SummaryGeorge Alfred Crabbe (1840–1905) was a British settler who arrived in Tauranga, New Zealand, in 1864 as a private in the 1st Waikato Regiment, a contingent raised in Melbourne as part of Pitt's 1st Militia during the New Zealand Wars. Crabbe participated in the Battle of Te Ranga on 21 June 1864. In 1867, he established a grocery and drapery store on Cameron Road, near Sixth Avenue, and replaced it with a new building in 1877. He married Maria Susannah Smith (1824–1923), with whom he had two children: Charles Alfred Crabbe (1866–1956) and Annie Frances Crabbe. Crabbe passed away in 1905 and was interred in Tauranga's Presbyterian Cemetery.SourcesThe Crabbe Store by Shirley Arabin Tauranga Historical Society BlogBay of Plenty Times, 26 July 1873 (proposed for town board, not elected)Bay of Plenty Times, Bay of Plenty Times, 5 February 1873 (At public meeting re education act).Bay of Plenty Times, 16 January 1875 (On School Committee)At meeting of Temperance Hall Co. Ltd. Bay of Plenty Times (presumed) 12 December 1878Notice: Crabbe's coaches will ply between the Beach and Gate Pah every Sunday at 10 and 2. Far 1/- in and out. Tauranga Record, 30 July 1867Bay of Plenty Times, 7 July 1875 (proposed for town board, not elected)Memories of a legend: Bay Sun, 12 February 1983Bay of Plenty Times, 29 Septembebr 1883 (Mr Crabbe has sold his business to a Mr Buchanan)Bay of Plenty Times, 20 January 1893 (new dwelling house next to store on Cameron Road)Bay of Plenty Times, 31 March 1893 (Mr Crabbe has now taken up residence in his new home in Cameron Road)Bay of Plenty Times, 30 June (or April), 1899 (...has disposed of his general store in Cameron Road to his son C A CrabbeBay of Plenty Times 7 August 1905, Page 2 (Obituary)Bay of Plenty Times, 9 August 1905, Page 2 (Obituary)
Courtesy of N. Wilson, Crabbe Collection, Tauranga Heritage Collection
Usage
Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesLicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Crabbe, George Alfred, 1840–1905 (Person)
Personal Information
First Name(s)George AlfredSurnameCrabbeDate of Birth1840Date of DeathAugust 05, 1905OccupationSoldierStore Owner
Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Crabbe, George Alfred, 1840–1905 (Person). Pae Korokī, accessed 05/04/2026, https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/111581