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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Provincial Districts]
Mr. William Rathbone
Mr. William Rathbone, late of “Abbotsford,” Waipawa, was born in England on the 26th of April, 1832, and was the son of a Birmingham merchant. After receiving his education he was brought up in his father's business, and in 1855 came to New Zealand in the ship “Egmont,” and landed in Taranaki. Mr. Rathbone afterwards went to the Collingwood diggings, removed from there to Napier, and in the year 1859 settled in Waipawa. In 1860 he opened up business in the township as a general merchant, and this venture proved very successful. He subsequently took up sheep-farming with great success, and became the proprietor of several large sheep runs, including “Abbotsford,” “Tourere,” “Makotuku,” “Otanga,” and “Tikokino.” Mr. Rathbone was a member of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council, a Justice of the Peace, and acted as local postmaster and registrar of births, deaths and marriages in the early days. He was also a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, was a successful breeder of stock, and exhibited largely at the annual shows. He married the second daughter of the late Mr. Henry Arrow, in the year 1869, and passed away on the 24th of December, 1904, leaving a widow, four sons, five daughters, and seven grandchildren.
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The Late Mr. W. Rathbone.