By Roselyn Fauth

The Jacksons home in Timaru South Canterbury Museum

The Jackson residence, Butler St Timaru.

I went looking for John Jackson. Then Martha appeared... I had been following a history trail that started with pressed metal ceilings, Priest & Holdgate, hardware, timber yards, Stafford Street, and the businesses that helped build early Timaru. John Jackson kept turning up, which made sense after I learned about him. He was the founder of John Jackson & Co., the timber, coal and joinery firm that grew into one of Timaru’s major early businesses. There is a book published about the business and it is a easy way to learn about John, however his wife isn't really included in that story. But if you go looking... you can find Martha.

She died 26 July 1904, aged 72, and was buried in Tiimaru Cemetery, General Section. Row 8. Plot 29.

Martha Jackson was born Martha Warrington, about 1832. The 1916 John Jackson & Co. booklet is still the source that says John arrived “with his wife” in Timaru in 1863. This was at time when ships sat offshore with smaller boats ferrying the passengers and cargo through the surf to shore. Three years later, John bought the coal and timber branch of Munro and Le Cren’s business at Cain’s Terrace, and this was the beginning of John Jackson & Co.

Did John and Martha have children?

So far, I have not found evidence that they did. The 1916 John Jackson & Co. jubilee booklet says John Jackson had “no family of his own”, while also saying several of his relatives entered the firm as juniors and later took on responsible roles. For many families, memory is most often carried forward children and grandchildren. For John and Martha, it seems to have moved another way: through business, employees, church, public service, and one building on Church Street.

What I did find in the hunt for Martha was a Methodist thread starting in Sandytown.

To understand Martha’s legacy, I had to leave the timber yard and follow the church story. The first Wesleyan Methodist services in Timaru were held in a private home in Sandytown in 1863 — the same year John and Martha arrived. A Methodist church site was gifted by the Rhodes brothers, and a timber chapel was built in Bank Street in 1866. It was extended in 1868, then replaced by a new church in 1875. The old chapel was moved to the rear of the site and used as a Sunday School.

So by the time Martha’s name was placed on a Sunday School building, the Methodist community had already been gathering, teaching, fundraising, singing and organising for decades.

The Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School belonged to a working church community.

Three years after Martha died 1904, John Jackson funded the site and gave money for a new Sunday School in Church Street in her memory. The foundation stone was laid on 14 March 1907. The building opened on 5 August 1907. This is where Martha becomes visible. The former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School still stands at 34 Church Street / 37 Theodosia Street, and has moved from a place of worship, to a meeting space for the Harlequins rugby club.

The Sunday School was designed by Timaru architect James S. Turnbull and built by Messrs Baird & Son in 1907 in an Edwardian Baroque style. It is brick and cement plaster, two storeys, with a strong symmetrical front. The central section is crowned by an open-bed pediment. The ground floor windows have Gibbs surrounds and keystones. Twin entries frame the middle bay. The doors sit under broken pediments and circular windows. Above them is a Palladian arch motif. There are dentilled cornices, multi-pane fanlights, and clerestory windows lighting the hall.

Even the old plastered brick and wrought iron fence along Church Street helps set the building up. If this building was made in Martha’s memory, then the architecture is part of the remembering.

James S. Turnbull is one of those names that keeps turning up once you start looking at Timaru buildings. He was Timaru-born, trained in Melbourne, and set up practice here in the 1890s. He designed Chalmers Church, Job Brown’s Beehive Stores in Temuka, many Timaru houses, and later worked in the firm Turnbull & Rule. So Martha’s memorial is not only a Methodist story. It is part of Timaru’s architectural story too.

John, her husband was Mayor of Timaru. Timaru Borough Council mayor from 1882 to 1886, making her mayoress.

Interestingly their grave has a checkerboard pattern, I had been told that this was often a symbol of mason club member. I wonder if he was affiliated.

She died before the disastrous fire in 1908 that left Johns timber yard in ashes. John died a year later in July 1909, aged 72. Some years earlier, he had fallen into the hold of a ship while supervising the discharge of timber. He suffered injuries and shock, and his health never fully recovered. His wife had died five years before him. By then, the business had already been formed into a private limited liability company. Jackson retained control, but younger men in the firm had been given responsibility.

