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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts]

Mr. Joseph Taylor

Mr. Joseph Taylor , sometime of Blenheim, was born at Bolton, Lancashire, England, in 1814, and followed the trade of a blacksmith, at which he excelled. He emigrated to Australia, in 1853, in the “Bonaventura.” On arriving in Melbourne, he went to the Ballarat diggings, which he reached the day after the historic riot. He met with no luck, and so he worked at his trade for a short time, until he decided to try New Zealand, to which he came by the ship “Bella Creole,” in 1854. From Wellington he went to Picton, where he was engaged to carry mails to Blenheim, then a difficult and dangerous undertaking. Mr. Taylor was the first tradesman to start black-smithing in Blenheim, and through want of proper appliances, he was compelled to make some of the tools of his trade himself. He was the father of Freemasonry in Marlborough, and served on the town board before the borough was formed. Mr. Taylor was held in high esteem for his many good qualities, and when he died in 1893, he left three sons and one daughter.