Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Catherine Hillhouse Beck was born on 5 August 1824 in Glasgow, Scotland – the daughter of James Beck and Janet Campbell.
She emigrated to Victoria, Australia and married George Cottle, a carpenter, there in 1850.
They had five children, one who died in infancy, before they sailed for Otago in March 1860 on the Gil Blas and settled in Dunedin.
A further four children were born in New Zealand and between 1864 and 1866 three of their young children died.
Catherine and George were among the first members of the Moray Place Congregational Church and when Catherine signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Dalkeith, North East Valley.
George died at their home in 1898 and Catherine died at her daughter Mary’s (See 82 Mrs S Pilling) home in Miller’s Flat on 14 May 1900.
They are buried in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin with their three young children.
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
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au