Dron & BayReunion · 9–10 January 2027

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paton

Major Robert Mercer Paton

Retired Bengal army (Horse Artillery per 1901 obituary; Cavalry per S10). Arrived Nelson 3 May 1862 on the Lord Worsley; bought Beacon Hill 25 Aug 1862. Plymouth Brethren preacher.

Born
1824-09-12, Agra, India
Died
1901-10-28, Hope, Nelson
Buried
Richmond Cemetery, Tasman (30 Oct 1901)
Father
Mother
Married
Children

Places and things

Bengal Horse Artillery, 1860, Major Paton's old corpsUnknown authorUnknown author, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Agra Fort. Major Paton was born at Agra in 1824A.Savin, FAL, Wikimedia Commons
Plans for the additions to Beacon Hill, drawn at Nelson in February 1863: section and principal elevation, 'shewing additions without verandah'Beacon Hill Estate
The house at Beacon Hill in an early photographBeacon Hill Estate
A family group at Beacon Hill, probably the Patons in the late 1800s. Can you name them?Beacon Hill Estate
Western Coast of Tasman Bay, by John Gully, a Nelson painter of the 1860s (Suter Art Gallery)John Gully, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
A young officer with two campaign medals and his greyhounds, about 1850. Possibly one of the Paton brothers, Robert or Charles; the red coat suggests an infantry regiment rather than the Major's Horse ArtilleryFamily collection, Beacon Hill

Events

  • 1847-09-07 Married.
  • 1862-05-03 Arrived at Nelson on the steamer Lord Worsley from Sydney, having come from India, with seven children. The passenger list names six; the youngest, Christina (b. 1861), was presumably too young to be listed.
  • 1862-08-25 Bought Beacon Hill: 653 acres for £3,000 from Edward Webby. See data/beacon-hill-land.csv.
  • 1864-11 Sued by builder John Sigismund Martin Jacobsen for £174 8s over the 1863 house extension; the Major said the work was late (98 days) and defective.
  • 1901-10-28 Died aged 77. 'Late of the Bengal Horse Artillery' (NZ Herald); a Plymouth Brother who preached for many churches (Nelson Evening Mail).
  • 1901 His will left Beacon Hill's income first to his wife Maria and her sister Emma Young, then to unmarried children; afterwards the estate was to be sold and shared among all his children.

Sources

  • S01 Pedigree of the Family of Howard Stafford of Mayne, County of Louth, Ireland
  • S02 Howard-Stafford 2 Parchment (typed transcription + 5 scans)
  • S09 FamilySearch Family Tree (public pages)
  • S10 Beacon Hill Estate: Our Story
  • S04 Beacon Hill
  • S23 New Zealand Herald, 11 Nov 1901: Nelson Jottings
  • S24 Nelson Evening Mail, 30 Oct 1901, p2
  • S35 Find a Grave: Maj Robert Mercer Paton (119403115) and Maria Young Paton (119403148)