Maker: Sheridan Bishop

Panel number: 419

Petition sheet number: 508

Person honouring: Caroline Norman

Relationship to maker: Great-grandmother

Caroline Flower was born in 1857 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, to Margaret Jones, dressmaker and John Flower, a railway policeman. John was originally from Bristol. The following year John left for Australia; Margaret followed with her two children in 1861 on the SS Great Britain. 

In April 1862 Margaret and John had twins in Ballarat, Australia.

John joined the Waikato Militia in January 1864 but died at Queens Redoubt, Pokeno, leaving Margaret destitute at Onehunga barracks with four children. Margaret remarried, to Robert Menzies on 17 October 1865 and the family moved to Feilding. 

Daughter Caroline, aged 17, married James Martin Norman [33] on 17 October 1874 in Feilding. The couple had 13 children. By 1905, after James had died, Caroline had moved to Petone to live with her daughter Caroline and her son James. 

Caroline died on 3 June 1911 at Regent Street, Petone, two days before her 56th birthday. She was buried at Taita cemetery.

Panel materials: Tea-dyed calico. I have included symbols of dressmaking to commemorate my gt-gt grandmother (dressmaking scissors) and also my grandmother (tatting) and my mother (dressmaking). Also a piece of lace I made. I am not sure if Caroline was also a seamstress. The portrait was copied from a photo I had printed in the USA. The photo stood on top of my grandmother’s piano all the time I knew her. I used embroidery threads given to me by my sister, Virginia. Another sister, Christine, did the research on Caroline.