MARSTERS OF PALMERSTON

A unique family​ saga

Building a Dynasty
William Marsters' second, third and fourth 'wives'

William ​​Marsters second "wife" on Palmerston, Tepou Tinioi was NOT, as widely documented, a sister but a cousin of his first, as was his third "wife", Matavia. Tepou bore him six children. The eldest, Marion, drowned at sea when the 'Araura' was lost off Aitutaki. Matavia was first married to a Jean Baptiste Fernadez (or Fernandos) who jumped his whaling ship at Manuae to join Marsters who was on the island at the time and accompanied Marsters back to Palmerston.

Fernandez and Matavia had one son of their own, Mahuta, and three other children who are thought to have been William's because they were fair skinned, whereas Fernandez is said to have been a dark skinned man, probably from Goa. Fernandez had a big row with Marsters about the parentage and subsequently abandoned Matavia. He drowned on 5th March, 1898 (not 1895 as is often reported) after falling overboard from the schooner, Torea which had just set sail from Rarotonga, bound for Atiu. Some reports say he was drunk...others that he was very infirm and hardly able to walk.

Matavia and Marsters married and she gave him a total of seven children. It's also significant that these births were recorded as MaRsters rather than Masters...as far as I can establish, the first official record of the name being spelled with the R in the middle

A home to house the growing family

This house (today next to the Church) remains a testament to the skills, hard work and commitment of William Marsters to making Palmerston his home. It's built from timbers from three wrecked ships, but, mainly from those of the vessel 'Annie Laurie' which foundered on the reef soon after he arrived on the island. William built several other houses too. It's a remarkable structure,  and the only one on Palmerston to survive a major hurricane in 1926.  It's described in detail in an Australian newspaper of 1894:

"The timber, excepting being cleaned and in some instances planed, was used just as it came from the wreck. The result is that he has rafters 24 by 24 ; ridgepoles, 12 by 12; uprights, 18 by 12 and 18 by 24 ; door posts, 24 by 24; while the boarding of the houses and the flooring are of 12 by 4 and 4 by 3, resting on timbers 18 by 12 and other light pieces of timber. The doorsteps are of 18 by 12 and 20 and 25 feet long. The nails used in the houses are ship's bolts."

A fourth Palmerston 'wife'?

Most reports say William had only three (Palmerston) "wives", but William's great great granddaughter, the (now late) Yolande Browne researched the family tree and confirmed for me that there was definitely a fourth. She was called Arehata and the couple had one daughter, Ritia. She married a Penrhyn trader called William Ford and nothing more seems to be known. Yolande's confirmation is very important.  Previously, the only reference to the fourth wife was in the meticulously researched book 'Sisters in the Sun' by A.S. Helm and W.H. Percival. Only the first three "wives" are recognised in the Marsters lineage with rights to the island.

The next part of the saga

William's fight for ownership of Palmerston

  The content of the pages headed "Marsters of Palmerston" are the product of original research by the website author and all rights are reserved and all sources acknowledged here. ​The author is a journalist, not an academic but you are welcome to use this material in academic research with the suggested citation "John Roberts, author of www.cookislands. org.uk". Please contact the author about use for any other purpose

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