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The men of the Waikato militia's 4th regiment

Vowless, Grove - Reg. No. 390 - Company 4

Grove Vowless was born 11 August 1827 and was actually 36 when enlisting not 33 as shown in the roll transcript. He was also married not single - married to Teresa/Theresa O'Neill in Australia, April 1858. Theresa was born in Ireland, December 1840.

Grove, described as fond of a joke, was reported to be the second man of the 4th Waikato Regiment to put ashore at Hamilton, preceded by Ensign John Crawford. When the first of the women and children arrived it is recorded that Teresa Vowless (his wife) was the first to land from that party.

His one acre town grant was in Albert Street, Hamilton East and he worked at Gibbons Sawmill in Hamilton and Ngaruawahia after his release from the militia.

Robbery:

In March 1867 he reported that Patrick Shine had told him that his brother, Jerry Shine, said he had seen Sandy Campbell and another unknown man in the stockade at Mt Eden. The pair had a plan to rob the BNZ in Ngaruawahia. Their plan was to print a card saying "No business would be transacted in the Bank until 12 the following day" which would be used to stop people entering the bank at the time of the planned robbery. One of the pair would walk in and present a cheque to the cashier/teller and while he was looking at the cheque a revolver would be produced.

Grove died of appendicitis 31 August 1876, 12 years after he stepped ashore at Hamilton. He left his wife, Theresa, and 8 children, the youngest just 6 months old. Theresa Vowless died in Onehunga 46 years later, in 1922.

In 1889 Theresa was one of the fifty settlers who planted a tree in Sydney Square, Hamilton East, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the militia's landing at Hamilton.

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Children of Grove Vowless and Teresa O'Neill

Additional information about Grove Vowless, his family and descendants can be found on the website of Bill Manktelow.

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