Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Susan Purches was born in 1857 in London – the daughter of George Boynes Purches, a biscuit baker, and Mary Ann Stock.
She emigrated to Wellington with her family in 1874 on the Strathnaver and she married James Oliver, a baker, in 1878.
They had nine children and by 1884 they were living in Dunedin.
When Susan signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Castle Street.
In the 1900’s they moved to Wellington where James died in 1906 and Susan died at her home on 8 August 1911 – they are buried together in the Karori Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
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
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
