Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Newlands was born on 10 July 1846 in Keith, Banffshire, Scotland – the daughter of Thomas Newlands, a farmer, and Elspet McConachie.
She emigrated to Otago in 1874 on the Cartsburn, also on board were her sister (See 106 Jane Watt) and Jane’s family.
Mary married Alexander Simpson, a farmer, on 29 January 1875 at 'Cheviot House', Puerua.
They had seven children and when Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living at Puerua.
In later life they retired to Dunedin where Mary died on 7 May 1913 and Alexander died in 1919.
They are buried in the family grave in the Romahapa 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/