Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Annie Eliza Hawkley was born in 1857 in Cirencester, Gloucester – the daughter of Thomas Hawkley, the Staff Sergeant in the North Gloucester Militia, and Ann Stagg.
Her mother died in 1866 and in the mid 1870’s she emigrated to New Zealand with her father and younger sister.
Annie married painter John Knowles in 1877 and they had four children – when she signed the suffrage petition they were living in Forth St, Dunedin.
John died in 1921 and Annie died on 13 September 1940 – they are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
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