Biography

WILLIAM N BLAIR

Burial register ID: 6176
Surname: BLAIR
First name: WILLIAM
Middle names: N
Gender: Male
Age: 50 Years
Cause of death: Unknown
Burial type:
Date of death: 06-May-1891
Date of burial: 08-May-1891

Block: 110
Plot: 14
Inscription:

In Memory of William Newsham Blair, M.Inst. C.E.

Engineer in chief of New Zealand.

who died at Wellington On 4th May 1891 In his 50th year.

Erected by officers past and present of the Public Works Dept as a

mark of the esteem in which he was held by them.

In Loving Memory Of Tom Kennedy, third son of W. N. Blair

born 18 May 1872 died 30 August 1882

also Jessie Sinclair Robinson eldest daughter died 1st Feb. 1947

Claris Vida Stanley Taylor died 5 August 1971 aged 67 years.

Mary, wife of above born Oban, Scotland 26 April, 1841 died

London 29 July, 1917

David Ker Blair, eldest son of above

died at Wellington 29 May 1944 in his 77th year;

Elizabeth Cumming Blair wife of above died at

New Plymouth 17th June, 1954

Jessie Sinclair Robinson eldest daughter, died 1 February, 1947

Neville Blair Mangaweka, died Edinburgh 5 May 1973 aged 56.

[Monument is a very tall red and pink marble Celtic Cross of stone]

Bio contributor: Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust

William Newsham Blair (1841-1891)

Blair was from Islay in Scotland and was apprenticed as a civil engineer and surveyor in Oban. By 1863 he had arrived in New Zealand & was employed by the Otago Provincial Government planning railways, bridges and the harbour works at Port Chalmers.

In 1871 Blair was made district engineer for the Public Works Department at a time when the general government took over responsibility for the railways.

Blair was known for his extensive exploration and planning of railway schemes throughout the South Island including the Otago Central and the Canterbury Midland lines.

He was made Assistant Chief Engineer in 1884 and was promoted in 1890 to Engineer in Chief as well as Under-Secretary for Public Works.


William Blair
Source: Hocken Library, Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, Dunedin, 208

There are 6 Interments in this grave:

Surname First names Age Date of death Date of burial
BLAIR DAVID ISLAY 79 Years 07-Jan-1993 11-Jan-1993
BLAIR DAVID KER Unknown 01-Jun-1944 01-Jun-1944
BLAIR ELIZABETH CUMMING Unknown 17-Jun-1954 20-Jun-1954
BLAIR THOMAS KENNEDY 10 Years 30-Aug-1882 01-Sep-1882
BLAIR WILLIAM N 50 Years 06-May-1891 08-May-1891
TAYLOR CLARICE VIDA STANLEY 67 Years 05-Aug-1971 08-Aug-1971