Louisa Snelson

Louisa Matilda Snelson (née Buck, 29 January 1844 – 15 December 1919) was a New Zealand civic leader. She and her husband George Snelson were considered the "father and mother of Palmerston North".

Biography Louisa Buck’s parents (Elizabeth Frances and Henry Gregory Buck, a blacksmith) and siblings arrived in New Zealand in March 1842 on board the ship Birman. Louisa was born in Wellington on 29 January 1844 and grew up there. She met and married George Snelson in 1865, and the couple lived in Wellington for the first years of their marriage. They had two children: Frances Mary Halford in 1866 and George James Halford in 1868, however both died during infancy. Frances died at a few months old, and George was three years old.

In 1871, Snelson relocated to Palmerston North to join her husband, who had gone there the previous year to open a general store and ironmongery. She took with her the couple's ward, Matilda Montgomery, who was 16 years old at the time. As well as working in the store, Snelson provided a letter-writing service for the newly arrived Scandinavian settlers in the district, took in boarders and cared for children in her home.

As the town grew, Snelson became involved in church initiatives – from October 1872, the Snelsons' home and store were used for Anglican church services and on 29 September 1875 Snelson laid the foundation stone for All Saints' Church, the first Anglican church in the town. From 1877 Snelson was Sunday school teacher at the church, and she also developed close relationships with Christian Māori at Awapuni.