Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Elizabeth Nevill Digby was born in 1841 in Essex, England – the daughter of farmer, John Digby and Susanna Nevill.
In the early 1860s the family emigrated to New Zealand and settled in Canterbury.
Elizabeth married Charles James in 1864 and they had eight children, one who died in infancy.
By 1881 the family were living in Greymouth where Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition.
In 1895 Charles 'licensee of the Criterion Hotel, Richmond Quay' disappeared. He was last seen walking 'along the beach towards the south tiphead, smoking a cigar, and appeared to be taking a "constitutional"'. His body was found on the beach that afternoon. He is buried in the Karoro Cemetery.
After this Elizabeth moved to Wellington where she died on 5 February 1916 – she is buried in the Karori Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/