MOSES BROWN's story
This account has been adapted from "Browns of Kyeburn Peninsula" by Wally Brown - to whom many thanks
A report in the Otago Daily Times in 1939 on Moses' life says:
"The puddler's life was then the hottest in existence, and he remembers his cheek and arm as being almost raw from the burning heat. He still has the scars to recall that job and wonders how the others in the same work stood up to it, for he remembers how their arms and cheeks looked like raw beef"
There was a trade recession in 1879 which led to the closure of the ironworks There can be no surprise that he was looking elsewhere for employment, and since the rich gold finds in Otago were well known, his decision to emigrate with his brother John was not only logical but wise. Life expectancy for a puddler was not great, and unemployment meant starvation: there was no welfare state in those days.
Moses and John paid their fares of £10 each for steerage accommodation in the "Coromandel", a ship going to New Zealand, and took up residence in the steerage section of the ship - in the bow where bunks were provided, segregated from the women who lived aft. On the same vessel was a young woman, Elizabeth Ellen (Ellie) Osborne, who was travelling free with her sister and her brother in law, Mr and Mrs A C Broad, in a cabin. (At this time young women went free at ages between young teenagers and the thirties to provide servants and perhaps wives for the settlers.) Both the Broads and the Osbornes were staunch Methodists and one can imagine that on the 3 month journey Methodist services were held at least weekly. This seems to be the most likely point for Moses and Ellie to meet; certainly it would have been difficult to meet casually or to court from Kyeburn Diggings to Dunedin - it would have taken a couple of days travel in each direction to visit.
Ellie was ill on the voyage, coughing up blood - a common feature of consumption, also known as tuberculosis or in those days,"phthisis". She must have recovered to an extent, but she died of the same disease some twenty one years later with the same diagnosis - not before she had given birth to six children, Moses and she having married on 8 February 1883.
. Moses did not let the grass grow under his feet. As soon as he arrived in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, on 2nd April 1880, he travelled the hundred or more kilometres long road, through the wild and desolate contryside of Otago to the Kye Burn valley, some eight or so kilometres northeast of Naseby and 2000 feet up in the mountains, to reach the goldfields. Fortunately it was autumn and not winter, for the winters in the Otago hills used to be severe, but it is not known whether he walked or had been able to get a horse.
A modern replica of the Cobb coach being driven by its maker in 2008, Peter Robson
Rosedale - Moses and Ellies first house, burnt down about 1916
Moses house in Naseby, taken in 1984
Soon after he started sluicing he was employing men on twelve hour shifts at 1 shilling an hour; and expansion of the business meant that he and John were also dredging the Kye Burn.On 25 November 1897 the Otag Witness reported that Moses was elected a director of the Kyeburn Gold Dredging Co. This type of work continued for some time until the escalating costs caused by WW1 made the profits from dredging diminish. During this time it was not uncommon for Moses to bank 50 or 60 ounces of gold at Ranfurly Bank for a few weeks work, and in 1939 he was still working a good claim at Kyeburn Diggings, helped by his son and nephew.
The Cyclopaedia of New Zealand (vol 4, p 601) describes Moses. "He has long been known as a prominent miner and water-race owner in the Kyeburn district, and one of his water-races in which he is concerned is fourteen mile long. Mr Brown has had fair success as a miner and is a director of the Kyeburn Dredging Company. He resides at Kyeburn Diggings and holds an occupation license of 60 acres in addition to an acre of residence area."
The gold finally ran out in 1941, a year after Moses had died. He had a stroke and spent the last days in Maniototo Hospital in Ranfurly. The notice in the deaths column of the local newspaper reads:
"At Maniototo Hospital on August 27th, Moses, beloved husband of the late Elizabeth Ellen Brown,
and father of Osborne, of Naseby, and Arthur and Wilfred of Taranaki, aged 85 years.
The funeral will leave his late residence for the Kyeburn Diggings cemetery on Tuesday, August 29 at 2 p.m.
Ball and Son, Undertakers"
He had an interest in spiritualism, and would go to Dunedin to attend meetings, and this seems a logical extension to his propensity for dreaming. He believed in acting on his dreams, and used to arrange his mining accordingly (and successfully).. On one occasion he dreamt that Ellie, who was heavily pregnant, was about to give birth. He woke his wife who said that she was all right, but he saddled up his horse, rode into Naseby and returned with the doctor, just in time for the baby's delivery! At another time Moses told the children not to go onto a certain bridge because it was dangerous. Inspecting it later the children found part of it washed away.
Spelling tended to be phonetic, with 'e as he and 'ave as have, but Moses was one on his own - he added the letter H where it was not needed - hence a letter from him which says "Hi had hay dream". He believed in corporal punishment, as did most people at the time, and there is a lovely story about Arthur, his son, who had committed some misdemeanour and hid under the bed. Moses flicked his riding crop under the bed a couple of times, said"Come out from there you young cuss", and Ellie, who was worried about Arthur's eye being damaged pleaded with Moses to be careful, when a little voice came "Iss orright, Mum - he can't hurt me. I'se in the close basket"
Knowing that Moses had a Methodist upbringing helps in understanding his love of singing. He had a fine voice, and sang "Soldier Laddie" on stage in Naseby for the send-off and welcome home socials of World War 1. He seems to have encouraged his children musically, for a large proportion of his descendants now play an instrument - violin being the most popular. He was also well known for his fund of stories - the gift of storytelling has been passed down the generations.
And to conclude - here is a photo of Moses taking just under 60 ounces of gold to the bank!