Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Charlotte Ann Oliver was born in Devon in 1848 – the daughter of Frederick Oliver, a carpenter, and Elizabeth Sincock.
Her mother died in 1851 and her father re-married in 1853. That year they sailed for Australia on the Euphemus and settled in Victoria. Her three half-brothers were born in Victoria before the family sailed again, in 1863, for Port Chalmers.
Frederick was not with them – he appears to have gone to the West Coast to search for gold.
Charlotte married Charles Adolphus Beissel, a hairdresser, on 9 April 1866 in Dunedin. They had four children, at least two who died in infancy. They were living in Hokitika by 1868 where Adolph was working as a hairdresser at the City Baths. The next year they were in Greymouth then, shortly after, Auckland and then Wellington.
By 1874 they had parted company and Charlotte was back in Greymouth where she had her next three children with James Jones.
Charlotte married publican Hector Weir Sutherland in 1881 and she had a further three children, one who died in infancy.
When she signed the suffrage petition they were living in Greymouth running the Waverley Hotel.
Charlotte died on 13 July 1895 in Christchurch – she is buried in the Linwood Cemetery.
Hector died in Auckland in 1912 – he is buried in the Waikumete Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
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
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au