June's Journal. A Trip Back in Time

At the moment I am concentrating on the family history of my father Edward Curtis Turner who was born in Spain where his father Charles Edward Turner held the position of Mine Manager in the Silver mines at Valverdi de Camino, near Huelva. His father before him came to New Zealand in 1865 from London where he met and married his wife Frances Amelia Harvey,in Auckland before heading for the Marlborough district in search of GOLD. With his brother George, he purchased a large finger of land called The Ravenscliff Run just out of Picton and then founded firstly the TURNER MINING COMPANY then when that failed he launched several other Gold companies including RAVENSCLIFF from which he offered shares to the public in the hopes of making them rich. The story of these companies and a brief history of my Great grandfather can be found in a book by MIKE JOHNSON called "Gold in a Tin Dish" about the history of Gold in the Marlborough Sounds.

My Grandfather who was born at Ravenscliff along with his five brothers and sisters, met and married Archdeacon Alfred Cecil Wright's daughter Florence Henrietta, a nurse at Nelson Hospital. He had been sent from England to investigate the possible discovery of GOLD in Nelson but, discovered my Grandmother instead. He took her to Spain where my father and his sister Elsa Margaret were born. He returned to New Zealand in 1913 where he purchased a farm at Canvastown back on his family patch. Sadly he hanged himself a few months later and nobody, not even the Coroner, can understand why!! I am finding the Turner history fascinating but have a lot of gaps to fill.
My maternal Grandmother, Florence Henrietta, has been quite enthusiastically researched by members of the WRIGHT and CURTIS families but they too, have a very interesting history, the Curtis family having descended from the owner of a large paper mill called SARRATT HOUSE and MILL in Hertfordshire which, on its demise as a paper mill due to economic reasons, was purchased by the Duke of Bedford. I believe it is now a Public House but need someone in Hertfordshire to confirm this.

I would be grateful for any information on either the TURNER family or the WRIGHT/CURTIS Connection. I am willing to share any information I have with other family members.