In 1904, John formed the business into a private company. W. G. Irwin became secretary, J. W. Holdgate took charge of sales, and T. E. Holdgate took charge of deliveries. After John’s death in 1909, Irwin and J. W. Holdgate became joint managers under his will.

That is what I love about this sort of hunt.... you tug one thread and the town starts tying itself together, one building, carrying more than one life. The memorial was for Martha, but it was used by children, and it appears John and Martha appear not to have had children of their own, so her memorial became a place for other people’s children.

Wesley Church Bank st South Canterbury Museum 4423 3

South Canterbury Museum The Methodist Wesley Church, Timaru (# 4419)

Then another woman entered the story

Just when I thought I was following Martha, another woman appeared... Laurel Grace Barker McAlister. Laurel was born Laurel Storey at Temuka in 1892. She moved to Timaru in 1914. From 1916 until 1942 she was active in the Bank Street Methodist Sunday School. That means the building made in Martha Jackson’s memory became part of Laurel McAlister’s life of service.

She helped found the Timaru Townswomen’s Guild. She served in Methodist women’s leadership. She helped administer the Mayor’s Welfare Fund during the Depression. She worked on wartime emergency service. She became a Justice of the Peace. She served for many years on the South Canterbury Hospital Board. Her cemetery record brings her back to Timaru again: 3 Evans Street, Maori Hill; died 25 February 1981, aged 88; Timaru Cemetery, General Section, Row 130, Plot 24. So the building links two women across time.

The Bank Street Methodist Church closed in 1991.

The former Sunday School was bought by the Harlequin Rugby Football Club in 2009. The club refurbished it and officially moved in on 10 October 2012. The building was made for people to gather, and thankfully it still does that. The lettering changed, which does make me wince a little. The old “Methodist Sunday School” relief lettering was removed from the central pediment, and “Harlequin Sports Club” was painted in its place. Words on buildings are such good clues. I always feel sad when they disappear. But an unused building can disappear in another way, so I guess I am greatful the building could continue to be used.

The building was completed in 1907, had earlier layers. The heritage record notes that an 1875 plan of Timaru shows a building on the south side of Lot 288. Lots 288 and 290 were part of the landscaped garden of a dwelling on Lot 289. Between 1875 and 1882, the site was the residential property of Archdeacon H. W. Harper of St Mary’s Anglican Church.

272 section of Suffrage signitures Martha Jackson butler St

I found a "Martha Jackson of Butler Street, Timaru" who signed the 1893 women’s suffrage petition. Could this be Martha Jackson, wife of John Jackson? Maybe. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/suffragist/martha-jackson

So Martha’s story is not only in the cemetery...

1875 Map 3000x96 Plan of Timaru Townships Canterbury Courtesy of the Timaru District Council Butler St

memorabilia methodist sunday school timaru presentation trowel stg silver cir1902

https://www.grays.com/lot/5533-5058816/memorabilia/methodist-sunday-school-timaru-presentation-trowel-stg-silver-cir1902

Description: Methodist Sunday School (Timaru), presentation trowel, in sterling silver with faux ivory handle (300x90mm), by H&T (Hilliard & Thomason, Birmingham), blade hallmarked for Birmingham 1902, inscribed `Presented by the Trustees/To/John Jackson Esq. J.P./On The Occasion Of His/Laying The Foundation Stone/Of The/Jackson Memorial Methodist/Sunday School/Timaru/14th March 1907`. Surface marks, very fine.

The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Wesleyan Sunday School in Church street took place yesterday afternoon in the presence of a good concourse of people and under, very favourable weather conditions. A temporary platform had been erected just within the walls (which are now approaching their full height), to accommodate the speakers and the choir, who with the aid of an organ sang four hymns in the course of the proceedings. The foundation, stone occupies a position central in the street end of the building. It is a block of selected bluestone, very neatly dressed and lettered in gold by Mr Hall, the inscription being: `Jackson Memorial Methodist - Sunday School. This stone was laid by John Jackson Esq., in memory of his late Wife; March 14th, 1907.`....``

(Courtesy of National Library of New Zealand - Papers Past, from the Timaru Herald - 15 March 1907).

https://www.timaru.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/673914/Historic-Heritage-Assessment-Report-HHI92-Former-Jackson-Memorial-Methodist-Sunday-School-Category-B-NEW.pdf

