Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Jane Toomath was born about 1817 in Ireland. She married Thomas Harden, a toy puzzle manufacturer, on 29 July 1833 in St Mary’s Church, Chatham, Kent, England.
They had eight children, one who died in infancy. By 1861 they were living in London and had parted company.
Thomas had a new 'wife' and Mary Jane was living with Daniel Dutton, a bootmaker.
Mary Jane and Daniel emigrated to Otago in 1875 on the Waimea - her daughter Mary Ann South (See 150 Mrs M A South) had travelled with her family the previous year.
Daniel died in 1886 and is buried in the Green Island Cemetery.
When Mary Jane signed the suffrage petition she was living at Walton Park, Green Island either near or with her daughter.
She died on 25 December 1896 at her daughter’s home in South Dunedin and is buried in the Southern Cemetery.
For more information on the South/Dutton family see http://www.samuelsouth.co.uk/
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions