Johannes Georg Ruddenklau b1829 at [Niedermeisser] Hessen-Cassel [note: which became Kurhessen in 1807], Germany [in 1934], and was trained in the bakery trade. He went to Great Britain in 1851 sailing from Rotterdam to London on board the Batavier arriving on 7 Aug 1850. Johannes Georg came out to Canterbury by the Bosworth arriving 22 December [18]57. The passenger list mentions a child but not his name. He may have worked as crew for the passage. He followed his trade in Christchurch, starting as a bread and biscuit maker in High Street in May [18]59; hot rolls every morning at 8am. He was granted a wine bar licence for [18]61-62. He stood for the Christchurch City Council and was elected September [18]77. In December [18]81 he was elected mayor after a hard battle with C.B. Taylor 594 to 565 votes. He was considered to have been a very successful Mayor and went in again unopposed next year. He was elected to the committee of the Canterbury Agricultural & Pastoral Association [unreadable month] [18]83. He bought a part of Rangitata Island 1,740 acres of freehold and 4,000 leasehold with 4,000 sheep October [18]83. His nephew Henry son of John managed it. The Lyttelton Times 27 November 18[83] “Mr Ruddenklau is one of those men not at all too common who raise the dignity of any office they happen to fill to their own level, instead of requiring the aid of the office to give dignity to themselves … everyone had admitted his [unreadable] [unreadable] unselfish attention to his duties, kindly bearing and gracious hospitality when occasion had demanded it.” He stood for Parliament in the general election of [18]84 for Stanmore and was beaten by Dan Reese 524 to 435 votes. He took a trip to England for health reasons 28 April [18]90. He owned this Golden Age Hotel and W.F. Warner managed it for him. They remained friends and Warner went with him on his trips. He died seven months after his return on 15 December [18]01 aged 62 years. He was a little man with very short legs and always wore a white bell topper. He was brother of John Ruddenklau of Cust. He died in 1891.

Sources: Last Will, Archives New Zealand Christchurch Office, CH171 CH Z196/1891. Lyttelton Times: 18 May 1861, 25 December 1861, 2 May 1862, 11 April 1863, 1 July 1863, 17 March 1864, 19 April 1864, 4 June 1864, 6 April 1865, 16 May 1867, 5 July 1867, 10 September 1868, 6 August 1869, 30 October 1869, 13 June 1872, 26 February 1873, 31 January 1876, 15 September 1877, 5 July 1882, 9 March 1882, Cyclopedia of New Zealand, 1903, Volume 3 page 110, 107

Johannes Frederick Ruddenklau b1834 in Germany in 1834 ( note: brother of Joannes Georg Ruddenklau of Christchurch b.1829 - D0038). After leaving school went from Rotterdam to London on board the Fyenoord [sic] (Feijenoord), and was in commercial occupations for over three years. He came to the Colony in 1856 in the ship "Joseph Fletcher" [There is no entry for Johannes Frederick Ruddenklau in the original passenger list or the Lyttelton Times list of passengers published on 25 October 1854. This probably means he did not arrive on this ship and the other references to it are wrong or there might be a possibility he worked as crew for the passage]. The Joseph Fletcher was a 621 ship built in London in 1852 and owned by Fletcher & Sons. He took up his first section of fifty acres of land at Rangiora In 1858. Afterwards he purchased 200 acres of unimproved Crown lands in 1863, at the Cust, where he settled in the following year, and soon brought the land under cultivation, growing good grain crops. Mr. Ruddenklau threshed as much as sixty bushels of rye-grass to the acre, and sold it at six and seven shillings per bushel. He prospered well, and increased his possessions to 2170 acres. Mr. Ruddenklau took an active share in local affairs and was a member of the road board for some time, and also interested himself in school and church matters. He was married in l859 to Miss Watt, and had four sons and two daughters. The sons are all followers of their late father’s occupation. He died in 1896.