Assorted documents relating to Vivian Millin.

a) Basildon Bond sketchbook made by John Dickinson. On the inside front cover is a sketch of a woman's face. The next page is a blotting page with many overlapping scribbles of ink on both sides of the page. On the final page there is a loose sheet with a sketch of a woman seated in an armchair next to a table with a lamp. The woman's face is the same as the subject of the sketch on the inside front cover.

b) Handwritten list of the original family names of Samuel and Jane Manson who arrived in Lyttleton in 1842 aboard the ship, Thomas Harrison. They travelled with the Deans and Gebbie families. The list includes the names of the children and their married names or spouses names. The list also indicates that John and his wife Jane (nee Reeves) were of the writer's branch of the family.

c) Handwritten list relating to Mabel Jane Manson and Frederick George Millin. It includes their places and dates of birth and a column of numbers.

d) Brown envelope from the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Association Limited addressed to Miss A C M Christy of 3 Coote Road, Napier and postmarked 20 September 1955. The reverse of the envelope has handwritten notes on the marriage story of Samuel Powdrell, his fiance from England, his farm called Farndon, and his brothers.

e) Typed sheet with facts about Mr Millin's farm.

f) A card from Dorothy and Mardie-Gwen Latham to Mrs Millin and Viv [Vivian Millin], undated. The card has an image of a magnolia on the front. The message on the card includes mention of birthday gifts, the weather, Betty collecting mineral specimens at Awapawanui Beach, and Mr Murphy of St John's nursery. They ask after Viv's head and make mention of Elizabeth Leeser's engagement.

g) A piece of paper with real estate advertisements on the reverse. The blank side has handwritten notes about the writer's great-grandfather Kettle and his narrow escape from being murdered by Australia's Kelly gang. There is also a note that a slippery disaster in Sydney harbour prevented the family from being born in Tasmania. A final note states that these are tales that the recipient might not yet have heard.

h) A note on the reverse of a genealogical chart. The chart carries the name of Samuel Manson, born in 1848 in Lyttleton, married in 1880 to Miss Kettle of Greymouth. The chart and note are from Mary Manson Horne of Salt lake City and addressed to Mr Samuel Manson, dated 20 December 1944. The note explains that Mary Manson Horne is trying to trace her relatives from the Shetland Isles who went to Australia and then New Zealand and that she would like his help.

i) A typed manuscript entitled: A Link with the Past. Undated and unsigned. The manuscript includes information on: the death of Mrs M J Millin, her descent from one of Canterbury's earliest pioneer families, and her husband's descent from the pioneers of the Woodville district; Mrs Millin's parents opened up land in Westland, Wellington, Hawke's Bay and the King Country; her great-grand-aunt's (Mrs Jean Orton of Auckland) being the the first white child born on the plains; the family arriving on the Thomas Harrison in 1842; joining with the Deans and Gebbie families; crossing the Avon to Riccarton and beyond; establishing a cattle farm on Banks Peninsula; the name of estate, Kains Hill Ranch; the historical stories and interests of Mrs Millin and her son; and a family ghost.

j) A duplicate of the typed manuscript entitled: A Link with the Past.

k) A letter from Ellen of Hokitika to her cousin Viv [Vivian Millin], dated 29 July 1963. The author writes about her sadness at his mother's death and her surprise at the way he mailed her the Daily Telegraph with the announcement. She writes about some of her memories of her aunt and asks if there are any other Mansons still living in Napier. She writes that Ruby's mother was in a home in Napier and her husband Robert and she went to manage the farms while Arnold and Mary had a holiday in Nelson with Melva; Dave and Gordon went to the North Island to visit some aunts and uncles but are back and happily farming. She writes about the weather, a greenstone factory down the street, helicopters from Nelson that rescue people lost in the mountains, and invites Viv to the coast for a holiday.

l) A letter from Fred Jacobs of Greymouth to Mr Millin, dated 11 August 1963. He writes in response to a newspaper death notice for Mabel Manson which noted that Vivian Millin was trying to trace the family genealogy. Fred Jacobs notes that he knew both sides. He mentions the Kettle family of Greymouth and the Manson family and includes information on Mabel Manson's father's siblings.

m) A letter from Peter Fircuitt (?) of Hastings to Mr Millin, dated 15 September 1963. The author commiserates about the loss of Mr Millin's mother as he recently lost Peg and writes that he has no records of sales of greenstone. He invites him to visit and mentions that his son Skipper is now married. He asks if he would have a phone installed so they could call each other and mentions that his wife Babs would love to see Viv again.

n) A letter from Mr Millin to Mr Jacobs, undated. Mr Millin reminisces about his recently deceased mother and writes of visiting his great-aunt Emma and her daughter Vi (Gertie) Kettle who live in Lower Hutt after the earthquake destroyed their house in Greymouth. He sends the Daily Telegraph with the obituary and reflects on his mother's state of mind and health before her death, and the events on the evening of her death and her passing. Mr Millin requests that he write down everything he knows about his family in Greymouth and the details of the sale of the family's farm.

o) A letter from Edna Manson (Mrs Cyril Manson) of Leeston to Mr Millin, dated 25 August 1963. Though not of the Manson line herself, Edna Manson wrote this letter on behalf of her husband, Cyril Manson, and was prompted to write after seeing the notice of Mrs Millin's death. She writes about having a photo of Samuel and Jane Manson and 17 children, and details her own family, her husband's parents and their children. She provides details of the Manson marriages from the first Samuel to settle in Lyttleton down to her husband and that Kain Hill is now out of the Manson Family.