The Wallace family tragedy

The print shows the view across Thorndon beach out to the harbour with sailing ships coming in, even showing waka in the water.
The date, July 1845, was before two big earthquakes that rearranged Wellington’s landscape.
The pretty watercolour is in stark contrast to the tragic story of the family behind it.
John Howard Wallace was born in Scotland on December 14, 1816, but his family moved to England when he was young living in Liverpool and Birmingham.
In 1841 he came to New Zealand on the Aurora, wading ashore at Petone.
The early settler established a home and business, working as a merchant, auctioneer, land agent and stock and share broker and valuer and was successful.
He did well and in November 1848 he married Sarah Ann Denham, a widow (that was common, people often died young and got remarried young) at St Peter’s church in Te Aro.
John went on to build one of the first wharves, held office on the town board, then the city council and on to the provincial council.
He was considered a leading citizen and three streets hold his name - John, Howard and Wallace Streets. He returned to England at least once, and brought out his parents - it was his father John Wallce who painted the Thorndon beach scene before he died in 1880 and was considered a well known watercolourist.
But death doesn’t stop for the prominent.
John and Sarah had ten children, six boys and four girls.
In 1865 there were several outbreaks of scarlet fever. It was a killer disease, associated with overcrowded conditions and poor sanitation.
Five of the Wallace children died of it in the space of nineteen days while one died a couple of months later. (One of their children had died in 1854). The youngest baby had been born at that time and so Sarah was unable to care for the sick children leaving them in the care of her oldest daughter Harriet.
That left only three children alive out of the whole family, with Harriet being the only daughter.
Even then once the family had settled John’s brother James, who had come out to New Zealand to join them, drowned in the Wellington harbour in 1888.
John died in 1891 and Sarah in 1898 and nearly the whole family is buried in the Bolton St Cemetery.​