Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Jeannie/Jean Black Harris was born in 1872 in New Zealand - the daughter of John Harris and Mary Hay Neilson. (See 126 Mary Harris)
When she signed the suffrage petition Jean was living with her family at Purekireki in the Owaka Valley working as a dairymaid.
Three of her sisters also signed the petition (See 137 Elizabeth Dick, 126 Mary Hewson and 126 Catherine Neil Harris).
She married John Johnstone, a farmer, on 28 November 1900 at the Purekireki Presbyterian Church and they had two sons.
John died at their home at Tahitika in 1934 and Jean died at Balclutha on 1 September 1953, they are buried 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
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
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