Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 16, June 1972
By H. M. RODEWALD.
(See Journals 8 and 14 re Haszard Family. Ed [see Journal 8: Haszard Family - Centuries of Pioneering, and Journal 14: History of the Haszard Family - E])
As the Master of the "Prince Edward", which brought the immigrants from Prince Edward Island, was Edward Nowlan, my maternal Great-Grandfather, I feel that a few notes on the vessel and its Captain would be of interest. The "Prince Edward", a brig of 174 tons, was built at Summerside on Prince Edward Island during 1858. Measurements - length 97 ft., beam 22 ft., depth 13 feet. Registered 10th September. Owners Henry Douglas Morpeth, Robert Haszard and James Millner. The vessel sailed from Charlottetown, P.E.I. on the 29-11-1858 and reached Auckland on 13-5-1859, after an uneventful voyage apart from the usual variations of the weather. There were no deaths or births.
The Captain, whose name was changed to Nolan after arrival, was the ideal choice for such a voyage as he had for about 25 years been in the North Atlantic trade between P.E.I. and other parts of the American mainland and England, then the hardest and most dangerous route. Captain Nolan, was accompanied by his wife and four daughters. He received a Grant of 160 acres of land at Mongonui [Manganui ? – E], but not cut out for farming, he sold the land at the end of the three statutory years governing such Grants.
He went back to sea and made many voyages out of Auckland until his death in 1872. Three of his daughters, married men who were prominent in the early days of gold-mining at the Thames.