Victory Ship arrival Lyttelton Times 20 October 1863 Page 4

Lyttelton Times, Volume XX, Issue 1145, 20 October 1863, Page 4 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18631020.2.5

A possible “Martha Warrington” arrival in Auckland, 1860 — interesting, but not proven... Papers Past has a Martha Warrington listed as a passenger on the ship Caduceus, arriving at Auckland from London in October 1860. The name appears in multiple newspaper shipping lists, including the New Zealander, Daily Southern Cross, and Auckland Examiner. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18601013.2.4

Timeline: Martha Jackson, John Jackson, the Jackson Memorial Sunday School, and Laurel McAlister

c.1832 — Martha Warrington is born

Martha Jackson was born Martha Warrington, about 1832. The Timaru District Council heritage record for the former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School identifies her as “Martha (née Warrington, c.1832–1904)”.

Source: Timaru District Council, Historic Heritage Assessment Report — Former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School
Full link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/673914/Historic-Heritage-Assessment-Report-HHI92-Former-Jackson-Memorial-Methodist-Sunday-School-Category-B-NEW.pdf

1837 — John Jackson is born

John Jackson was born in Glossop, Derbyshire, England, in 1837.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/8100

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

1863 — John and Martha Jackson arrive in Timaru

John Jackson arrived in Timaru in 1863 with his wife Martha. The 1916 company jubilee souvenir says he arrived “with his wife” by the Victory.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

1863 — Wesleyan Methodist services begin in Timaru

The first Wesleyan Methodist church services in Timaru were held in a private home in Sandytown in 1863, the same year John and Martha arrived in Timaru.

1866 — John Jackson begins John Jackson & Co.

In 1866, John Jackson bought the coal and timber branch of Munro and Le Cren’s business at Cain’s Terrace. This became the beginning of John Jackson & Co.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/8100

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

1866 — A timber Methodist chapel is built in Bank Street

A site for a Methodist church was gifted by the Rhodes brothers, and a timber chapel was built in Bank Street in 1866.

1868 — The Bank Street Methodist chapel is extended

The timber chapel in Bank Street was extended in 1868.

1875 — A new Bank Street Methodist church is built

A new Methodist church was built in Bank Street in 1875. The earlier timber chapel was moved to the rear of the site and used as a Sunday School.

1875–1882 — The future Sunday School site has earlier layers

The site later used for the Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School had earlier development. The Timaru District Council heritage record notes that an 1875 plan showed a building on the south side of Lot 288, and that Lots 288 and 290 were part of the landscaped garden of a dwelling on Lot 289. Between 1875 and 1882, the site was the residential property of Archdeacon H. W. Harper of St Mary’s Anglican Church.

1879 — John Jackson leaves the Priest and Holdgate partnership

John Jackson had been an early partner with William Priest and Edward Holdgate in Wm. Priest and Co. When Jackson retired from that business in 1879, the firm became Priest & Holdgate.

Source: Papers Past — Timaru Herald, “Messrs Priest and Holdgate: Forty Years in Business”, 9 September 1913
Full link: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19130909.2.10

1882–1886 — John Jackson serves as Mayor of Timaru

John Jackson served on the Timaru Borough Council for twenty-one years, including four years as mayor. His mayoralty was from 1882 to 1886.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/8100

1892 — Laurel Grace Barker Storey is born at Temuka

Laurel Grace Barker Storey, later Laurel McAlister, was born at Temuka on 20 October 1892.

Source: Te Ara / Dictionary of New Zealand Biography — Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m1/mcalister-laurel-grace-barker

1893 — Possible suffrage clue for Martha Jackson

A Martha Jackson of Butler Street, Timaru, signed the 1893 women’s suffrage petition. This is a promising clue, but it is not yet proven to be Martha Jackson, née Warrington, wife of John Jackson. The address needs to be checked against electoral rolls, street directories, rate books or other records before this can be treated as confirmed.

Source: NZ History — Martha Jackson, 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition
Full link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/suffragist/martha-jackson

Source: NZ History — 1893 Suffrage Petition Database
Full link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/1893-suffrage-petition-database

26 July 1904 — Martha Jackson dies

Martha Jackson died in Timaru on 26 July 1904, aged 72.

Source: Timaru District Council — Cemetery Search
Full link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search

28 July 1904 — Martha Jackson is interred at Timaru Cemetery

Martha Jackson was interred at Timaru Cemetery on 28 July 1904. Her cemetery record gives: General Section, Row 8, Plot 29.

Source: Timaru District Council — Cemetery Search
Full link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search

1904 — John Jackson & Co. becomes a private limited liability company

In 1904, John Jackson & Co. was formed into a private limited liability company.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

30 November / 1 December 1906 — Tenders and reporting for the new Sunday School

The Timaru District Council heritage record cites Timaru Herald items from 30 November 1906 and 1 December 1906, likely relating to tenders and early reporting for the new Sunday School. These should be checked directly in Papers Past for exact wording.

Source: Papers Past — Timaru Herald
Full link: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/timaru-herald

14 March 1907 — Foundation stone laid for the Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School

The foundation stone for the Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School was laid on 14 March 1907. The building was funded by John Jackson in memory of his wife Martha.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — Jackson Memorial Stone
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/4881

5 August 1907 — Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School opens

The Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School officially opened on 5 August 1907.

1907 — The Sunday School building is completed

The former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School was built in 1907 at 34 Church Street / 37 Theodosia Street, Timaru. It was designed by James S. Turnbull and built by Messrs Baird & Son. The Timaru District Council heritage record describes its style as Edwardian Baroque and its materials as brick, cement plaster and corrugated metal.

1908 — John Jackson & Co.’s sawmill burns

In 1908, John Jackson & Co.’s sawmill was destroyed by fire. A temporary mill was quickly established, and plans were made for a new mill and joinery works.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

8 September 1909 — New mill and joinery works comes into operation

The new mill and joinery works, designed after the 1908 fire, came into operation on 8 September 1909. John Jackson died before seeing it operating.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

17 July 1909 — John Jackson dies

John Jackson died in Timaru on 17 July 1909, aged 72.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/8100

Source: Timaru District Council — Cemetery Search
Full link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search

1914 — Laurel McAlister moves to Timaru

Laurel Grace Barker Storey, later McAlister, moved to Timaru in 1914.

Source: Te Ara / Dictionary of New Zealand Biography — Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m1/mcalister-laurel-grace-barker

1916–1942 — Laurel McAlister is active in the Bank Street Methodist Sunday School

Laurel McAlister was active in the Bank Street Methodist Sunday School from 1916 until 1942. This connects her to the same Methodist community linked with Martha Jackson’s memorial building.

Source: Te Ara / Dictionary of New Zealand Biography — Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m1/mcalister-laurel-grace-barker

1916 — John Jackson & Co. publishes its jubilee souvenir

John Jackson & Co. Ltd. published its jubilee souvenir in 1916 to mark fifty years of the company, 1866–1916.

Source: Aoraki Heritage Collection — John Jackson & Co. Ltd.: Jubilee Souvenir, 1866–1916
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/779

1946 — Laurel McAlister is awarded an MBE

Laurel McAlister was awarded an MBE for her wartime service.

Source: Te Ara / Dictionary of New Zealand Biography — Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m1/mcalister-laurel-grace-barker

1946 — John Jackson & Co. changes ownership but keeps the Jackson name

In 1946, the shares in John Jackson & Co. were bought by W. H. Banks of Christchurch. The Jackson name was retained.

Source: D. E. Drake, “Memory of John Jackson lives on,” The Timaru Herald, 1 May 1982, Aoraki Heritage Collection
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/7364

1959–1962 — Laurel McAlister serves as national president of the Methodist Women’s Guild Fellowship

Laurel McAlister served as national president of the Methodist Women’s Guild Fellowship from 1959 until 1962.

Source: Te Ara / Dictionary of New Zealand Biography — Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m1/mcalister-laurel-grace-barker

1960s — Portrait of Laurel McAlister is taken

A portrait of Laurel Grace Barker McAlister was taken in the 1960s by Kingham’s Camera Shop, Timaru.

Source: National Library of New Zealand — Photograph of Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22365497

1965 — Bank Street Methodist Church celebrates its centenary

The Bank Street Methodist Church celebrated its centenary in 1965.

25 February 1981 — Laurel McAlister dies

Laurel Grace Barker McAlister died on 25 February 1981, aged 88. Her cemetery record gives her address as 3 Evans Street, Maori Hill, Timaru.

