Mrs N. Waldie

Surname:

Waldie

Given names:

Mrs N.

Given address:

Owake

Sheet No: 136

Town/Suburb:

Owaka

City/Region:

Otago

Notes:

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Naomi Gilbert was born in 1847 in Penzance, Cornwall, England – the daughter of Hannibal Lyne Gilbert, an agricultural labourer and missionary, and Elizabeth Congdon.

She came to New Zealand with her family in 1860 on the Evening Star and after a short time at Gabriels Gully they settled in Milton where Hannibal was a home missionary.

Naomi was a member of 'The Star of Milton' Good Templar Lodge and was elected as an officer in 1875.

She married James William Waldie, a blacksmith, on 25 September 1876 at St Johns’ Church, Milton and they had 10 children.

The family lived in Dunedin and Port Chalmers before moving to Owaka where Naomi signed the suffrage petition.

In 1898 James went to the Klondike to seek his fortune, Naomi had 'letters from her husband, in which he speaks in glowing terms of his prospects'.

She later moved to Dunedin with the children and James appears to have returned to New Zealand.

In 1901 James was living in Kaitangata when Naomi obtained a maintenance order of 5s per week against him. 'After he had paid for two weeks he vanished, and she had not heard of him since'.

In 1903 Naomi’s two youngest daughters were admitted to the Industrial School as she 'was not now in a position to maintain the children herself'.

She filed for divorce in 1901, the divorce was granted and Naomi was given custody of the infant children.

Naomi died at Ross Home, Dunedin on 17 May 1941, she was cremated and her ashes scattered.