For descendents of Abraham Alfred Isaac Leonard LIND and friends of the family to share stories and pictures. Abraham was born in London in 1890 and died in Dunedin on 7th November 1975 aged 95. He was the son of a Jewish tailor Ruben LIND, and Rachael, from Soho. He was believed to be the eldest of about 11 children and was training to become a rabbi. One of his sisters is thought to have married Leonard Bernstein, but this is not confirmed.  He was educated at a University in Germany and served in the Boer War as 'private 6129 E Lanc. Regt'.He was promoted to Major in the intellegence corps and was later posted to India.

The following extract is from History of the Free Methodist Church of North America by Bishop Wilson T Hog.

'During the years 1907-1910 six missionaries were accepted for the India field. These were as follows: ..  Abraham LIND, who was sent to India as a British soldier in 1903, was graciously converted and baptized with the Holy Ghost while in the Army, and after his term of service had expired offered himself to the Free Methodist mission work, and was accepted October 19, 1910.    ....   Mr Lind was a converted Jew, a graduate from a Hebrew Institute of Jewish Theology, and considered of a linguist, as appears from the fact of his having acquired the English, German, Latin, Greek, and five Semitic and seven Indian languages.  After being with the Free Methodist Board for a time, however, he became discontented, withdrew, and gave himself to independant mission work in India.'

He married Annie Elizabeth SCOTT, who was born on 4th August 1881 and died in Dunedin New Zealand on 6th October 1980 aged 99. Her family was originally from Arbroath,Scotland. 

My father Arthur Benjamin Theodore LIND was born in Raipur, India on 26th March 1914 before the family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand. He had 4 sisters, Ruth (Todd), Frankie (Wiggins), Eunice (Mains), (Eunice was the mother of Laurie Mains of All Blacks fame.) and Ethel (Davidson).

Arthur and Vina (daughter of Collie (Colin) Symons and Jean Stevenson) were married in Alexandra in April 1939 where he was gold mining.

Vina died on 17th March 1978.  

Jean (Jane) Stevenson was the second eldest of 13 with 6 step children from her fathers first marriage. Her parents were John Stevenson and Ann Semple who lived in a stone house near Double Hill Waitati. Photos of some of Jean's brothers will be attached. 

Arthur and Vina had eight children, Colin, Leonard, Robert (died 2000), Jennifer (Taylor/Walker) (died 2003), Donald (died 2008), Arthur, William, and Susan(Maynard) were all born between 1939 and 1957. All live south of Timaru in Dunedin, Central Otago, or  Stewart Island.

We are particularly interested in hearing about any other members of the LIND family  who we believe may have been from England, central Europe or Germany, and possibly descendents of the family DeLindo who escaped from Spain at the time of the inquision by comandeering a ship to England in the name of the King!.

This is very similar to a family history told to me by a Mr Douglas LIND  a lawyer in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia. In particular we would like to know if Dr James Lind born 1736 in Edinburgh, who was credited with identifying and treating scurvy among sailors, and died in 1812, was related. There may also be a link to Ian Lind, a reporter in Hawaii who can trace his family back to Scotland. See www.ilind.net  for his newspaper/family informative site which is updated daily.There is another family descended from the LIND's of Scotland in Rhodesia. See www.lind.org.zw . I have also heard from a Les Sipowski from Ann Arboor USA who had a grandmother in Lithuania who was a Delindo. This could be worth following up. 

Arthur passed away peacefully at Fulton Home Dunedin after a short illness, on 12th June 2008.

Brother Donny died in Ophir yesterday morning (19.07.08) after a long battle with his breathing.

Whilst clearing up Dad's books we found the missing Birth Certificate from India .. I will put some photos on this site.

More later.