E. J Fredric

Signed family name

Fredric

Signed given name

E. J

Given address

South Invercargill

Sheet number

361

Town/Suburb

Invercargill

City/Region

Southland

Notes

Originally transcribed as E. T. Fredric

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Elizabeth/Eliza Jane Mayze was born on 22 February 1855 in Girvan, Ayshire, Scotland – the daughter of Thomas Mayze and Isabella Allison. (See 358 Isabella Mayze)

Elizabeth emigrated to New Zealand on the Seville in 1864 with her family and they settled in Invercargill.

Elizabeth married Richard Augustus Charles Fredric, a bootmaker, in 1877 and they had six children.

In 1892 Richard was charged with “disorderly behaviour while drunk”. He “cleared his wife and children out of the house” and he “rushed after her with a screwdriver”.

A short time later Richard was charged with “failing to maintain his family”.

They appear to have separated around this time and when Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition she was living in South Invercargill working as a nurse.

Richard was charged with failing to maintain his family again in 1894 and sentenced to one month in prison with hard labour.

In 1896 three of the children were charged with being destitute as their mother was unable to support them. “The father had served several terms of imprisonment for refusing to contribute to their support and was now” believed to be in New South Wales. Elizabeth received aid from the charitable aid board.

She had a daughter in 1897 and by 1911 she was living in Auckland.

She appears to have re-married in 1924 to John Manning.

Where and when Elizabeth died is unclear.