Helen Garforth

Signed family name

Garforth

Signed given name

Helen

Given address

Clinton

Sheet number

110

Town/Suburb

Clinton

City/Region

Otago

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Helen Moffat was born in 1863 in South Otago – the daughter of John Moffat, a farm labourer, and Marion Cairns.

She married Henry Garforth, a labourer, on 26 July 1888 in the Clinton Parish and they had seven children.

The family were living in Clinton when Helen signed the suffrage petition - two of her sisters also signed the petition. (See 110 Alice Turnbull and 110 Christina McLachlan)

Henry worked as a commission agent and he was declared bankrupt in 1905.

Helen and Henry appear to have separated sometime after this as, in 1913, Helen sued Henry 'for the sum of £51 8s 4d, being arrears of a maintenance order made by the court in her favour...Another claim for £38 5s in respect to the maintenance of Garforth’s three children was also made by Mrs Garforth. There was no appearance of the defendant'.

Helen died in Dunedin on 30 April 1921, she is buried in the Moffat family grave in the Clinton Cemetery.

Henry died in Dannevirke in 1932, he is buried in the Mangatera Dannevirke Cemetery.