Annie Nelson

Signed family name

Nelson

Signed given name

Annie

Given address

Clinton

Sheet number

110

Town/Suburb

Clinton

City/Region

Otago

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Ann/Annie McDonald was born about 1854 in Scotland – the daughter of Ronald McDonald, a shepherd, and Flora Mac Quarrie.

She sailed for Adelaide, South Australia with her parents on the Marion shortly after her birth and stayed there until the mid 1860s when she came to South Otago with her family.

Annie married William Nelson, a butcher and farmer, on 15 November 1877 in the Clinton Parish and they had seven children, three of whom died in infancy or early childhood.

In 1888 the family were living in Clinton running the Commercial Hotel and Railway Refreshment Rooms – this is where Annie signed the suffrage petition.

She died suddenly on 13 April 1899, aged 44 years and is buried in the Clinton Cemetery.

She 'was well known and much respected for her hospitable nature, she being ever willing to help anyone in trouble. Frequenters of the boarding-establishment will miss the smiling face and the happy welcome they received from the deceased landlady'.

William re-married in 1904, he died in 1939 and his second wife died the following year. They are buried with Annie in the Clinton Cemetery.