In 1839 32-year-old Englishman Charles Rodgers and his pregnant wife 20-year-old Cecilia Eliza Rodgers (nee Herbert) set out for a new life, leaving behind friends and family that they would never see again.
In the same year 41-year-old Richard Rush, was awarded his certificate of freedom having been transported to Australia for 7 years for stealing a pig and some sacks of grain to feed his family.
In January 1840, after a five-month voyage aboard the New Zealand company vessel Oriental, Charles and Cecilia arrived in Port Nicholson, Wellington’s harbour, and began to carve a new life for themselves on the banks of the Hutt River – living in tents for months until homes could be built for them. Just 4 weeks later, on 29th February their son Thomas Rodgers – believed to be the first white child born in New Zealand, arrived.
Tragically, Charles and 5 others drowned when their boat overturned near Petone Beach on 25th August that same year, when Thomas was just 6 months old.
Newly freed Richard Rush crossed the Tasman sometime in 1839 or 40 although he is not named in any passenger lists, so he presumably signed on as crew on one of the numerous trans-Tasman trading vessels.
Richard and Cecilia married in 1841and before long Thomas was joined by 4 half-sisters – Sarah, Cecilia, Isabella and Ann, although Isabella died a few days after her first birthday. Richard took up trade as a carrier – transporting goods between Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and by all accounts proved to be a hard working and respected member of the community.
Richard, in fact, had left 5 children behind in Essex, England, when he was convicted and sent to Australia. The youngest of these, John George Rush was born in 1827, and sadly his mother died giving birth to him. John went to sea at the age of ten and served for years under his sea captain Uncle before deciding to try and find his father. He arrived in Wellington from Sydney on the schooner ‘Esther’ in 1842. Settling in the Hutt Valley he took up farming.
On the 15th June 1846, as Richard was preparing his horses and wagon for the days work, he was set upon by a party of rebels and tomahawked to death. (Rush Grove is named as a memorial to Richard and is very near where the murder occurred).
Cecilia, pregnant with their fourth daughter, Ann, found herself widowed for the second time at the age of 27.
Soon after the death of Richard, Cecilia and her children joined stepson John at his farm in the Hutt Valley. John and Cecilias first child, John Henry, was born in 1847 and they would have 5 children over the following 14 years, although it wasn’t until July 3rd, 1852, that they were married.
In the 1870’s, after a three-day trip by bullock cart, schooner and canoes the family re-settled in the newly forming Palmerston North, where they remained for the rest of their lives. John George Rush became a well-known and respected member of the community, holding a seat on the Borough Council before his death in 1900. Cecilia after a tragic life in which she was widowed twice and lost a child as an infant had passed away fourteen years earlier, in 1886. In all she had produced ten children to her three husbands.
According to Ancestry today Cecilia Eliza Herbert/Rodgers/Rush has nearly 8000 descendants. 890 of these are descendants of Thomas Rodgers, and 7000 from the children of Cecilia and Richard or John.
The story is the subject of a Book – “A Humble Beginning” written by John’s 2 x great grandson Stephen Henry Rush in the 1980’s which was turned into a one-hour documentary film – only available to family – in 2016.
At Easter, 2027, a three-day combined Rodgers/Rush reunion is being held in the Hutt Valley. If you believe you are a descendant of Thomas, Richard or John – or you know someone who might be – please email Stephen at captainpugwash@hotmail.co.nz for full details.
168 people attended a reunion in 2017 and the family is hoping for an even better turnout this time around.
A”thank you” to Steve Rush for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.
03/10/26
