Catherine Mary Ann Adamson (née Friend, 13 October 1868 – 9 August 1925) was a New Zealand homemaker, farmer and diarist. Her diaries, which she wrote from 1895 to 1906, are a rare historic record of pioneer life in the Westland District of New Zealand.

Early life

Adamson was born in

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

, Victoria, Australia, on 13 October 1868. Her parents were Samuel Friend, a labourer, and Ann Elizabeth Langham. When she was a baby the family travelled to New Zealand and settled in

Ōkārito Ōkārito is a small coastal settlement on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, southwest of Hokitika, and from . It is built at the southern end of the Ōkārito Lagoon at the mouth of the Ōkārito River. The settlement of The Forks ...

, then the centre of commerce of Westland. On 23 September 1888, she married Robert Adamson, a farmer, butcher and flax-miller. His family owned land in the Whataroa area.

Life in Westland

Adamson and her husband farmed Volis Station, a large forested block, which required a great deal of work to convert it into farmland. Her diaries recorded the work undertaken by the whole family such as churning butter for sale to local miners, catching

whitebait Whitebait is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, typically between long. Such young fish often travel together in schools along coasts, and move into estuaries and sometimes up rivers where they can be easily caught using fine-m ...

, clearing bush and droving cattle. A typical entry would be "Self and children weeding all day long". She only briefly mentioned her own personal feelings and experiences; on the day of a son's birth in 1899 she made a record of the work being done on the farm by the men. In 1901 her son became ill and died. She wrote in her diary: "my Darling's funeral took place ... Family all came home leaving our Darling in God's world". Another of her children died in 1906. In her diary she records visiting her child's grave to plant trees and shrubs. Adamson's life was hard and isolating, and she was supported by her female friends living throughout South Westland. The family made regular visits to Ōkārito, where her parents owned the Royal Hotel, and occasionally travelled to Hokitika. In 1901 she and her husband travelled around the North Island. Adamson died on 9 August 1925 at

Westland Hospital Westland Hospital was one of two hospitals in Hokitika, on the West Coast of New Zealand. It was founded in 1865 and closed in 1989. History The hospital was founded in 1865 to the south of the Hokitika River and rebuilt about 1875 to the no ...

, Hokitika, and was buried in the Whataroa cemetery. Her husband died in 1941 and was buried with her. Her diaries were published in 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Catherine 1868 births 1925 deaths People from Melbourne Emigrants from colonial Australia to the Colony of New Zealand New Zealand diarists Women diarists Burials at Whataroa Cemetery 20th-century New Zealand writers 20th-century New Zealand women writers People from the West Coast, New Zealand