The New Zealand Families

A quick check of the New Zealand White Pages reveals that there are 25 listings for Munford which proportionately is a lot for the size of population. By comparison there are only sixteen Munford families listed in the whole of Australia.

Many of the Munford's in New Zealand are fairly recent arrivals and can trace their lineage back to a Joseph Munford DOB c 1820 from Rougham in Suffolk. His great grandson George William Munford used to run sheep for the King George V at Sandringham but migrated with his family on the SS Athenic in October 1924. George and his wife Gertrude Browett whom he had married in 1919 had nine children in all. On arrival they settled on a farm in Shannon near Palmerston on North Island. To see the family tree as known in PDF format click here.

Joyce Foster nee Munford is the great great granddaughter of James Munford, a basket maker in Plymouth, Devon. James's first wife died and there was a second marriage and some more children. Joyce is descended through the first marriage, via a son born in 1838.

This basket maker had a son also James Munford, by a second marriage, who died at the age of 80 in 1932. He founded a commercial college in London in Kensington, and was its director, being succeeded by one of his sons. By all accounts he seems to have been very successful, with a good West End address.

From the book Ships of Australia & New Zealand Before 1850 by Ronald Parsons we learn that the wooden two masted schooner "MUNFORD" Reg No ON31713 was built in 1835 in South Town Yarmouth. This vessel had had various owners in Australia between 1840-1856 mainly in the Hobart area before she was finally wrecked off Dunedin in South Island New Zealand in 1861. The book on Otago shipwrecks has this passage - "In addition to outright wrecks, some vessels were abandoned due to their unseaworthy condition. The 169-ton brigantine Munford sank in the Upper Harbour in December 1860 after arriving from Hobart on 14 December with two passengers, Messers Manning and Rogers, and was later put up for auction." Rocks, Reefs and Sandbars : A History of Otago Shipwrecks - Bruce E Collins, 1995, Dunedin. According to a local ship historian her register was closed in 1861 so her actual date of sinking was December 1860 (after the 14th) . She was certainly not regarded as a hulk in later years and as she was built in 1835 was probably getting near the condemned stage by 1860. She was probably buried in the harbour reclamation fairly early on. In the local newspaper the Otago Daily Times this piece appeared on the 26 January 1861. 'Messers R B Martin & Co. report a public auction on the 11 instant for the benefit of the underwriters of the wreck of the schooner Munford now sunk in the Upper Harbour. The hull, mats, tackle, and furniture, with a few damaged stores, were placed for the sum of £413'."

Source : Aaron Braden
Archivist
Otago Settlers Museum
PO Box 566 Dunedin

Benajamin Woolfield Mountford (1824-98), the son of Thomas Mountford of Birmingham (UK) was famed as an architect and was one of the first four families to settle in Canterbury on South Island. Amongst the many famous local buildings with which he was involved was the Canterbury Museum.

Source : GR MACDONALD Dictionary
of Canterbury Biographies Canterbury Museum

Current Internet References
 

   Noel Munford runs the Palmerston North Astronomical Society Ph: (06) 358-2774 (W) (06) 358-2747 (Fax). located at 137 Fitzherbert Ave.Palmerston North.

    The Dunmore Press makes reference to the book "Social Work in Action" by Mary Nash and Robyn Munford (Editors) ISBN #0-86469-215-3 A5 446 $59.95 1994 S

    Doug Munford is a highly-experienced SAP solutions architect who works for Supply Chain and teaches at Sapient College in New Zealand.

     Professor Robyn Munford is Head of School of Social Policy and Social Work at Massey University Palmerston North

    Veterinary Nurse Rochelle Munford works for ROB BLOOMFIELD VETERINARY SURGEON in Levin.