Family Enquiries

Yesterday, we were visited by the granddaughter, great-granddaughter and great-grandson of Dan & Johanna Lynch. Originally from County Kerry, Ireland, Dan & Johanna arrived in Auckland on the ship, Hydaspes, in 1873. They spent a little time in Gisborne but spent all of their years in Otautau.

Dan was one of the early blacksmiths of the town. His shop on Main Street was approximately where the St John and Simple Systems buildings are now. The picture above shows Dan standing next to a white horse at his former blacksmith shop which had been taken over by Sheedy in 1913.

Dan also ran the mail service from Otautau to Scotts Gap with a horse and buggy. He was known for his reliability regardless of the weather. The white horse is the last to have been used for the mail run.

Dan died in 1919, age 80; Johanna in 1931. They had seven sons, who at various times played on the Otautau Football team.

It's always wonderful to meet the descendants of early settlers, and this visit was no exception.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!