Source: Timaru District Council — Cemetery Search
Full link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search

Source: Te Ara / Dictionary of New Zealand Biography — Laurel Grace Barker McAlister
Full link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5m1/mcalister-laurel-grace-barker

26 March 1981 — Laurel McAlister is interred at Timaru Cemetery

Laurel McAlister was interred at Timaru Cemetery on 26 March 1981. Her cemetery record gives: General Section, Row 130, Plot 24.

Source: Timaru District Council — Cemetery Search
Full link: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search

1 May 1982 — “Memory of John Jackson lives on” is published

D. E. Drake’s article “Memory of John Jackson lives on” was published in The Timaru Herald on 1 May 1982. The article records that John Jackson’s portrait still hung in the company office, that the Jackson name had been retained, and that Mr and Mrs Jackson had no family of their own.

Source: D. E. Drake, “Memory of John Jackson lives on,” The Timaru Herald, 1 May 1982, Aoraki Heritage Collection
Full link: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/7364

1991 — Bank Street Methodist Church closes

The Bank Street Methodist Church closed in 1991.

1998 — Harlequins Rugby Football Club is formed

Harlequins Rugby Football Club was formed in 1998 through the amalgamation of the Star and Zingari clubs.

2009 — Harlequins purchases the former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School

The Harlequin Rugby Football Club purchased the former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School in 2009.

10 October 2012 — Harlequins officially moves into the building

After refurbishment, Harlequins officially moved into the former Sunday School building on 10 October 2012.

2018 — Heritage assessment records the building’s significance

The Timaru District Council heritage assessment records the former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School as having historical, social, cultural, architectural, technological, craftsmanship, contextual and potential archaeological significance.

Did John and Martha have children?

What I did find in the hunt for Martha was a Methodist thread starting in Sandytown.

Then another woman entered the story

The Bank Street Methodist Church closed in 1991.

Timeline: Martha Jackson, John Jackson, the Jackson Memorial Sunday School, and Laurel McAlister

c.1832 — Martha Warrington is born

1837 — John Jackson is born

1863 — John and Martha Jackson arrive in Timaru

1863 — Wesleyan Methodist services begin in Timaru

1866 — John Jackson begins John Jackson & Co.

1866 — A timber Methodist chapel is built in Bank Street

1868 — The Bank Street Methodist chapel is extended

1875 — A new Bank Street Methodist church is built

1875–1882 — The future Sunday School site has earlier layers

1879 — John Jackson leaves the Priest and Holdgate partnership

1882–1886 — John Jackson serves as Mayor of Timaru

1892 — Laurel Grace Barker Storey is born at Temuka

1893 — Possible suffrage clue for Martha Jackson

26 July 1904 — Martha Jackson dies

28 July 1904 — Martha Jackson is interred at Timaru Cemetery

1904 — John Jackson & Co. becomes a private limited liability company

30 November / 1 December 1906 — Tenders and reporting for the new Sunday School

14 March 1907 — Foundation stone laid for the Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School

5 August 1907 — Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School opens

1907 — The Sunday School building is completed

1908 — John Jackson & Co.’s sawmill burns

8 September 1909 — New mill and joinery works comes into operation

17 July 1909 — John Jackson dies

1914 — Laurel McAlister moves to Timaru

1916–1942 — Laurel McAlister is active in the Bank Street Methodist Sunday School

1916 — John Jackson & Co. publishes its jubilee souvenir

1946 — Laurel McAlister is awarded an MBE

1946 — John Jackson & Co. changes ownership but keeps the Jackson name

1959–1962 — Laurel McAlister serves as national president of the Methodist Women’s Guild Fellowship

1960s — Portrait of Laurel McAlister is taken

1965 — Bank Street Methodist Church celebrates its centenary

25 February 1981 — Laurel McAlister dies

26 March 1981 — Laurel McAlister is interred at Timaru Cemetery

1 May 1982 — “Memory of John Jackson lives on” is published

1991 — Bank Street Methodist Church closes

1998 — Harlequins Rugby Football Club is formed

2009 — Harlequins purchases the former Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School

10 October 2012 — Harlequins officially moves into the building

2018 — Heritage assessment records the building’s significance

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