Emma Louisa Bartlett

Emma was the third daughter in her family. Both of her parents were born in New Zealand, but her grandparents had all emigrated with their young families on the same ship and settled in Nelson, New Zealand. Emma was born in the Waitohi Valley, near Picton. In about 1883 her parents moved north from Marlborough to Horowhenua. Her father was a carpenter, and it was likely through his network that she met her husband, William Cooper.

In 1926 Emma was fifty-one years old and had been married for thirty-two years. Together they had had nine children, although two sons had died, one possibly during the Spanish Flu pandemic and the other from complications with appendicitis.  Three of her daughters and her surviving son were married and there were already seven grandchildren.

Emma’s brother William died in 1926 leaving his five children orphaned as their mother had died in the Spanish Flu pandemic eight years earlier. I imagine there will have been much sadness surrounding this and discussion as to where the children would go and who would raise them.

The family home in 1926 was in Firth Street, Hamilton East.