Emma Chappell was born in 1857 in Darton, Yorkshire – the daughter of George Chappell, a nail maker, and Clementina Ledger.
She married Henry Whittleston, an agricultural labourer, on 1 July 1877 in Yorkshire.
In 1879 the young couple emigrated to New Zealand on the Opawa - their first child was born on the voyage.
A further seven children were born after their arrival and when Emma signed the suffrage petition the family were living at Shag Point and Henry was working as a miner.
By 1911 they had moved to Abbotsford, near Dunedin.
Henry died in August 1933 and Emma died later that year on 30 September – they are buried together in the Green Island Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
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
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