This week I heard from a Leslie descendant who sent me a link to a website which has information about Patrick Leslie of the Warthill Leslies. The link to the blog post is:
http://www.heritagewaikato.org/node/17
Here is a clip from the article:
“One of the first estate owners in Matangi was Patrick Leslie, who with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren arrived in Auckland on the 12th October 1868 and immediately began buying land, William Steele acting as his agent. Captain Steele had secured a lease for 3,000 acres of very fertile and long native-settled land. Steele acted as a Government agent finding suitable persons to farm the highly desirable good quality land. Leslie’s eventual holding was 2,000 acres and extended east from State Highway 1 to near the present site of Matangi Village.”
The story was found by a person who does research work for the local museum. The section of interest is on the Wartle Estate in New Zealand named after Patrick’s home in Meikle Wartle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The article is of importance to Leslies because it provides information about the current owners of the property.
Our Project
This was such a timely communication, in that I had just finished editing the book “The Leslies in the Antipodes” by Jillian A. Burcher, written in 1998. The book is ready to go to print and will be available for purchase on the Leslie Global Diaspora Foundation website. The book is rich in photos and chronicles the Leslies, Patrick, George, and his Walter, in their exploits “Down Under”. Here is a Warthill Pedigree.
The feature photo is Wardhill Castle as it is seen today.
The Leslie Global Diaspora Foundation is dedicated to researching and publishing Leslie history for all branches of the Leslie Family. We are proud to have completed this important contribution to the Leslie archives.
Lewis Johnson, Ed.D. FSA Scot
President of the Foundation
3 responses to “The Leslies Down Under”
More sterling work from Lewis and his Team in North Carolina. There is so much work still to be done on the story of the “ Darling Down cousins.
My distant cousins in Sydney represent the last bit of the entire Leslie family across the globe that can trace their ancestors back to Bartolf via the male line.
Over a thousand years back to the Hungarian Royal Court in 1000 AD.
Not relevant to daily life now- as my wife and three daughters would remind me – but still fascinating from a family perspective.
While the Leslie history of the 1800s may not be relevant in daily life, understanding our collective history as Leslies gives us insight into who we are as a family group. For a few people, this history as it intertwines with genealogy helps people answer the question of “where did I come from?” and may provide inspiration for ourselves as we engage in daily life.
The Leslies of Australia and New Zealand are an important piece in the worldwide Leslie puzzle!