John Dimes

  General Notes:

John Dimes, born at 4 Britannia Street, Hoxton New Town in London on 13th February 1854 was the sixth and next to last child of Charles Dimes and his second wife Eliza Fells. Charles was a gas fitter. He may have had some training as a silversmith, which was the trade of his father and older brothers but it is known that he followed the occupation of glass and china dealer in the 1820s and 1830s before becoming a gas fitter.
On 28th June 1872 John sailed on the Bebington as an emigrant to New Zealand. He was described as being 21, (having added three years to his age) was single and a gasfitter from Middlesex. The Bebington was a ship of 924 tons which was built in 1859. She was nicknamed 'The Old Tub' and was one of the slowest boats on the New Zealand run. On this voyage she arrived in Wellington on 25th October 1872 having taken almost 4 months. John's passage was assisted to the sum of £13 and twenty years later he still owed £8 of that money.
John found employment with Wellington City Council as a plumber and worked for them for 47 years until his retirement, the last 23 years as waterworks overseer, as noted in an undated newspaper cutting on the occasion of his retirement when he was presented with a pair of field glasses.
Some time in 1880 John married Esther Gillie in the Wellington area and they had a son, Charles Andrew, later that year. A second son, John Percival, was born in 1882 and another boy, Ernest Stanley, in 1883. Unfortunately both these latter children died young, Ernest in 1884 and John Percival in 1888 John and Esther were divorced, he being the petitioner. The decree was made absolute on 9th December 1891.
John married for a second time in 1902 and started another family. His second wife was Frances Simonek, who was about 20 years younger than him. In 1905 living at 45 Austin Street, Wellington, then in 1910 at 10 Austin Street, then in 1918 and 1924 of 45 Waipapa Road, Haitai, Wellington.They had eight children and John was 64 when the youngest, William, was born, so that when he died of a stroke on 2nd March 1924 William was only six years old. John had only recently retired.
John Dimes, married for a second time in 1902 and started another family. His second wife was Frances Simonek, who was about 20 years younger than him. They had eight children and John was 64 when the youngest, William, was born, so that when he died of a stroke on 2nd March 1924 William was only 6 years old. John was buried two days later in Karori cemetery. Frances was left to bring up the youngest members of the family. She sold their house at 45 Waipapa Road, Haitaitai, Wellington, and moved to 45 Palm Avenue. Frances, like her husband, died of a stroke in September 1952 and was buried at Karori.

John married Esther Gillie, daughter of Andrew Gillie and Jessie McGregor, in 1880 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Esther Gillie was born on 9 Nov 1858 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died on 12 Jan 1933 in Wellington, New Zealand.)

John next married Franciszka Simonek, daughter of Jacob Simonek and Catharina, in 1902. (Franciszka Simonek was born about 1874 in Poland, died on 28 Sep 1952 in Karori, Wellington, New Zealand and was buried in 1952 in Karori, Wellington, New Zealand.)