QUAID family:
Thomas Quaid was born about 1831, the son of Patrick Quaid and Ellen Dochsney? He emigrated from County Kilkenny, Ireland, but we do not know his sailing ship or date of arrival in New Zealand. Thomas settled in Canterbury  and on 1st June 1861 at Kaiapoi married Mary Fergusson to whom he had two children James and Jessie.  He sent for his family in Ireland to follow him and his sister Mary and brother Kyran sailed from London on the  "Amoor" on 08/04/1864, arriving in New Zealand on 01/07/1864. Mary was listed as a 24 year old farm servant, making her birth date 1840, and Kyran as a 15 year old labourer, born about 1849. When Mary and Kyran arrived at Timaru by boat they were told that Thomas had died at Orari on 25 January 1864.  They travelled by bulloch wagon to the Fergusson's at Temuka where they stayed their first night, then travelled the next day to Fairfield where they stayed with their sister in law Mary Fergusson Quaid for a few days before going to work at the "Four Peaks Station", Mary as a nursemaid and Kyran as a cowboy gardener. (For further information on Mary Fergusson & family refer to the ship Cresswell sailing of May 27th 1859. For more on the Hopkinson connection refer to the ship Zealandia sailing of 15th June 1858). Mary Quaid married William Chambers on 11 January 1865 to whom she had a son Thomas Chambers. Mary then married Edward Batholomew O'Flanaghan on 22 April 1869 and had four daughters, Ellen Mary, Caroline, Mary & Catherine. Mary was left a widow in 1875 and with a true pioneer spirit set to work with the help of her son Thomas Chambers to work the farm. Everyone who knew said she was a wonderful woman, could build a stack, use a scythe or dig a garden as good as any man. On 26 November 1879 she married a third time to William Ennis.  Mary Quaid/Chambers/O'Flanaghan/Ennis died 2 September 1924 at Pleasant Valley. Kyran Quaid married a Catherine Marie Giles, nee Grace, and had 12 children. He died 28 August 1925 and was buried with his wife at Geraldine. If you have a connection to this Quaid family line or would like to know more please contact Richard Hopkinson.