Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Ellen George was born in 1862 in Victoria, Australia – the daughter of Edward Christopher George, a carpenter, and Caroline Fortey.
When she was young her family sailed for Otago and settled in Dunedin.
Mary married James Arthur Rix, a school teacher, in 1882 and they had 11 children, two who died in childhood.
James taught at the Pureua School and Mary assisted him as the sewing mistress - Mary signed the suffrage petition at nearby Romahapa.
When James retired they moved to Dunedin where he died in 1919.
Mary died on 2 September 1948 at her daughter’s home in Dunedin, she is buried with James in the Owaka Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au