03.1 Margaret Ayson (Doull) 1845 - 1927

Margaret, eldest daughter of Alexander and Joan was 10 years of age when her parents arrived in New Zealand.

 

She was short in stature, with a mass of curly hair, but vigorous and energetic all the same.

 

She was married to David Doull at First Church manse in Dunedin by Rev Dr Burns.

 

David was a successful watchmaker in Dunedin who arrived on the "Jura" in 1862 and moved to Milton.   He could see the possibilities in land development.   With his brother-in-law, Thomas, he made a thorough inspection of unoccupied land in the Wyndham district and settled for a block of 1750 acres at Glenham in 1867.  They went in largely for cattle.   In 1873, David and Margaret Doull were granted two sections of land totalling 1200 acres.  They were big landowners being in possession of 4977 acres in Southland and 2412 acres in the North Island.   Although they owned land at Menzies Ferry they did not live on the property.

 

The North Island (Gisborne) property was a  large run and there the stock became infested with scab, resulting in substantial financial loss.   With their young family they shifted back to the Crescent and the dairy farm was developed  into a herd of 100.   They had their own privately owned dairy factory  and  in  addition  were  the  largest suppliers to the Wyndham Dairy Factory.

 

The four daughters trained under the Sawers Brothers at the Edendale training school, and were all certificated cheese makers.  The following is a quote from John Sawers :"The Crescent Dairy Farm of David Doull, Wyndham, has been declared a factory suitable for the manufacture of cheese of Section 6 of the Dairy Industry Act 1892 and a certificate issued accordingly.  This is a well­ built  and  well-equipped  dairy  capable  of inspection of buildings, equipment, etc. they were refused."

 

David Doull never learned to milk but his wife, Margaret, was an excellent milker, as were the daughters.   Said Nana Glass, "We didn't have time to grow!"   All were short in stature.   Milking was the only time they sat down and at peak times in the season each one milked 25 cows by hand morning and night.   She adds " The milking times were times we sang and even the cows enjoyed music - especially when the Black family from Invercargill played their violins in the milking shed!"

 

David Doull continued as a watchmaker and jeweller, having a business in Wyndham to which he went each day.   In 1887 he went back to Scotland to see his elderly mother, now blind, and on business for the shop.   His mother died as he was on the journey back to New Zealand .

 

Each year, in opposition to the Wyndham races, a picnic was held at the Crescent with folk coming out from Invercargill for the day.   With David being of Quaker descent, family worship was regular in the Doull home, held after the evening meal.   Margaret continued this pattern after her husband's death.

 

The Crescent  was  sold  in 1903 to Peter Campbell.   The Doull family then shifted to Christchurch for a time and later to Timaru where daughter Elizabeth had a serious operation for goitre, then known as Graves disease.

 

Alexander, the only son of David and Margaret, was farming at Henley and David once again went back to the country lifestyle.   Their home was built above the level of any known Taieri flood.   In 1918 a record flood "brought a hare to seek shelter on our verandah,"wrote Margaret Doull to her eldest daughter, Joan Hair, in Gisborne.   This flood resulted in their decision to sell the Henley property.

 

Their final retirement home was to be "Dilkusha " at Abbotsford. David died there in 1921, aged 84, and Margaret died in 1927, aged 81.

 

Margaret was an avid reader -"a good traveller by the fire" was how she described herself. She had a keen mind and a very good memory.

 

 

David and Margaret's fourth daughter, Margaret, was called Ettie, though later in life lovingly known to all as Nana Glass.   Nana was the longest-living member of the clan, falling short of the century by just seven weeks.

 

Nana Glass used to tell a lovely story of her father's visit to Scotland. David's sister, on answering the door, didn't recognise her now bearded brother, but his mother, knew the voice and called out, "Come awa in David".