suffrage_petition
Surname: 
Whitmore
Given names: 
E.
Given address: 
Turua
Sheet No: 390
Town/Suburb: 
Turua
City/Region: 
Hauraki-Coromandel
Notes: 

Image and extra information from Elizabeth Price:

This photo taken c1896 shows Emily Whitmore, at their home in Turua a small timber milling community on the banks of the Waihou River, Hauraki Plains, near Ngatea.

Standing left to right; my grandfather Arnold, Cornelius Ensor Whitmore husband of Emily, in front of CE is Jack and seated is Emily with Fred on her knee and Ada sitting on the step.

Emily was born in Foleshill, Warwick, England 24 February 1859 to William BARNETT and Sarah PORTER of Foleshill who were married in the Baptist Church in Foleshill in 1857 but it appears they were practising Quakers. Cornelius was born in Leicester and went to a Quaker boarding school. They both came to NZ with their parents at different times.  Cornelius and Emily were married in Auckland 19 August 1879 and by 1893 Emily had six children, two of whom had died. The first at 1 month and the second at 5 months of age. Emily had three more children after 1893.

From Turua they moved to Paeroa about 1901, where Cornelius started a photography business. Shortly after in 1904 they bought a small farm in Puke Rd Paeroa which was registered in Emily's name. During the first World War four of their five sons went off to France where two (Frank and Jack) were killed within a couple of days of each other in September 1916. Arnold was okay and spent four years away coming back home in 1919. Fred went away about 1917 but came home wounded before the war ended. Cornelius was very upset by this and his health went downhill, he died in June 1917. Emily still had her youngest son Philip, at home helping on the farm and Arnold's girl friend who was a local school teacher who helped Emily as well. When Philip got called up for service overseas Emily put her foot down and told the army ‘No Way’. She won.

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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Elizabeth Price

Posted: 28 Jul 2014

Emily Whitmore nee Barnett, 1859 - 1942, Turua, wife of Cornelius Ensor Whitmore who worked at Bagnalls timber mill in Turua.