Alfred is born in about 1866. (Birth Certificate number – unknown). We have taken his birth year from his age indicated on his death certificate. – We are uncertain if this is correct as this would make him the eldest child and his father could well have been Thomas James Russell.

We can only assume that his childhood was much the same as other children born in this period.

Our first record of Alfred is from the 1890 Electoral Roll which has him as a Storeman living on Mt Eden Road in Auckland.

In 1893 at the age of 27 Alfred marries Ellen (Helen) Downes (Marriage Certificate number 1893/364).

Alfred continues his working life from a storeman to a joiner, machinist to finally an engineer (records form the Electoral Rolls.

Alfred and Helen have 6 children, Aileen Mona 1893-1894, Annie Madeline 1894-1964, Mary Josephine 1894-1964, John Edward 1897-1987, James Evan 1899-1972 and Alfred 1900-1991.

They live in the Ponsonby area of Auckland, and spend the last thirty years of their lives living at number 6 then number 14 Bayfield Road in Ponsonby.

Alfred dies on 5 April 1959 at the age of 93. (Death Certificate number 1959/24075), and is buried at Waikaraka Cemetery in Otahuhu, Auckland. (W4 208).

Helen Downes 1875 – 1960

Not much is known of Helen other than her parents were James and Helen Downes. (Birth Certificate number 1875/7700) Helen out lives her husband and dies age 85 at the Little Sisters of the Poor retirement home in Ponsonby and is buried at Waikumete Cemetery (Death Certificate number 1960/30862).

From Barney’s further notes on CAPTAIN JOHN JAMES STANAWAY

“Isabella then became a Johnson and to me she was Auntie Bella, her half-brother Alfred Johnson married Ellen Downes and she was Aunt Nell to me and saved my life when I could have succumbed to pneumonia which killed so many people in the early period.”

From Barney Daniel’s notes we can gather that the Johnson’s and Daniel’s were to some degree close all be it that they are from different branches of the Stanaway family Tree, this appears to happen across a number of John James Stanaway children even though they had different mothers.