Catherine Fulton

Surname:

Fulton

Given names:

Catherine

Given address:

Outram

Sheet No: 77

Town/Suburb:

Outram

City/Region:

Otago

Notes:

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Catherine Henrietta Elliott Valpy was born about 1830 in Hertfordshire, England – the daughter of William Henry Valpy and Caroline Jeffreys.

She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1848 on the Ajax, arriving in January 1849.

The family settled at Forbury near Dunedin and Catherine married James Fulton, a farmer, in 1852.

The newly married couple went to live at West Taieri and they had 8 children.

James was a farmer and also, in later life, served as an MP for Taieri.

Catherine started a Sunday School which she ran for 50 years and was also the president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in Dunedin for many years.

She also 'rendered invaluable help in connection with the women’s franchise'.

James died in 1891 and when Catherine signed the suffrage petition she was living at Outram in West Taieri.

She died on 7 May 1919 at her home 'Ravenscliffe', West Taieri and is buried with James in the West Taieri Cemetery.

Her obituary said her death 'represents the gentle close of a crowded life of unselfish service, womanly duty, and tranquil faith. In the best sense of the term, she was a pioneer, typically representative of the spirit of the past. Her life and activities were lived intimately and earnestly with the development of the “Taieri” and she saw the district, under the able hands of pioneers “frae ower the sea”, change from a rank swamp to a rich garden'. She was 'an earnest worker, an encouraging leader, a wise counsellor, and a great neighbour'.

A full account of Catherine’s life can be found here - https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19190507.2.23

A biography of Catherine Henrietta Elliot Fulton (1829 - 1919) appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography

Her daughter, Caroline Fulton, also signed sheet 77 of the suffrage petition.