Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Eleanor Starford was born in 1863 in Birmingham, England – the daughter of John Starford, a carpenter, and Mary Sowden.
She emigrated to Otago accompanied by her elder sister aboard the Wellington arriving in March 1883.
Her sister married later that year and she died the following year, possibly in childbirth.
Eleanor lived in Dunedin and when she signed the suffrage petition she was living at the YMCA in Moray Place working as an assistant matron.
She married Allan Stead, a tin smith and home missionary, in 1895.
They had three children and lived, at first, in Tapanui before moving to Timaru around 1898 where Allan worked as caretaker of the 'Sailors Rest'.
Eleanor was a member of the Womens’ Christian Temperance Union for many years.
They retired from their work at the 'Sailor’s Rest' in 1915 and remained in Timaru.
Eleanor died at her home on 26 January 1945 and Allan died in 1948 – they are buried together in the Timaru Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
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
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/