Appo Hocton
Appo Hocton (c. 1819 – 26 September 1920), with a birth name of Wong Ahpoo Hock Ting or Wong Ah Poo Hock Ting, his Chinese name was 黃鶴庭，[citation needed] was a Chinese-born New Zealand servant, landlord, carter and farmer. Born in about 1819, or as late as 1823,[1] he was the first recorded Chinese emigrant to New Zealand, arriving in Nelson on the Thomas Harrison on 25 October 1842.[2]
Hocton purchased land in Nelson's Washington Valley, where he built eight cottages, four of which still exist today; they are located at 40 Washington Road, and nearby at 16, 38, and 40 Hastings Street.[2]
In 1876 Appo Hocton moved to Dovedale, Tasman onto a 485-acre block of land near Brandy Creek, after clearing the land Appo farmed cattle and sheep.[3] On the 12 June 1879, he lost his son, Albert Ah Lina Hocton, to an accidental homicide by his other son, Appo Lewis Hocton.[4] His wife, Ellen, died at 89 years old near the 21 December 1916.[5] His eldest son, William Rowling, died on the 31 January 1919.[6] Appo himself died on the 26 September 1920 at the purported age of 97, although obituaries from the time claim that he had recently celebrated his 100th birthday.[7] He was buried at Dovedale Cemetery although some believe he was buried behind his home at Dovedale.
References
- ^ Malone, C. B. "Appo Hocton". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Appo Hocton, Nelson 055". Wikimedia Commons. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ Stade, Karen (2010). Appo Hocton : Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting : New Zealand's first Chinese immigrant, Nelson, 1842-1920. Nelson Provincial Museum. Nelson, N.Z.: The Nelson Provincial Museum. ISBN 9780473161989. OCLC 574619486.
- ^ "CORONER'S INQUEST". Vol. XIV, no. 142 Page 2. Nelson Evening Mail. 16 June 1879. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "DEATHS". No. Page 4. Nelson Evening Mail. 21 December 1916. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "DEATH". Vol. LIII, no. 27, Page 4. Nelson Evening Mail. 1 February 1919. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "A CENTENARIAN". Vol. XXXVII, no. 8388, Page 3. Waipawa Mail. 27 September 1920. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
 | This New Zealand biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |