Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Cecilia McColl was born on 21 May 1855 in Argyllshire, Scotland – the daughter of Duncan McColl, a farm servant, and Jane McColl.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1863 on the “Arima” and they settled in Saddle Hill, near Dunedin.
Cecilia married farmer Thomas Bathgate on 11 June 1875 and they had 11 children, one who died in infancy.
They farmed on the Taieri Plains and the Otago Peninsula before moving to North East Valley where Cecilia signed the suffrage petition.
Thomas died in 1923 and Cecilia died on 15 October 1934 – 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
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk