John Rod
[5] In 1892, John became the guardian of his sister-in-law, Harriet Mary Jones' three young sons, moving them to his home and providing education in Johnsonville.
[7] John died on 13 January 1920 aged 63y in his home at Dr Taylor Terrace, Johnsonville and was buried in (the old) Porirua Cemetery.
His slaughter yard was probably the source of meat for the butchers shop trading as Rod Marks & Co, in Adelaide Road.
[10] Subsequently, John continued to reside at Porirua Ferry, but using Thomas Bosher's address, he offered to lease a shop and also a slaughter house and paddock.
[12] In 1887, John took a lease to purchase a house and shop on the corner of Main Road and Railway Terrace, Johnsonville.
[21] In 1903, John was appointed to the board of directors of the Wellington and Marlborough Cement, Lime and Coal Company[22] however, he remained a significant meat supplier operating two slaughter houses, one in Johnsonville and also at the Porirua site until it was destroyed by fire in 1908.
[23] John had a keen interest in civic matters and became a JP in 1889 and in September 1898, he was elected as one of the five commissioners for the Town District of Johnsonville.
In 1909, he presided over negotiations to have electric lighting and power for public and private use installed in Johnsonville by Norman Heath & Co.[24] In 1910, Rod considered proposals to provide water and drainage to the district.
He was among several Johnsonville residents, including James Wareham the hotelkeeper, who were prosecuted for conducting an illegal pig and goose lottery.
Their defence lawyer argued that the practice was an ancient Christmas tradition, a hereditary custom with Englishmen; however, the Judge imposed "New Zealand" fines upon all the accused.
[29] In July 1902, Frances Thomas Moore threatened to kill the acting Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward.
John and Elizabeth Rod with some family members were driving their trap past the Johnsonville Railway station when "the engine was started almost under the nose of their horse."
For a period of time, Thomas became Jabez Marks' debt collector and John Rod's property agent.
[36] Soon after his arrival in Wellington, Jabez and Henry Saint formed a partnership with John Rod and opened a butchers shop in Adelaide Road.
In 1881, Jabez appointed Thomas Bosher as his Wellington debt collection agent[39] and then moved to Auckland where he worked for Enoch Wood, a butcher in Symonds Street.
Jabez took over Wood's business and then expanded into several more shops eventually forming the Auckland Meat Company with partners Oliver Nicholson and Murdoch McLean.
[36] Henry and Jabez appear to have lived at the back of the butcher's shop they operated in Adelaide Road, Wellington.
[42] He was born in Staines, Middlesex, the son of a pharmacist, Edward George Jones (1828-1837) and Anna Elizabeth Bragg (1832-1905).
[45] Lydia produced another son, Sidney Owen Jones (1891-1980); however, Edward senior died soon after when he contracted Typhoid Fever during the Te Aro epidemic of 1892.
Francis and Roy attended Johnsonville Primary School before becoming butchers in Rod’s enterprise[47] and later with Jabez Marks in Auckland.
