Draft:Suisted Family
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Submission declined on 6 September 2026 by Theroadislong (talk).
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Submission declined on 2 September 2026 by Helpful Raccoon (talk). This draft appears to contain text generated by a large language model (such as ChatGPT). You cannot use LLMs to generate article content.
Declined by Helpful Raccoon 23 days ago.LLM-generated pages with certain obvious signs of being machine generated may be deleted without notice. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. See the advice page on large language models for more information. | |
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The Suisted family (Sjöstedt) is a New Zealand family of Swedish-origin that settled in Wellington and Otago, New Zealand. Its New Zealand branch descends from Carl Eberhard Sjöstedt, later known as Charles Eberhard Suisted, a master mariner, hotelier, and pioneer pastoralist.[1][2] [3][4]The family originates from Värmland, Sweden, where the the family was prominent in ironworks and mining.
Charles Suisted has been described by Heritage New Zealand as one of the earliest Scandinavian settlers and as an important figure in early European settlement.[5][2]
Swedish Background
[edit]Charles Eberhard Suisted was born as Carl Eberhard Sjöstedt at Bada in Värmland, Sweden, in 1810.[1] [6]The line runs through Bada, along the northern arm of Lake Fryken, and Persberg, on the periphery of Filipstad. Earlier generations also connect the family to Dalsland, including Mo Parish and the Forsbacka Iron Estate.[7][8]
Persberg
[edit]The family's earliest trace begins with Carl Johan at Persberg, near Filipstad in central Värmland, where the line is first recorded[9][6][7]
Persberg is one of the oldest and most historically important regions in Sweden for ironworking and mining. The surviving community reflects its former industrial strength through rail infrastructure, mine works, housing, and a manor building associated with the mining industry.[10]
Historical articles note that Carl Johan Sjöstedt and his wife, Maria, occupied the manor (Herrgård) at Persberg from 1770 to 1794. Maria remained there from 1794 to 1799[11], and Eric Sjöstedt, lived at the Herrgård until 1810.[11] Records later note the sale of the property and land.
Swedish parish and genealogical records, along with documents from Värmlands Hembygdsförbund, identify Carl Johan as the mine foreman, or gruvfogde, at Persberg.[9][11] His son, Carl Eberhard, was born there in 1774 and later became Foundry Proprietor, or brukspatron, at Bada in northwestern Värmland.
The Eckerman family, Mo parish, and Forsbacka
[edit]Carl Eberhard Sjöstedt married Britta Juilana Eckerman of Forsbacka Bruk, Åmål. She was born in Mo parish on July 29, 1782. Dalsland and Mo Parish records list Erik Gustaf Eckerman and Anna Lisa Sörström as her parents, with Erik Gustaf listed as brukspatron at Forsbacka Bruk.[10]
Forsbacka Bruk was a large ironworks, estate, and forge serving the region's iron ore industry.
Bada Herrgård
[edit]Carl Eberhard and Britta Juliana Sjöstedt took up residence at Bada Herrgård in 1805. Their son, Carl (Charles) Eberhard, was born there in 1810.[6]
Swedish state genealogical records published by Värmlands Hembygdsförbund identify the Brukspatron at Bada as Carl Eberhard, who died in 1821.[6][12]
After the death of his parents around 1824, Carl Eberhard, aged approximately 14, moved to Jönköping with his maternal uncle, Jan Gustaf Eckerman, an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeal (hovrättsassessor), who took legal custodianship of him. The greater Eckerman family were a known magistrate dynasty (magistratsdynasti), producing judges, mayors, councillors, court officials, clergy, professors and members of the parliament (riksdag).[10] Carl was later issued a Swedish passport at the port of Gothenburg before sailing to Great Britain in 1830.[1][7]
From Sjöstedt to Suisted
[edit]Carl Eberhard left for Great Britain and, from London, operated on merchant ships serving the growing British Empire. He is recorded sailing to the East Indies and North America aboard the merchant vessel Stirling and Governor Stirling from 1830 to 1832.[13] On 19 March 1833, he married Mary Emma Richmond at St Marylebone, London.[13][3]
The family then migrated from Great Britain to Van Diemen’s Land, where they lived in Launceston. Migration documents note a change in name from the Swedish Sjöstedt to an anglicised variation of Suisted in both Van Diemen’s Land and New Zealand. The Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, notes both versions of the name in early colonial records: Carl Eberhard Sjöstedt and Charles Eberhard Suisted. He was a naturalised British subject before migrating to New Zealand.[1][5]
