Eliza Cox

Signed family name

Cox

Signed given name

Eliza

Given address

Greymouth

Sheet number

246

Town/Suburb

Greymouth

City/Region

West Coast

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Eliza Fletcher was born in 1837 in Nottinghamshire, England – the daughter of William Fletcher, a lacemaker, and Elizabeth Spencer.

She emigrated to Victoria in 1859 on the Dirigo to 'join her parents' who appear to have emigrated shortly before.

Eliza married Daniel Cox in 1860 and they had four children, one who died in infancy.

About 1870 the family sailed for New Zealand settling in Greymouth where Daniel worked as a miner.

About 1874, when Eliza had not heard from Daniel for several years and believed he might have died, she started a relationship with Patrick Jernon Boylan.

She became pregnant and went to Melbourne to have her daughter. Patrick encouraged her to leave the child in Australia but she brought her back and left her in Hokitika to be looked after.

Patrick sent Eliza to live in Christchurch with a promise of marriage soon after. He, however, married another woman in the meantime and Eliza sued him to recover money she had given him.

The court awarded Eliza £45 6s with costs of £7.

When Eliza signed the suffrage petition she was living in Greymouth working as a tailoress.

Daniel died in 1897 in Inangahua – his burial place is unknown.

Eliza died in Greymouth on 20 October 1899 – she is buried in the Karoro Cemetery.