Genealogy Investigations Ltd
  • Home
  • Family Tracing
  • Deceased estate tracing
  • Family History
    • Basic Family Tree Report
    • Henry's story
  • Interpreting DNA
  • WHO WE ARE
    • The legal stuff
    • GI news stories
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Getting started on your own

Our updates and stories

The man of invention - Grave story #51

6/5/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ernest Robert Godward is a name you probably don’t know, but this astonishing man is the mind behind one of New Zealand’s most iconic inventions.
We’ve all seen one. It was the egg beater in your grandmother’s kitchen. A handle at the top and a handle to turn the blades.
Designed as a non-slip egg beater, it was so common, I bet you can picture it. You may even still have one.
Well, that was Ernest Godward.
He was born in London, England, on April 7, 1869 to fireman Henry Robert Godward and Sarah Ann Pattison.
His parents sent him to a prep school at age 12, but Ernest ran away to sea reaching Japan where he was working on a cabling project before he was returned by the British Consul.
He ended up apprenticed to engineers although he went back to sea in 1884.
In 1886 he came to New Zealand arriving in Port Chalmers aboard the Nelson, where he jumped ship.
He was a man of many many talents. He played a number of instruments, including the banjo, was athletic, cycling for the Invercargill Cycling Club and was one of the founders of the Invercargill Amateur Swimming Club along with rowing and boxing.
On 28 January, 1896 he married Marguerita Florence Celena Treweek and the couple had 10 children. Nine of their own plus a niece of Marguerita's
But it was the numerous inventions he was most noted for, with more than 30 patents applied for. In 1907 he designed and patented that iconic egg beater.
Among his other inventions there was a new post-hole borer, a new hair curler, a burglar proof window and a hedge trimmer made from bicycle parts.
He also founded the Godward Spiral Pin and New Inventions Co Ltd - which was listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange.
He sold the American rights to his spiral hairpin and was said to have made his first million dollars that way.
His most famous invention, in 1926, was an economizer for a fuel engine which was used by public transport systems in America, allowing them to use fuel oil instead of petrol. In all, Goddard created 72 different carburettors
Even that was not his only claim to fame - he was involved in Southland’s first hot air ballooning and built Rockhaven, his private residence in Invercargill, which is still standing and considered an historic building. The garage where he did a lot of inventing is still on the property.
He spent the last 20 years of his life in America, visiting New Zealand and his wife from time to time.
However, during the stock market crash of 1929 he lost heavily, making only a partial recovery.
He died of a heart attack on December 2, 1936 on board the SS Mongolia out of Gibraltar while returning home to Invercargill. True to form, he had won a skipping contest on board the day before. He was buried at sea.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Fran and Deb's updates

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

    Categories

    All
    Grave Stories
    Hidden Cemeteries
    Kiwi Icons
    Our Work

    RSS Feed

SERVICES:
Tracing lost family
Deceased estate tracing
Family history research
Interpreting DNA results
CONTACT US:
Email: [email protected]
​
Online contact form
​Phone: 021 473 900
(+6421473900 outside NZ)
​
Site powered by Weebly. Managed by HBHosting
  • Home
  • Family Tracing
  • Deceased estate tracing
  • Family History
    • Basic Family Tree Report
    • Henry's story
  • Interpreting DNA
  • WHO WE ARE
    • The legal stuff
    • GI news stories
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Getting started on your own