Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Elizabeth Sidrey was born on 6 February 1836 in Tasmania, Australia, the daughter of John Sidrey, a stonemason, and Eliza Bird.
Elizabeth married John Barter Luscombe in Victoria, Australia in 1859. They had a son in Victoria.
Elizabeth and her son sailed for Otago in 1864, while John had come earlier. The family settled in the Cromwell area where John took up gold mining.
Elizabeth and John had a further four children. Shortly after the birth of the last child, John died when he fell into a water race in the dark and drowned.
Three subscription lists were circulated to raise money for Elizabeth and the children; £251 was raised.
About 1883 Elizabeth and her children moved to Dunedin. When she signed the suffrage petition, they were living in York Place and Elizabeth was working as a dressmaker. Elizabeth's daughter, Alice, also signed the petition.
Elizabeth died on 22 April 1918. She is buried in the family grave in the Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au
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
Public Record Office Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au
Libraries Tasmania https://librariestas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions