Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Ann Willis was born about 1802 - she was married to Robert Nichol, a bank clerk.
They had at least five children and lived in Tasmania, Australia.
In 1857 Robert was jailed for embezzlement of £7000 of the bank’s money. He appears to have used the money to buy properties. Ann 'kept a school' and collected rent from the properties. When Robert was in jail the properties were sold and mortgages were taken out to benefit his family, this was annulled by the courts.
Ann and Robert eventually came to New Zealand where their children had settled.
Robert died at his home in Invercargill in 1872 and when Ann signed the suffrage petition she was living at Bluff.
She died on at her son’s home 'Morningside' in Bluff on 12 August 1896 – she is buried with Robert in the family grave in the Bluff Cemetery.
Sources
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Invercargill City Council https://icc.govt.nz
Trove https://trove.nla.gov.au
Libraries Tasmania https://librariestas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au
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