Charles and Mary Suisted had fifteen children. By the time he arrived in Van Diemen’s Land, Charles was a master mariner; he sailed between Australia, was shipwrecked twice in 1839, and purchased the licence to the Steam Packet Hotel.[1][13][4]
Settlement in New Zealand
[edit]In 1841, Van Diemen's Land suffered economic hardship, and the Suisted family, near bankruptcy, decided to migrate to New Zealand.[1][2][4][5]
In September 1842, Suisted took over licence of Barrett’s Hotel Wellington,[2] located on what is now known as Lambton Quay but, at the time, was known as ‘the Beach’ to European settlers. Barrett’s was a well-known colonial meeting and socialisation point in early Wellington. Suisted operated Barrett's Hotell during the 1840s before moving to Otago.[14][15][16]
Goodwood
[edit]Heritage New Zealand identifies Suisted as the first European to occupy land in the North Otago area[1]. He is documented as paying £200 for 550 acres of land in 1848. After occupying the Goodwood settlement, he established Run 12 near Otepopo and Run 13, a larger landholding from the Wainakarua River to the Awamoa Creek near Oamaru, extending the family's presence in Otago.[17][18] The later legalisation and legitimacy of Runs 12 and 13 totalled just over 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of land in 1852.[19] In 1848, he established an outstation near Waianakarua and employed a shepherd; this was the first documented European building in the Otago region.[1][14][20][5]
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga documents Suisted as being the first European settler in the Pleasant River area and the first European to settle North Otago. His estate and main farm were settled as Goodwood[21], north of Waikouaiti, south-east of Palmerston. The greater farm had absorbed earlier land purchases totalling 1,180 acres (480 ha) by 1851; its boundaries were marked by the geographical prominences of Goodwood Bush and the Pleasant River estuary.[20][22]
The farm was a mixture of pastoral and agricultural land use.[23] It was a prominent employer in the region, and he was noted in New Zealand historical records for his hospitality, humour and openness.[1][14][20]
Goodwood's influence on early New Zealand architecture
[edit]New Zealand colonial documents and local anecdotes state that the Goodwood estate buildings demonstrated many principles of Swedish carpentry, including timber use consistent with traditional Norwegian and Swedish style, early styles of double hung windows, and building layouts, such as the style of Swedish kringbygd gård, in which buildings are laid out in a U shape around a farm courtyard.[1][16][23]
Heritage New Zealand’s historical documents state that the main estate building reflected many principles of Swedish design, such as timber construction imported from the Wellington region, the use of attics for food storage and traditional timber colouring consistent with the style in Western Sweden and Norway. The original homestead was demolished after the sale of the land. Still, many elements of the early farmstead survive, including an original barn similar in design to that at Bada Bruk.[6][3][22]
Heritage New Zealand lists the Goodwood farmstead as a Category 1 historic place due to its early Swedish settlement and design in New Zealand. It identifies the homestead as an example of early Swedish and Scandinavian immigration in New Zealand's cultural history.[1][22]
Later Life
[edit]In 1857, Charles and Emma Suisted left Goodwood to travel to Great Britain and Van Diemen's Land. Charles had sold and disposed of most of the estate in the latter part of the decade, intending to return to Wellington.[14][1] [15]Emma Suisted died in Wellington in 1860; Charles died in Wellington in September of the same year.[14]
Prominent family members
[edit]James Samuel Suisted
[edit]James Samuel Suisted (1844-1910) was a son of Charles and Emma Suisted. He was a prominent businessman, local politician and later the mayor of Westport. He was the third son of the couple.[24]
He was mayor of Westport from 1888 to 1890 and later from 1892 to 1893. He married Laura Jane Eyre, who became a well-known writer and journalist in New Zealand history.[24]
Laura Jane Suisted
