Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Annie Maria Withyman was born in 1869 in Lewisham, London – the daughter of John Withyman and Annie Staples.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in the mid 1870s and they settled in Dunedin.
When she signed the suffrage petition she was living with her family in the Calton subdivision of North East Valley working as a tailoress.
Annie married John Rhodes in 1898, 'at J. Hendry and Sons’ on Friday Miss Withyman was the recipient of a tea service as a token of esteem from her employers and shop-mates on the eve of her approaching marriage...The recipient left the shop with showers of rice and best wishes from all late fellow-workers.'
Annie and John had a daughter in 1899 and two years later John was knocked down by a train while crossing in front of it on his way home after work. He was killed instantly.
Two years later Annie married Amos Rhodes, a farmer, they lived in Clydevale, Southland, Waitati then Palmerston, north of Dunedin and had two children.
Amos died in Dunedin in 1941, he is buried in the Northern Cemetery with Annie’s mother & first husband.
Annie died on 16 October 1946 at Palmerston, she is buried in the Palmerston Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
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
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions