Mary Elizabeth Brown (1855-1951) was born in Barnstable, Devon, England. Shortly after her birth her parents left her with her grandparents and moved to New Zealand. She did not see them again until she was twelve. During the years with her grandparents, she travelled the continent with them. In 1867 her mother came and took her to New Zealand. She returned to England in 1875 and spent three years there before returning to New Zealand in 1878. In 1879 she married William Taylor and settled in Waitatapia and later an estate called "The Pines." They were the parents of several children whose descendants live in New Zealand and the United States.