[edit]Laura Jane (née Eyre) Suisted (1840-1903) was a prominent journalist, writer and New Zealand Parliament reporter. Her early sketches, cartoons and reporting appeared in the Otago Witness. In 1884, she became a parliamentary note-taker; according to New Zealand historical records, she was likely the first woman in New Zealand history to take up that role. She was admitted to the New Zealand Institute of Journalists in 1891, the first woman to be admitted.[25][26]
She wrote for multiple New Zealand publications and was associated with many prominent social, political, literary and journalistic figures of the time. In 1893, she travelled alone through Great Britain, Norway, and Sweden. She later wrote about her experiences in 1894, publishing a book called From New Zealand to Norway.[25][26]
Her writings were published across Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand for over 25 years. She is credited with making profound historical impact and contribution to New Zealand literature through her experiences as a New Zealander pioneer and abroad.[26]
Laura Jane Suisted died at Westport on 7 September 1903; James Samuel Suisted died on 2 July 1910.[24]
Suisted's historical impact and legacy
[edit]Suisted is the second documented Scandinavian settler to establish themselves on New Zealand shores, and his arrival predates major Scandinavian settlement in New Zealand. Several New Zealand historians note his influence on pioneer pastoralism in the Otago region, including being the first European to settle in the Moeraki area[22]; his arrival brought the first European buildings to North Otago and introduced both Scandinavian and Swedish architecture, design principles and culture to New Zealand.[1][14]
The Goodwood farmstead provides a physical historical link to Suisted’s life in New Zealand; Heritage New Zealand has designated it a place of historical importance.[1]
Notable people
[edit]- Charles Eberhard Suisted (1810–1860), born Carl Eberhard Sjöstedt, was a Swedish-Born, naturalised British subject who was a master mariner, pioneer pastoralist and hotalier. He associated with early settlement of the North Otago and Otago regions of New Zealand.[1][14][25][5]
- James Samuel Suisted (1844–1910), businessman and local politician. Sitting two seperate terms as Mayor of Westport from 1888 to 1890 and 1892 to 1893.[24]
- Laura Jane Suisted (1840–1903), spouse of James Samuel Suisted; writer, journalist and parliamentary reporter. Likely to be the first female parliamentary note-taker in New Zealand. In 1891 became the first woman admitted to the New Zealand Institute of Journalists.[25]
- George Selwyn Suisted (1855–1918), farmer and early Plymouth (Open) Brethren preacher in the Manawatū region of the North Island. He was the tenth son of Charles Eberhard and Mary Emma Suisted. Orphaned at age 12 and without formal schooling, Suisted became an alcoholic and financially destitute. He was linked to the early development of the (Open) Brethren movement in the Manawatū region after meeting Brethren preacher James Chrystall. Suisted wrote a testimonial and religious sermon, A Remarkable Story: An Account of God's Dealings with George Suisted, and his Subsequent Conversion, as told by Himself.[27][28][29]
- Rob Suisted, is a nature, wildlife, and landscape photographer and conservationist. He has worked for the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC), including as a conservation manager and adviser specialising in marine mammals.[30] In 2019, he was named overall New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year, he also won the competition's wildlife category.[31] His photography has been used on offical New Zealand currency appearing on the $50 and $100 notes.[32][33]
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Irvine, Susan. "Goodwood Farmstead (Former)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Scholefield, Guy H. (1940). "Charles Suisted". A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Vol. 2. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. p. 177.
- 1 2 3 Bremner, Julie Ann (1973). "Suisted, Charles Eberhard, 1810-1859". Charles Eberhard Suisted: Otago Daily Times Historical Biography Competition. Hocken Collections, University of Otago: Otago University Press.
- 1 2 3 Bremner, Julie (1974). "Charles Suisted". In Griffiths, G.J. (ed.). The Advance Guard: Series Two. 2. Dunedin: Otago Daily Times. pp. 100–150.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Thomson, Jane (1998). Southern People: A Dictionary of Otago Southland Biography. Dunedin: Longacre Press in association with Dunedin City Council. pp. xi + 587. ISBN 1-877135-11-9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ohlsson, Bror-Erik. "Mannen från Bada bruk i Värmland som for till Nya Zeeland". Bergslagsarkiv. 17/2005: 41–52.
