Harry Veats revisited

Recently we ran a photo of a seriously impressive collection of horse shoes, owned by veterinary farrier Harry Veats.

Little is known about Mr Veats, says Hamilton Central Libraries’ Perry Rice.  But he has just turned up the above photo, which shows that at some point, possibly before World War One, our farrier friend operated on Victoria St.

“According to trade directories of 1910 and 1930 he conducted his business in the ‘Railway Leases’ area on the north side of Ward Street, very close to the saleyards and, more importantly, the horse bazaar. His business would likely have been about where Centre Place starts in Ward Street which was at the time, the agriculture centre of Hamilton.

“Henry Hamilton Veats married Mary Ellen Willis in 1902. ‘Harry’ Veats and his wife Mary Ellen lived at 69 Collingwood Street for some years until about 1940. They are on the 1938 electoral roll at that address but, and this is where researching a person’s story is a bit sad sometimes, in the 1941 electoral roll, Mary Ellen Veats is in Milton Street and now a widow. I discovered that Harry died sometime during April to June 1940. In the 1945 electoral roll Mary Ellen is not listed.”

Perry concludes that he wants to think Mrs Veats lived a long and happy retirement in a pleasant spot by the sea.  “There are no listings in the White Pages for Veats so there may have been no descendents or there may only have been daughters.”

Perry Rice

Hamilton Central Libraries

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Number 8 Network - a community website for the rural areas northeast of Hamilton, NZ, is run by Gordonton journalist/editor Annette Taylor.

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