Biography
Albert Edwin Exley (1852-1918) of Croft House. Emigrated to New Zealand in 1875. Married Esther Lomax of Steeton, at Wanganui, NZ. He is the “Mr. Exley” referred to in Rev Morris’s letter who married Esther Lomax (b.1856) in 1873.
His 1875 emigration coincided with the peak of Julius Vogel’s assisted immigration scheme, when the New Zealand government waived the passage fare entirely for approved migrants. Between 1871 and 1885, some 289,026 people arrived in New Zealand, almost half with government assistance. The 1870s also saw the end of the golden age of British agriculture, with cheap foreign wheat depressing prices and demand for labour. Wanganui’s non-Maori population was just 2,572 in 1874; settlers faced forest clearance before they could farm. See Emigration from Yorkshire.
Evidence
- “Albert Edwin of Croft House, 1852-1918, emigrated to NZ 1875, m. Esther Lomax of Steeton, Wanganui NZ” (Meryll’s Hand-Drawn Family Tree)
- Rev Morris: daughter Esther (b.1856) “in 1873 married a Mr. Exley and had two sons” (Rev Morris Letter Nov 1984)
Open Questions
- Meryll’s tree gives his dates as 1852-1918 and emigration as 1875. Rev Morris says Esther Lomax (b.1856) married “a Mr. Exley” in 1873. The marriage date of 1873 vs emigration of 1875 suggests he may have married in NZ after arriving, or the dates need reconciliation.