Abel, born in 1825, married Elizabeth, daughter of
Cornish miner Henry Crougey and his wife Grace Willmott, at the Wesleyan Chapel
in Pirie Street on 25 February 1854. They settled in Moonta and were to have
six children, all born in South Australia. Elizabeth, born in 1854, only lived
for two weeks. Their next child was another daughter on 27 January 1856 named
Elizabeth as well but better known as Bessy. A son, Abel was born in 1858
followed by another daughter, Esther Ann also in 1860. Four years later, in
1864, John Henry was born.
The year 1864 turned out to be a disastrous one for
Abel and Elizabeth. On 25 April four years old Abel died of croup. A month
later, on 20 May, they lost four months old John Henry followed by Esther Ann
on 24 May. They were buried at the Moonta Cemetery On 6 July 1867 Abel and
Elizabeth had another child. Being a boy they named him Abel.
Sufferings like these were not unknown in the Rowe
family. As far back as 1846 William Rowe lost his two little daughters Susan
and Priscilla. Naturally Abel and Elizabeth had heard from their brothers in
New Zealand about some of the fabulous gold discoveries there. After discussing
it with his recently widowed brother Samuel they decided to make the move to
New Zealand where they arrived in 1869.
In 1870 Abel and Elizabeth had a son and called him
William Wesley. Esther Ann's birth in Grahamstown, Thames was celebrated by
Abel and Elizabeth two years later on 5 October 1872. John Henry, their last
born son arrived in March 1875 but sadly passed away just eight months later.
Abel secured the management of the Prince Imperial
mine in New Zealand and in 1872 it was reported that he had attained ‘a success
thoroughly merited by the skill and patient attention he has bestowed upon the
mine’. In May 1874 daughter Elizabeth, born in 1856, married Henry Goldsworthy,
son of Cornish miner, John Goldsworthy and Elizabeth Richards.
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