Pre 1848 Settlers of Otago and Southland

Alexander Duthie was born in Kirriemuir, Forfarshire (now Angus), Scotland 16 March 1814, his parents being:  John Duthie and his wife Margaret Whamond.    He had siblings Helen (baptised 31 March 1815, John Ritchie (baptised 15 November 1818), William (baptised 1 October 1820), Janet (baptised September 1823), Edward Wilkie (baptised 20 August 1828), David Webster (baptised 6 November 1829).

Alexander emigrated from Scotland as one of a family party of four in the New Zealand Compnay ship "Lady Nugent" which sailed from Gravesend 21 October 1840 and arrived in Port Nicolson 17 March1841.   The other members of the family party were his sister Helen, her husband Peter Bruce and their baby Diana;  the Bruces settles at Taita, Hutt Valley, and Diana in 1860 married John Speedy of Burnview Station near Cape Turnagain, southern Hawkes Bay.
Alexander worked as a surveyor's labourer for the New Zealand Company in the Wellington-Wairarapa areas from 1841 to 1846.   On 19 December 1842 he was married in Wellington by Rev J MacFarlane (Presbyterian) to Jane Martin, a fellow passenger in the "Lady Nugent".

Jane Martin was born in Moneymore townland, by Maghera town, Co. Londonderry, Ireland, 15 January 1815, her parents being John Martin and his wife Jane Shiels.   Jane had an older brother, Robert, born 1809 and a younger sister, Rebecca, born 1817.   Her mother died in 1817 and in 1818 her father married Sarah Espie who had children:  Edward born 1819, John born 1822, Thomas born 1823, Sarah born 1825, 

Margaret born 1828, Joseph born 1831, William born 1832 and James born 1834.
John Martin and his second wife Sarah both died in 1838, after which the family, on the advice of their uncle Dr Robert Espie, were persuaded to emigrate.   Dr Espie had been a surgeon in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, after which he was employed in convict ships to Australia as a naval surgeon and agent, doing 9 trips between 1816 and 1836.   While he had a brother, George, who was a boat builder in Hobart, there is no record of Dr Robert Espie visiting New Zealand, and no obvious reason why he advised emigration to New Zealand rather than to Australia.
The Martin family party which sailed in the "Lady Nugent" from Gravesend 21 October 1840 comprised Robert Martin (born 1809, widower, his late wife being Eliza Mackrill (who died 1838), his 3 children, James Mackrill born 1833, Jane born c1835 and John born 1837;  his sister Jane born 1815, second sister Rebecca born 1817, her husband Edward Hazlett (they were married 11 March 1840).   Also included were the eight children of John Martin and his second wife Sarah Espie, listed above, and two maids Mary Gray and Eliza Paul.   James Martin born 1834, youngest son of John Martin and Sarah Espie, and Mary Gray died on the voyage.   The family party which left 'Derry numbered 17 including the two maids.
A family party of Campbells from Derrynoids, cousins of the Martins, emigrated in the "Lady Nugent" also.

Alexander Duthie and Jane Martin had 3 children in Wellington:  twins (sex(es) unknown, date of birth unknown, died in infancy), and Sarah born 1844.   Sarah did not marry, died Milton 12 December 1926.

Charles Kettle, assistant surveyor to William Mein Smith in the Wellingtion-Wararapa areas for the New Zealand Company, had been made redundant in 1843 and returned to England;  there he became an advocate for the Otago settlement of the New Zealand Company, returning to Wellington in the "Mary Catherine" late in 1845.   There he recruited surveying staff, coming south to Otago in this ship arriving at Otakou 23 February 1846.   Included in this voyage from Wellington were Alexander Duthie, his wife Jane Martin and their daughter Sarah, together with Jane's brother Robert and her half brother Edward.
Mention is made at this point that Jane's half brother Thomas was already in Otago, having been recruited by Johnny Jones to work on one of his farms (Cherry Farm?) at Waikouaiti.

The Duthies lived initially at Koputai (later Port Chalmers), then in Dunedin, Alexander working in survey parties as a sawyer or chainman.   When the survey work was completed about June 1847, most surveyors and assistants returned to Wellington in the cutter "Leven" which, after calling at Port Levy , Banks Peninsula, was lost with all on board.   The Duthies and Martins, however, decided to stay in Otago, a factor in the Duthies' case being that Jane had come to be relied upon by Mrs Kettle as a faithful companion.   Also Jane was pregnant.   Kettle employed Alex Duthie, Robert and Edward Martin to build a jetty for the future use of the Scotch Free Church settlers, this jetty being at Pelichet Bay, near the mouth of the Water of Leith.   They dragged the piles by bullock wagon from Pine Hill.   Captain Cargill, disapproving of the situation of the jetty, employed Alex Duthie, Robert Martin and James Cullen to build a second jetty at the situation which became Jetty Street.   Rev Dr Thomas Burns contracted Alex Duthie,Edward Martin and Thomas Brooks to fell the bush at "The Glen" or Grants Braes.   

The Duthies moved from Dunedin to Tokomairiro in 1852, taking up land on what is now Back Road, Tokoiti.   In February 1854 Rev Dr Burns introduced Rev Bannerman to the congregation there in a service held in the Duthies' house.   Other members of the Martin family settled in the neighbourhood:  Robert, Thomas, Edward (who named his farm Moneymore), Joseph, William, Sarah (Mrs Louis Dawson) and Margaret (Mrs James Chapman Smith of Greenfield).   Alex Duthie established a carrying business in 1861 to service the gold fields at Gabriel's Gully.

Alex Duthie and his wife Jane Martin had the following children in Otago:

Alexander Duthie died at Milton 6 January 1863, his widow Jane, continuing to farm successfully for many years and to bring up her family, died at Milton 26 October 1897.