- 1 2 3 Thorsell, Elisabeth (2015). "En värmlandsk pionjår på Nya Zeeland" (PDF). Näverluren (in Swedish) (1/2015). Värmlands Hembygdsförbund.
- ↑ Edestam, Anders (1977). De dalsländsk järnbruken [The Dalsland ironworks] (in Svensk). Vänersborg: Dalslands Fornminnes- och Hembygdsförbund. p. 430.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - 1 2 Lindberg, Erik (2009). "Förteckning över svenska bruksägare 1695-1844" (PDF). Uppsala Universitet Bog (in Swedish): 11.
- 1 2 3 "Ekerman(n), släkt - Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon" [Ekerman(n), family - Swedish Biographical Dictionary]. sok.riksarkivet.se. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
- 1 2 3 Andersson, Tommy (5 September 2026). "Persberg Gille".
- ↑ Kvarnratt, Thomas (2006). Nycklar till brukssamhället: En vägledning till källor om värmländsk brukshistoria [Keys to the mill community: A guide to sources on Värmland's mill history] (in Swedish). Karlstad: Region Värmland/ Värmlandsarkiv. p. 19.
- 1 2 3 Koivukangas, Olavi (1974). Scandinavian Immigration and Settlement in Australia Before World War II (PDF). Vol. 2. Turku: Institute for Migration. p. 72. ISBN 951-9266-01-1.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Suisted, Charles Eberhard, 1810–1860". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
- 1 2 Chester, Pam I (1989). The History and Archaeology of 76-84 Lambton Quay, Wellington (Site R27/157). Vol. 32. New Zealand Archaeological Association. pp. 193–207.
- 1 2 "Suisted, Captain Charles". Biographical Sketches of the Colonists of the First Decade. Otago Witness. 17 March 1898. p. 27.
- ↑ Mieville, Frederick Louis (1910). "Reminiscences". Otepopo sheep station owned by Charles Suisted. National Library of New Zealand (published 2000).
- ↑ Briden, Shar (2011). "Appendix 5 – Historic Resources on Mt Dasher PL". Mt Dasher Tenure Review - Conservation Resources Report Addendum (PDF). Department of Conservation. p. 53.
- ↑ Briden, Shar (2011). "2.4 Historic – Pastoral Farming". Mt Dasher Tenure Review - Conservation Resources Report Addendum (PDF). Department of Conservation. p. 20.
- 1 2 3 Christie, John (1929). History of Waikouaiti. Christchurch Press. p. 99.
- ↑ "Goodwood Farmstead (Former)". Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - 1 2 3 4 Hamel, Jill (2001). The Archaeology of Otago. Wellington: Department of Conservation. p. 107. ISBN 0-478-22016-2.
- 1 2 Olssen, Erik (1984). A History of Otago. Dunedin: John McIndoe. pp. 50–51.
- 1 2 3 4 "Suisted, James Samuel, 1844–1910". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
- 1 2 3 4 "Suisted, Laura Jane | Dictionary of New Zealand Biography | Te Ara". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
- 1 2 3 MacLean, C.C. (1993). "Suisted, Laura Jane". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Wellington: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
- ↑ Petersen, George Conrad (1973). Palmerston North: A Centennial History. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed. ISBN 0589007939.
- ↑ "A Remarkable Story (#213000) - Bible Truth Library". bibletruthpublishers.com. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
- ↑ "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
- ↑ Suisted, Rob; Neale, Don (2004). Department of Conservation Marine Mammal Action Plan for 2005–2010 (PDF). Department of Conservation. ISBN 0-478-22642-X.
- ↑ "Rob Suisted". Potton & Burton. Retrieved 2026-09-07.
- ↑ Kōkako. New Zealand Geographic/ Kowhai Media.
- ↑ Graves, Andrea. Mōhua. New Zealand Geographic/ Kowhai media.
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