I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud: Captain James Ninnis

Friday, December 10, 2010

Captain James Ninnis

Mansion House 1800s

In January my family is going to a family reunion on Kawau Island for all the decedents of Captain James Ninnis who is my great great great great great grandfather! Yes five greats! He is Dads greatX4 grandfather. My family is quite into family history and family trees. It's quite interesting too.

Mansion House Captain present day

James Ninnis was born in 1809 in Cornwall. He came to live in New Zealand to work in copper mines he built Mansion House on Kawau Island where the reunion is to be held. He and his wife Johanna, had 14 children, 11 of which were girls. My family descends from his second eldest daughter, Elizabeth.

I have a copy of a poem Captain Ninnis wrote for his daughters writing a verse for each one. This is the verse about Elizabeth my great great great great grandmother:

Libbie- one of the best, of earth's treasures,

Of excellence combined, no one out-measures,

So dearly beloved, by sisters and brothers,

Her example might well be copied by others.

I also have a copy of a photo of Captain Ninnis and his 11 daughters which was taken about 1863! There is not much family resemblance between them. Elizabeth is the second from left standing. She is the only one not looking but looks up to her right with a pleasant expression on her face. She must have been a nice person to know.

3 comments:

UnknownJanuary 3, 2011 at 2:10 PM
Hi Felicity, great site. I am descendended from Lydia. My mother will be at the reunion on 9th (this sunday) too. I'm in the UK and cannot attend, should be a great day.
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I Wandered Lonely as a CloudJanuary 5, 2011 at 12:21 AM
Oh wow Cool! So we are very distant cousins!! :)
Everyone seems to have found my Ninnis blog post!
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UnknownJanuary 5, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Yes its a great site. I must be mad :-) I'm descended from James daughter Malinda not Lydia. Was geeting confused with another family line.
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I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud: William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.