Signed family name
Rainforth
Signed given name
Bessie
Given address
Enfield
Notes
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Bessie Rainforth was born in 1870 in New Zealand – the daughter of Thomas Rainforth, a farmer, and Emma Beckingsale.
When she signed the suffrage petition Bessie was living with her family in Enfield, North Otago.
She married Thomas Paterson, a farmer, on 3 June 1904 at Herbert and they had one son.
In later life they retired to Oamaru where Thomas died in 1940 and Bessie died on 16 July 1943 – they are buried together in the Old Oamaru Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Waitaki District Council https://www.waitaki.govt.nz/our-services
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/