Biographical information provided by Briar Barry for the He Tohu exhibition:
Constance was the daughter of Reverend Robert Wilson, a protestant missionary based in Hankow, China. She married Reverend Frank Seth-Smith of Ōamaru in London in 1892. They returned to Ōamaru shortly after their wedding but stayed for less than three years before returning to England. Constance does not appear on any New Zealand electoral rolls so although she helped to get women the vote she never actually got the chance to vote herself. As Vice President of the Alliance, Constance’s husband was a recognized leader of the temperance movement in Ōamaru, so it is likely that he would have encouraged and supported her signing the Petition.
Additional biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Constance Mary Wilson was born about 1861 in Shanghai, China – the daughter of Rev Robert Wilson, a missionary, and Emma.
Her father died in China from dysentery in 1863 and Constance came to live in England with her mother and sister.
She married Rev Frank Seth-Smith on 27 January 1892 at the Congregation Church, New Barnet.
They came to New Zealand and their son was born there later that year.
When Constance signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Avon St, Oamaru.
They returned to England in 1895 where their two daughters were born.
Constance died in 1935 and Frank died in 1956, aged 100.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
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
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
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