Mrs Pollock

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Margaret Burns was born on 27 March 1844 in Dreghorn, Ayrshire, Scotland. She was the daughter of James Burns and Elizabeth Morrison.

She married Alexander Romeo Pollock, a ships steward, on 7 January 1864 in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire. They had six children in Ayrshire before Margaret, with five surviving children, arrived in Otago on the Caroline in 1883. Presumably Alexander worked his passage on another ship.

One more child was born in New Zealand.

When Margaret signed the suffrage petition the family was living in Macandrew Rd, Dunedin and Alexander was still working as a ship steward. Her daughter Maggie also signed the petition.

Margaret died on 22 June 1914 and Alexander in January of the following year. They are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.

Sources