, and Granddad gave me 5 pounds. He said it was the first time anyone in the family had won anything. I always remember him shaking my hand and hugging me around the shoulders, I was very proud to be with him that day.

Grandma out live Granddad by 9 years and passed away in 1982. She had sold the house at Maraetai and went to live with her sister Ella WILKINSON in Ladies Mile Ellerslie Auckland.

The photo to the right is Ella Wilkinson nee Reynolds grandma's sister. The photo would have been taken in the late 1930's

We miss the grandparents for who they where and what they had done. There lives where shaped through the depression, and two world wars. They loved their family and in the end I�m pleased that dad and his parents got back together and iron out their difficulty�s. Grandma was buried with Granddad in Mangare. Together again.

John and Florence head stone at the Mangare Lawn Cemetery. Notice Johns middle name COOK without the E, apparently the spelling has been forgotten with time.

I would like to thank, Beverly, Maureen, Pam, Cherrill. with their contributions on our grandparents. Their love and feeling for them was evident with their writing