Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Christina Paton was born in 1854 in Victoria, Australia – the daughter of Andrew Townley, a mason, and Jessie Pike. (See 143 Jessie Paton)
She sailed for Otago in 1861 on the Mary Ann Wilson with her family and they settled on the Otago Peninsula.
She married William John Townley, a cattle dealer, in 1885 and they had three children.
When Christina signed the suffrage petition the family were living at Highcliff.
In 1924 William filed a petition for dissolution of marriage on the grounds of desertion – in 1914 they had agreed to live apart – the divorce was granted in 1925.
Christina died on 15 September 1928 at Pukehiki on the Peninsula and William died in 1936 in Dunedin, 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
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au