Waldemar Stanislas MALAQUIN

Waldemar Stanislas MALAQUIN.

1859-1926

Born in Orleans, France around 1859 to a man of quite high standing in the courts of Europe, particularly Russia and France. Waldemar must have traveled widely and mixed with some of the regency of the time, at an early age. It is believed he was in the same schoolroom as Nicholas II. Waldemar was the fourth child of Olivier and Euphrosyne. He had two sisters and three brothers. The 1871 census of Leicester states that they were all born in France except the youngest, Joseph, who was born in Warsaw, Poland.

I know little of his early life, but have found Waldemar with his mother and brothers and sisters on the English 1871 census living in Leicester, Leicestershire, England. Olivier is not present, I do not know if he was in the country or not.

I believe that both of Euphrosyne’s parents were dead by this time, so am not sure why she was here. They are not living with any relatives as far as I can tell.

The next time I find Waldemar in any documents is another census, this time the 1881, and probably on his way to New Zealand, if that in fact was his intention at the start of his travel. He is with a family of TURNERS in Thrussington, Leicestershire. Thrussington isn’t very far from Leicester, so maybe they were acquaintances he had made on earlier visits to his mother’s home, or distant relatives. He stated that he was 21,unmarried and a ‘Boot Agent’. I have not been able to find a connection to the TURNERs at this stage.

Waldemar eventually sailed from the London Docks at noon on 31 Mar 1882, on the ‘Rangitiki’. Captain T.M Milman was in charge of the ship that took 96 days, England to New Zealand. Arriving in Lyttelton on 05 July 1882.

There were only 34 passengers on this sailing, I imagine that Waldemar, if he were a good sailor, would have kept the other passengers well entertained. It appears that it was an eventful voyage in terms of the weather, with no winds until the ship was half way through its journey, it must have seemed a long way to NZ. There was one death on board, the ships’ butcher.

I have not been able to find the passenger list with Waldemar's name on it, this is because he was not an assisted immigrant rather he paid for his fare himself. National Archives only have passenger lists of assisted immigrants. However we can find his name in the newspaper announcing the ship’s arrival.

On the 15 August 1883 Waldemar married Elizabeth Ann ELLIS in the Registrars Office in Rangiora. The witnesses were a Mr & Mrs DRUIKWELL, at this stage Elizabeth was Church of England so maybe this has some bearing on the fact that they weren’t married in a church, but as to why Rangiora and not Christchurch, we may never know. According to their Intention to Marry application, both Waldemar and Elizabeth had been living in Rangiora for about three weeks.

In 1884 Waldemar and Elizabeth had their first child George Alexander, they were living in Linwood and Waldemar gave his occupation as Warehouseman. One more child, Martha Euphrosina, was born in 1886 before the family moved to Sydney, Australia for a few years.It was here in 1893 that Noemi Gabrielle was born.

While in Sydney I believe that Waldemar and his brother Joseph tried going into business together or at least that Waldemar worked for Joseph. But by 1895 the MALAQUINs are back in New Zealand for the birth of Emile Pierre Pio, they are again living in Linwood although they have moved houses a few times, Waldemar had listed his job as traveler.

On the 17 September 1896 Waldemar swore an oath to ‘Her Majesty Queen Victoria’ and became a New Zealand citizen. It cost him two shillings and six pence.

Elizabeth had two more children Frederic Charles in 1898 and Stanislas Olivier in 1900.

Waldemar Stanislas = Elizabeth Ann

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George A Martha E Noemi G Emile P Frederic C Stanislas O

It is in 1896 that Waldemar began calling himself a Professor of French. I strongly believe that he had no qualifications for this, in 1921 he is listed in The New Zealand Gazette as an assistant teacher. Probably just his proficiency at the language and the fact that his father was a teacher helped him to fulfill his role as a teacher. Ngaio Marsh says in her autobiography" ….that they would have learnt better French from their head mistress than from Monsieur MALAQUIN, had she been the teacher of French…"

I have found Waldemar teaching at Christchurch Boys High, St Margarets and Central New Brighton schools as well as privately in rooms in Columbo Street, & Worcester Street.

While teaching at St Margarets Waldemar wrote and produced plays (in French) for the girls to perform, these plays generally reflected his opinions on French politics. He also conducted a "Cercle Francais".

In 1903 Martha Euphrosina died aged 17 years, she had been ill for quite some time.There are letters at National Archives that Waldemar had written to the Christchurch Council complaining about the fact that Martha’s headstone had been vandalized.

Waldemar also was a member of The New Brighton Borough Council for a time.

I was once told of a newspaper article detailing Waldemar’s attempt to burn his home down and with it Elizabeth. At the time of writing I have not been able to locate this article but by 1911 Elizabeth was no longer living with Waldemar, but with family- Emile & Doris. Waldemar was living with a woman who it seems was his mistress, Henrietta BOWLER who was also a French Tutor, and a keen musician.

In 1918 Waldemar appears in the ‘Weekly Press’ in an article about some German Churchs’ bells being destroyed. "….Mr Malaquin, a Frenchman of standing in Christchurch was a prime instigator in their removal from the old German Church…." It would appear that Waldemar had been lobbying for the destruction of the old bells for a while, his French heart no doubt outraged at anything German.

Waldemar seems to the spent his last years estranged from his family. He stayed with various members of his family after Elizabeth died, he then moved to a Spiritualist Church, in Pages Road, Christchurch.

He was committed to Sunnyside Hospital, where he spent his last days suffering from Organic Brain disease. He was visited by a son and son in law the night before he died although he was in a coma.

Waldemar died at Sunnyside Hospital on Saturday 09 January 1926, of Cerebral Hemorrhage, he was 68 years old.

Elizabeth had predeceased Waldemar by two years.