A Rare Case of Reconciliation and Improbable Outcomes
Sophia Smallman's case from 1880 begins with many familiar notes of desertion, exile, and disappointment.* Sophia and Joseph Harris Smallman were married in England in 1862; he was a mining agent and engineer. In 1864, he left for New Zealand, promising to come back and bring her and their baby son Herbert out to join him as soon as his business was established. Joseph wrote to Sophia "by every mail" dutifully for six years, always postponing the date of their arrival. In December 1870, he wrote to say he was extremely ill and sent her his will, including his interest in a gold mine. However, then the letters stopped entirely. Sophia was understandably concerned about the fate of her husband, and wrote to the Agent General in New Zealand in 1875, asking for an investigation, only to discover that, according to the government, her husband was indeed alive and well and simply not communicating with her. In January 1878, he wrote her suddenly to tell her he was coming home...