A committee representing several branches of the Marx family in New Zealand has been set up to organise a Family reunion to be hold during Labour Weekend, 1998. The main venue is the Mangatoki Hall, and the reunion will commence on the Friday evening with the main events on Saturday and Sunday (leaving Monday free).
We hope you will be able to participate in this first Marx gathering for many decades.
This website contains some background, a programme outline, contact information, a registration form, accomodation information, and a list of ways in which you might be able to assist. The website was last updated on June 12th, 1998.
John Peter MARX was married to Katherine MULLER (also known as Velte, Cartwright, and Miller). They left Saxony in 1853 with children Peter (16), John Peter (10), Jacob (3), and Christina (1). They settled in Tasmania, and remained there for several decades. Jacob married Eliza POXON and Christina married James PHILLIPS.
After the death of Katherine, the entire family moved to New Zealand. After a brief sojourn in Auckland, they settled in Eltham. John Peter died in 1898 and was the first European buried in the newly created Eltham cemetary. From Eltham, the family has spread out - Jacob and Eliza had 11 children , and Christina and James had 7 children. The organisers know nothing of the fate of the other children (Peter and John Phillip) - do you know anything about these two?
Left: John Peter & Katherine . |
Left: Christina, Jacob, & ?? (photos courtesy J.Wharehoka) |
For the reunion it is planned to group the family into branches descending from each of the grandchildren of John Peter Marx - that is, the issue of Jacob & Eliza and Christina & James.
Jacob & Eliza MARX | Christina & James PHILLIPS | |||
John Peter | = Marian May SULZEBERGER | . | Matthew Thomas | =Emmiline ROGERS |
William Joseph | = Florence Gertrude BAXTER | . | Jane Foster (Jeanie) | |
Jacob Albert | = Alice Clara CLEAVER | . | James (Jim) | = Min |
George Cecil | = Annie JOHNSTON | . | Edith Jessie (Edie) | = Owen WEBBY |
Eric Harold | . | Margaret Christina | = Frank Earnest BOCOCK | |
Katherine Elisa | = Jack CLEAVER | . | Alice | = Jack GARNER |
Alice Elizabeth | = Ern SULZEBERGER | . | John Frederick (Jack) | = Olive HAWKE |
Oscar Howard | = Mabel CLEAVER | |||
Karl | = Edith FREE | |||
Oswald Vernon | = Amy MAGEE | |||
Allan Oliver | = Amy BUNN |
The principal venue will be the Mangatoki Hall. Other places are noted below
Friday 22nd | 7pm | Registration / Historical Displays |
Drinks & Nibbles - mix & mingle | ||
8pm | Welcome / Informal Opening / Announcements | |
Drinks & Nibbles - mix & mingle | ||
Drinks & Nibbles - mix & mingle | ||
10pm | Close | |
. | ||
Saturday 23rd | 10-11am | Registration / Historical Displays |
Noon | Welcome Address and Family History | |
1pm | Buffet Lunch | |
Displays of Photos, Family trees, & memorabilia | ||
3.30pm | Photo Sessions and Afternoon Tea | |
(thru to 4.30pm) | ||
6.30pm | Pre-dinner Cocktails | |
8pm-1am | Dinner | |
. | ||
Sunday 24th | 10.30am | Bus Tour from Hawera |
- Eltham Cemetary (grave of J.P. Marx) | ||
- Stratford Pioneer Village (Mangatoki Church) | ||
1.30pm | Lunch at the Mangatoki Hall | |
2.30pm | Tour Recommences | |
3.30pm | Return to Hawera |
If you are interested in attending (and we hope you are), a registration form is available for printing here. Information on accomodation can be found here
The organising committee would appreciate some assistance - there are a number of ways in which you could help make this reunion a success:
Contact People: Some branches already have their contact person, but we still need a contact for unrepresented groups - what we need is someone to seek out 'missing links' in their family branch, and to raise awareness and interest in this reunion.
Family Tree/ History: We want each branch to assemble as much family history as possible so that a publication can be available prior to the Reunion. Quite an extensive family tree is already in existence within several branches of the family, and this will be an opportunity to fill in many of the gaps.
Lilydale, Tasmania. (courtesy J.Wharehoka)
Memorabilia: Photographs and written records, letters and documents (newspaper clippings, birth/ death/ marriage certificates, land titles, . . . ) are especially needed. Photographes, sketches, and paintings are in short supply. The only known picture of John Peter is shown above. If you have any photographs and records that could be loaned to the committee for inclusion in the Reunion booklet and/or display boards these will be handled with the greatest of care and returned. (If originals cannot be loaned, then copies would be appreciated).
There have been several major fires in the history of the family, resulting in the loss of records. Other items have gone astray. Do you know the whereabouts of the Family Bible - this long lost and valuable item is said to have come with the family from Saxony (we have eyewitness descriptions, and have been told it contains an extensive write up of the family tree). We are looking for the medals of Eric Harold MARX, killed in action during the 1914-18 war.
Information: Details on the family history prior to arriving in Tasmania are almost non-existant. If you have any material clues or anecdotal family history, we would be delighted to hear about it. There is a lack of oral history and many written records have been lost
When the family arrived in Tasmania, Katherine was 42 years old, and John Peter was 31. There was a 16 year old youth by the name of Peter MARX and 10 year old John Phillip MARX who travelled with John and Katherine as their sons. Nothing is known of these two. There is some mystery about Katherine's details. As there is an eleven year difference between her and John Peter, and she was known by several surnames, she may have had a previous marriage (being widowed or divorced). The two older boys may have been from a previous relationship, and could have been adopted by JP or assumed his name for immigration purposes. Any further information on this would be of great assistance
If you can assist in any of these ways, or have other services to offer which you think would be of use, the committee would be greatly appreciative!
The Reunion convener is Barry Marx who may be reached at
Box 209, Otorohanga.
ph (07) 873 8139 work / ph (07) 873 7190 home / fax (07) 873 7744
email: [email protected]
The committee is: | ||
Ray Marx | R.D.5, Te Awamutu | (07) 871 2741 |
Cliff Marx | R.D.21, Stratford | (06) 764 6666 |
J. Brad Sulzeberger | R.D.44 Urenui | (06) 752 3751 |
Roland Cleaver | 143 Cameron Rd, Te Puke | (07) 573 4130 |
Dale Thacker | 5 Clifden Tce, Te Puke | (07) 573 5700 |
Lynn Ross | 49 York St, Hamilton | (07) 856 7295 |
For any technical matters regarding this website, please contact Phillip Treweek at [email protected] nz