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JOHN BUMBY MISSIONARY – ARCHIVE OF DOCUMENTS AND LETTERS - Communication Respecting the Rev. J.H. Bumby’s Death, sent to the Committee
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$4,000 - $5,000
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$10,000
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167: Rare Books
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JOHN BUMBY MISSIONARY – ARCHIVE OF DOCUMENTS AND LETTERS
Communication Respecting the Rev. J.H. Bumby’s Death, sent to the Committee
Bifolium 440mm x 285mm [folded], 4pp, handwritten contemporary text, addressed at head of the document, Mangungu, New Zealand, July 15th 1840. ‘Dear Fathers and Brethren, with unutterable sorrow we make to you the present communication. “A great one and mighty is fallen in Israel”. Our much esteemed and dearly beloved chairman the Rev John H Bumby is no more!. He was drowned in the river Thames on the 26th of last month, with twelve natives by the upsetting of a canoe. The following are the melancholy details. He left Hokianga in the “Triton” at 2 oclock in the morning of May 23rd with the Rev. John Waterhouse and one newly arrived missionary party for the South of New Zealand and for the Friendly Islands since which we heard nothing of him until the 13th instant when the following letter from the Re. R. Taylor of the Church Mission was received by Miss Bumby our beloved and bereaved sister.’ The document includes copies of several letters ‘Waimate July 1840’ from Richard Taylor; Thames July 6, 1840, from Mr Fairburn of the Church Mission to Bro Woon. Maraetai; a note referred to by Mr Fairburn from Mr Bumby as ‘probably his last earthly production’; Waimate, July 12, 1840, from Mr George Clarke of the Church Mission to Bro Woon ; from John Hobbs and William Woon. PS at end ‘We shall avail ourselves of the first opportunity of sending a copy of the communication to Mr Waterhouse …’ ‘… Brother Hobbs & Brother Smales are about to proceed immediately to the Thames where the accident occurred to see in any traces can be found of our respected brothers remains. There is a total of approximately 54 letters and notes many written by Bumby to his sister Mary, other letters to his father and family members. It includes early family letters and Baptismal records dating from 1732. A number of the letters are written in the 1830’s concerning his vocation and his wish to become a missionary against the wishes of his father. They include one to his sister Mary, and appears to be persuading her to follow him, and criticising his father for his ‘haughty spirit. He seems to wish to be master of my conscious…’. Letter from John Waterhouse to John Bumby, 13th June 1838, discussing the need for missionaries in New Zealand and the committee sending 5 more people including John Bumby. Letter from R. Alder, Mission House, Hatton Gardens London, February 1838 Asking Bumby to ‘ … take charge of our New Zealand Mission… ‘ ’… You wish to go to the Heathen and in NZ you will find a noble race of people under the dominion of the worst forms of pagan idolatry…’ signed R. Alder. May 1840 John Bumby to Mary Bumby at Mission House Mangungu written on board ‘The Triton’ May 22nd 1840. ‘The Triton is a wonderful affair. I never saw such ‘raruraru’ work in my life. Everyone appears to be Master. Hope the voyage will be short…’ A long letter of sympathy to Sister Bumby Mission House, Mangungu July 1840, written after the death of her brother and signed with the names J. Whitely, H. Wallis, T. Buddle, H.H. Turton. The archive also includes material relating to Gideon Smales. Mary Bumby married Gideon Smales in 1840 at the Weslyan Mission House on the Hokianga. The collection includes letters and manuscripts, a long letter from GS [Gideon Smales] to his wife Mary, dated Dec 2nd 1854. Address at head ‘Mr Lawry’s Chamber, Mission House, Auckland. Several letters of a personal nature from missionary wives. Manuscript 3pp text – Memoir of the Rev John Hugill Bumbly, late missionary to New Zealand by G.Smales. Several letters to the Editor of the Herald with manuscripts and loose pages of notes on various topics include one with the heading “Adventure in New Zealand and other Places], [ca 1890’s] includes early life in England heading for New Zealand and landing May 9th 1840, journeys into the country, Maori wars, another with the heading Moas and Moa Hunter’s. 15pp sermon by Gideon Smales.
Mary Bumby, is credited as being the person who introduced honey bees to New Zealand. She brought two hives ashore when she landed at the Mangungu Mission Station in the Hokianga in March 1839.
