Margaret Henderson Smith

     Some sources believe Margaret Henderson Smith was born cir. 1882 presumed to be in ?OTG, NZ, Her mother's dth cert implies the two youngest girls were born 1877/9 and 1883/85 but we weren't sure if Margaret was the youngest or not. She is shown in the dth index as dying aged 80 in 1962.⁵
     Margaret Henderson Smith was actually born on 22 Oct 1883 in Oamaru, OTG, NZ, Her grandmother's birthday book has an entry for 15th Dec for a Margaret Smith, but this conflicts with the 22 Oct date from the school records so the entry may or may not be this Margaret. Age given as 43 in Int. to marry, which agrees with an 1883/4 date, and is confirmed by a birth index entry for Margaret Henderson Smith, folio #4136, reg. 1883 Oamaru qtr 4.^5,6,7,8
     Margaret Henderson Smith married Douglas Barrington Kent, son of Douglas Vaux Kent and Frances Charlotte Main, on 26 Jan 1927 in the Register's Office, Napier, HBY, NZ, Int. to marry entry reads: Douglas Barrington Kent, 51, barrister & solicitor, widower (11 Mar 1925) of Waipukurau for 13 yrs, married Margaret Henderson Smith, 43, nurse, of Napier for 4 wks and of Oamaru for 40 yrs, spinster, at the Registers Office Napier. Appears in the mar. index as folio #1836: Margaret Henderson Smith to Douglas Barrington Kent.^6,9,3
     Margaret Henderson Kent died on 13 May 1962 in Invercargill, SLD, NZ, at age 78; indexed as folio #1076 Margaret Henderson Kent, 80, reg. Dunedin "4". Place from affidavit by Lindsay Gerald Moffatt which stated that Margaret Henderson Kent died at Invercargill. There was no dth notice in NZ Herald index, nor in Auck Star July thru Nov incl, nor ODT (Invercargill paper not available at National Archives, Jul 2003).^5,10,11 A funeral service was held for Margaret Henderson Kent cir. May 1962 in Dunedin, OTG, NZ, very few people there, just the Edgar family.¹² Her estate was probated on 26 Nov 1962 at Auckland, AKD, NZ; indexed as KENT: Margaret Henderson, widow of Auckland. Notice of motion for probate applied for 26th Nov 1962... the effects were under the value of £1000."^13,14
     This lady has proved a most elusive relative. With a name like Margaret Smith, and very little information to go on, she proved difficult to trace in the records. The knowledge I started with (from Clive) was that "she married an Auckland solicitor, and was believed to be a matron at Seacliff". I made her my "project" for May 2003 and quickly stumbled across a marriage entry for a Margaret Henderson Smith (NZSG index) which sounded a promising lead. It was. We now know that she did indeed marry a solicitor, although he later became a fruiterer and a clerk, not from Auckland but Waipukurau. She did end up living in Auckland however. As to whether or not she was a matron, the jury is still out, the closest I got was her occupation in the Int. to marry, where she described herself as a nurse.^6,3,15
     Margaret Henderson Smith was at Oamaru Sth School, Oamaru, OTG, NZ, in 1895 (assumes that Clive's suggestion that Maggie SMITH b. 22 Oct 1883 admitted to Oamaru Sth School from Kurow in 1895 is this Margaret).¹⁶ She was not registered as an elector in 1914 in Oamaru, OTG, NZ, (the only Margaret Smith, was her mother, as "married, Greta St").¹⁷ As of 16 May 1916, Margaret Henderson Smith was also known as Maggie Smith as she appears under this nickname in her father's dth notice.⁴ She lived fr 1919 - 1922 in Greta St, Oamaru, OTG, NZ, shown in the electoral rolls as: SMITH, Margaret Henderson, spinster.¹⁸ She erected the mem. stone to her parents in Oamaru Cem., Oamaru, OTG, NZ, Clive thinks looks like newer stone on older base and post dates WW2 but has no info on it re the mason.¹⁹ She was not registered as an elector in 1925 in the more likely Otago, Auck or Hawkes Bay rolls as Mgt Henderson Smith (several Margarets).²⁰ She was believed to be a matron at Seacliff Psychiatric Hospital, OTG, NZ, according to family rumour, but this seems unlikely.¹⁵ By Dec 1926 Margaret Henderson Smith was living in Napier, HBY, NZ.⁶ She was described as a nurse on her Intentions to Marry entry in Jan 1927 in Napier, HBY, NZ.⁶ She and Douglas Barrington Kent lived fr 1928 - 1931 in Gaisford Tce, Waipukurau, HBY, NZ, shown in rolls as KENT: Douglas Barrington, solicitor; Margaret Henderson, married.^21,22 In 1935 Margaret and Douglas were living in 161 Trafalgar St, Onehunga, AKD, NZ, showing as KENT: Douglas Barrington, fruiterer; Margaret Henderson, married.²³ Margaret and Douglas Barrington Kent lived fr 1938 - 1951 at 69 New North Rd, Auckland, C3, AKD, NZ, shown in rolls as KENT: Douglas Barrington, clerk; Margaret Henderson, married.^{24,25,26,27,28} Fr 1954 - 1960 Margaret Henderson Kent was living at 69 New North Rd, Eden, AKD, NZ, shown on rolls as Margaret Henderson Kent, widow.²⁹
     Margaret Henderson Kent wrote a will on 25 Jan 1956 at Auckland, AKD, NZ, It was a simple one page document witnessed 25 Jan 1956 by two Auckland solicitors. It appointed the twin sons of her good friend to be executors and Trustees. She bequeathed her "two china dogs and my Reindeer Wedgewood Breakfast Set" to Jean Edgar "wife of my nephew Ralph Edgar of Balfour Southland", and all the rest of her entire estate to the above twins "as tenants in common in equal shares absolutely". (The china dogs are now, 2003, with a son of Jean and Ralph in Manapouri (info from Doug), and the breakfast set with a daughter in Taupo (from the dtr Annette) The will was proved in the Auckland Supreme Court on 28th Nov 1962.^13,30
     Margaret Henderson Kent lived with Claud Ralph Man Somers-Edgar and Jean Logan Edgar fr 1961 - 1962 in Balfour, SLD, NZ; their son Doug remembers his father going from Balfour to Auckland for either a holiday or a Ford dealer's conference in about 1961. Shortly thereafter his mother flew to Auckland and returned with this very frail little sparrow of a lady called "Auntie Margaret". She lived with them until her death in 1962. She had never been on a plane.³¹ Margaret was photographed cir. 1962 in Balfour, SLD, NZ, in front of the circular wrought iron staircase.³² She and Claud Ralph Man Somers-Edgar are related as aunt and nephew (of Margaret's husband Douglas).¹³
     Donald (Blows) told me that he and his twin brother Rex inherited Margaret's estate because their mother Helen was a very good friend of Margaret's. He didn't remember her that well, other than they (his mother and Margaret) went to the pictures together regularly. He thought that she and Douglas had divorced, but this is unlikely to be correct as they appeared together in the electoral rolls up to his death. It is however possible that there is a grain of truth in this as Douglas' first wife appears in records well past his 2nd and 3rd marriages, so it is likely that they divorced, rather than he and Margaret.³³