Deighton Family Research

Deighton Family Research

After doing some work on my website last weekend, I had found that Horace Arnold Deighton, Brother to Morrel Stanley Deighton, had family and was buried in Auckland.  At that stage I started to plan a trip to Takapuna to visit the grave of Horace and his wife Margaret nee Furniss.  I decided to have a look at this during the following weekend (3rd and 4th October).

On the morning of the 3rd of October while researching Horace and Margaret, I did some quick research on their children.  I found that both daughters had links to the North Shore Cemetery in Greenhithe, so I put plans to get there as well.  I also found that their youngest son Geoffrey Francis had died in Egypt during World War 2, and there quite a few places he was referenced including the Takapuna war memorial, on a plaque at the Holy Trinity Church, and at the Takapuna Grammar School.

The first stop was the Takapuna war memorial to see Geoffreys name as shown below   

Takapuna War Memorial

O'Neill's Point Cemetery

The second stop was at the O’Neill’s Point Cemetery where Horace and Margaret are buried.  It took quite a while to find them as the cemetery is not well kept, and there is no map to show where the areas are, I had to google a map of the cemetery which I found that the website did not contain.  I did find a hand drawn image showing the areas, and after that I was able to find the headstone.

Margaret and Horace are in area T, in plot 122 on the left hand edge of the area

Headstone is a bit hard to read but says the following;

In loving memory

of

Our dear parents

MARGARET DEIGHTON

Died 10th July 1938

and

HORACE ARNOLD DEIGHTON

Died 24th January 1945

 

I did go looking for the Role of honour but could not find it.  I will have to research where this maybe, it was not near the Holy Trinity Church in Devonport.

North Shore Memorial Park Cemetery

The last stop was at the North Shore Cemetery which contained Margaret and Horaces daughter Alice Margaret and her husband William Arthur Leggett.

There was a record for Horace and Margaret’s other daughter Winifred Jean Kelleway, but she was not buried or memorialised in the cemetery, from the looks of it the cremation was done here but the undertaker gave the ashes back to the family.  I will try to find out more, however the links to this family are not close and it may be a while before I can get back into this part of the family.

I also found a memorial plaque for Arthur Leonard Leggett, but cannot find a link to the family. I have taken photos, but until I can find a link I will not pursue any further research on this person.

Overall it was a great day, sun shining with no wind, to get out and do this research.  I was accompanied by Chris Binns, a relative of mine, not related to the Deighton family, but had connections to it through marriage.  She also enjoyed the day.  Given all the restrictions still in place in Auckland this was good for the moral in a way that was not interacting with the living.

I will now have to update my Ancestry tree, Find a grave website, as well as prepare the Cemetery List section of this blog.  This will take a few hours including the writing of this blog post. 

 

 

One Comment

  • Hi
    Thank you for your work on the Deighton Family. I am one of 8 children from the marriage of Alice Margaret Deighton and William Arthur leggett. We lived on the North Shore for most of our early lives and some of my siblings have done a fair bit of work on our ancestry. I didn’t know that our uncle, Geoffrey Francis Deighton was cited at the Holy Trinity Church. They were Anglican so it makes sense although my parents both converted to Catholicism. I have seen the Takapuna memorial and the Takapuna Grammar memorial. Also the grave sites.
    I look forward to any further info you unearth.
    Barbara Docherty (nee Leggett)

    Reply

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