Provenance: Gerald Ellott MNZM, postal historian purchased by him in the 1980's from Marcel Stanley O.B.E. a N.Z. Philatelist and a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, he had personal connections with the Smales family.
Communication Respecting the Rev. J.H. Bumby’s Death, sent to the Committee
Bifolium 440mm x 285mm [folded], 4pp, handwritten contemporary text, addressed at head of the document, Mangungu, New Zealand, July 15th 1840. ‘Dear Fathers and Brethren, with unutterable sorrow we make to you the present communication. “A great one and mighty is fallen in Israel”. Our much esteemed and dearly beloved chairman the Rev John H Bumby is no more!. He was drowned in the river Thames on the 26th of last month, with twelve natives by the upsetting of a canoe. The following are the melancholy details. He left Hokianga in the “Triton” at 2 oclock in the morning of May 23rd with the Rev. John Waterhouse and one newly arrived missionary party for the South of New Zealand and for the Friendly Islands since which we heard nothing of him until the 13th instant when the following letter from the Re. R. Taylor of the Church Mission was received by Miss Bumby our beloved and bereaved sister.’ The document includes copies of several letters ‘Waimate July 1840’ from Richard Taylor; Thames July 6, 1840, from Mr Fairburn of the Church Mission to Bro Woon. Maraetai; a note referred to by Mr Fairburn from Mr Bumby as ‘probably his last earthly production’; Waimate, July 12, 1840, from Mr George Clarke of the Church Mission to Bro Woon ; from John Hobbs and William Woon. PS at end ‘We shall avail ourselves of the first opportunity of sending a copy of the communication to Mr Waterhouse …’ ‘… Brother Hobbs & Brother Smales are about to proceed immediately to the Thames where the accident occurred to see in any traces can be found of our respected brothers remains. There is a total of approximately 54 letters and notes many written by Bumby to his sister Mary, other letters to his father and family members. It includes early family letters and Baptismal records dating from 1732. A number of the letters are written in the 1830’s concerning his vocation and his wish to become a missionary against the wishes of his father. They include one to his sister Mary, and appears to be persuading her to follow him, and criticising his father for his ‘haughty spirit. He seems to wish to be master of my conscious…’. Letter from John Waterhouse to John Bumby, 13th June 1838, discussing the need for missionaries in New Zealand and the committee sending 5 more people including John Bumby. Letter from R. Alder, Mission House, Hatton Gardens London, February 1838 Asking Bumby to ‘ … take charge of our New Zealand Mission… ‘ ’… You wish to go to the Heathen and in NZ you will find a noble race of people under the dominion of the worst forms of pagan idolatry…’ signed R. Alder. May 1840 John Bumby to Mary Bumby at Mission House Mangungu written on board ‘The Triton’ May 22nd 1840. ‘The Triton is a wonderful affair. I never saw such ‘raruraru’ work in my life. Everyone appears to be Master. Hope the voyage will be short…’ A long letter of sympathy to Sister Bumby Mission House, Mangungu July 1840, written after the death of her brother and signed with the names J. Whitely, H. Wallis, T. Buddle, H.H. Turton. The archive also includes material relating to Gideon Smales. Mary Bumby married Gideon Smales in 1840 at the Weslyan Mission House on the Hokianga. The collection includes letters and manuscripts, a long letter from GS [Gideon Smales] to his wife Mary, dated Dec 2nd 1854. Address at head ‘Mr Lawry’s Chamber, Mission House, Auckland. Several letters of a personal nature from missionary wives. Manuscript 3pp text – Memoir of the Rev John Hugill Bumbly, late missionary to New Zealand by G.Smales. Several letters to the Editor of the Herald with manuscripts and loose pages of notes on various topics include one with the heading “Adventure in New Zealand and other Places], [ca 1890’s] includes early life in England heading for New Zealand and landing May 9th 1840, journeys into the country, Maori wars, another with the heading Moas and Moa Hunter’s. 15pp sermon by Gideon Smales.
Mary Bumby, is credited as being the person who introduced honey bees to New Zealand. She brought two hives ashore when she landed at the Mangungu Mission Station in the Hokianga in March 1839.
Provenance: Gerald Ellott MNZM, postal historian purchased by him in the 1980's from Marcel Stanley O.B.E. a N.Z. Philatelist and a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, he had personal connections with the Smales family.
