Bought land on Banks Peninsula from Captain Joseph RATAU. PTR
signatory to letter to LAVAUD requesting assistance with land claims PTR
made a land claim for land Russell. JL
was resident in Russel 1845 then moved to Whangarei after sacking of Russell MKI
mentioned in a book "Past Reminiscences of Early Whangarei."
there is an obit? ESR2
JGOC has CAFFLER
PPA OBIT Northern Advocate, 25 February 1893, Page 5
Death of Mr Eugene Cafler.
Mr Eugene Cafler, one of the oldest and best known residents of tbe North, passed away peacefully last Monday morning, at his beautiful riverside home, Sans Souci, Whangarei. The deceased had reached the ripe old age of 95. A few years ago when Mr Cafler still retained his wonderful vigour, he was the central figure in Whangarei, and his beautifully kept grounds were the feature of the place, not only in the eyes of visitors but of the residents also. Fancy gardening was his hobby, and the taste displayed and the care bestowed on his grounds were quite remarkable. Not only were the beds and paths kept in the most perfect order, but every fir and pine tree was clipped and trimmed so that a perfect symmetry was preserved throughout. The gardens contained too a great profusion of rare flowers, shrubs and fruit trees. The general tout ensemble of Sans Souci was that of a Swiss toy house with the trees clipped to pyramids. Mr Cafler was essentially elegant in his personal appearance as well as in his surroundings. In the old days he was very fond of riding, and affecting a strictly military style, dressed in riding boots, gilt spurs, French cap and white buckskin gloves, his appearance wab nuiquft and contrasted almost strangely with the proßaic surroundings of an upcountry colonial town. Nor did he ride like ordinary people, but once on the back of his beautiful Zuluke, the horse broke into a slow gallop. Mr Cafler rode with dash, and being of a power physique looked well when mounted. When ovei 80 years of age he rode with the dash of a man of 30. His style was no mere nffectation. He was thorough in all bo did, and was intensely French, so much ho that after a residence of half a century amongst British people, he never learnt our language and could only speak the worst kind of pigeon English . La belle France was his country, whose customs .and manners he loved, and that he was a native of the polite nation was always in evidence by his courtly manners and ' punctilious regard to etiquette. He belonged to the old school of society which is fast receding from view 411 the mist oi the later Socialism. He was a man oi great force of character, and was very jealous, of his honour. The deceased was a native of Laon, in the Department of Aisne, France, and ?was born about the year 1796. (There appears to be some doubt as to his precise age, but at is quite certain he was verging on tne century.) His father was personally acquainted with the First Napoleon, and was commissioned by that Sovereign to prosecute enquiries into the manufacture of sugar from beet, the English navies having swept the French from the seas, sugar was a scarce commodity and great bounties were offered for its production. The deceased was engaged with Cufler pere in those researches, and the knowledge thus gained proved of value in later life. The deceased was present at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, being in the cadets, but only saw the battle at a distance, his regiment never being engaged. . Shortly after this, his health gave way, and his medical advisers ordered him to take a sea voyage. This he did, and being of an enterprising disposition, he continued on the sea for some years, trading with merchandise from port to port. In those days there were no telegraphs, and he sold where the best market offered. Cafler was very successful in his overseas adventures, and soon acquired a fortune. His health improved and he continued trading with different parts of the world. At Mauritius he married a French lady, the daughter of a sugar-planter, rw and she accompanied him on his voyages. * This lady died in Whanerarei about 1864, if and was buried in a vault in the Auck- .. land Catholic Cemetery; About 1836, Mr Cafler came to New Zealand, in a French man-of-war, to see his old friend, Bishop Pompallier, who had been sent to enlarge the Roman Catholic mission at the Bay of Islands. Mr Cafler enjoyed such robust health while at the Bay that he resolved to settle there, and bought from the natives the ' block of land known as Kororareka. He then went over to Australia to get the necessary material for building a house and implements for farming, and on returning started improving his property. The deceased and his friend, the Bishop, were both enthusiastic gardeners, and soon Mr Cafler had made a pretty home. In 1845, the Heka war broke out and Kororareka (now Russell) was sacked, every house being burnt down but Bishop Pompallier's little church, and Mr Cafler and all the other settlers -were removed to Auckland. Mr and Mrs Cafler escaped with, their lives only. Mr Cafler again went to Australia, but his health not being good there, he returned to this colony, and finally settled in Wbangarei in 1846. Where Sans Souci now stands, was then a swamp, which the deceased' reclaimed. About 1887, Mr Cafler married a second time to the present Madame Cafler, by which marriage there are two children, Alice and Alfred. Mr Cafler had been most of his life a Catholic, but lately he elected to join the English Church, stating that his wife had always been so good to him, that her religion nmst be equally good, and he would like to die in that religion. The deceased was consequently buried in the English Churchyard, and laid beside thß grave of his old friend, tne late Sir Osborue Gibbes. Thus the grave has closed over a most eventful life. ; The funeral, which took place on Wednesday, was largely attended, most of the older settlers being present. ?
NZG memlist from Elizabeth.
"The online tree has EE Cafler fathering a daughter, Kataraina Catherine Whakapiri/Whakaahua/Wharenikau, with Mere Wharenikau in 1820. EE Cafler would have been about 22 years so not impossible and the obit did say he 'continued trading with different parts of the world', but I hadn't seen reference to him being in NZL prior to coming here in 1836. He had married his first wife in 1832 and she 'accompanied him on his voyages'."
NZGMEMLIST P KRAFT
From the Cyclopedia of NZ
Mr. CAFLER was born in 1798 near Douai in France, the youngest of a family of thirteen children. His father was the founder of the beet sugar industry, and a devoted advocate of Napoleon Bonaparte who commissioned him to pursue research into the manufacture of beet sugar. The English navy having destroyed the French trade on the seas, sugar had become a rare product in France and great rewards were offered for its production. Several of his sons fought and fell in Napoleon's wars, and Mr. CAFLER himself was included in the troops that the France raised against Europe. At eighteen he served in the ambulance corps at the Battle of Waterloo. After the overthrow of Napoleon, CAFLER's family suffered great misfortunes and they saw their house and sweet factory destroyed.
In 1830 Edouard Eugene, the subject of this article, who had received a good education at the School of Commerce, left the France for the Mauritius, and until 1840 was engaged in commercial proceedings. His practice was to load a ship with sugar from Mauritius, act as a supercargo and set sail to the East where the market was favorable. There he sold his sugar and returned to Mauritius with his ship loaded with goods. In this way he visited Manila, Guangzhou, Macau, Singapore, Calcutta, Cape Of Good Hope, Hobart, Launceston, and New Caledonia, amassing during these ten years a considerable wealth. An attack of yellow fever in China had seriously affected his health, so he was advised to come to New Zealand and landed in Kororareka (now Russell), where he bought an entire block in 1840. There he regained such robust health that he went to Australia and brought back all the materials needed to build and improve his property. Eugene Edouard Cafler immigrated to arrived feb 1840 Russell on the Nimrod in 1840 possibly visited BOI abt 1836.
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