Elizabeth Cornish

Signed family name

Cornish

Signed given name

Elizabeth

Given address

North Taieri

Sheet number

105

Town/Suburb

North Taieri

City/Region

Otago

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.

Elizabeth McGregor was born in 1853 in New Zealand – the daughter of Neil Joseph Bruce McGregor, a farmer, and Margaret Ogilvie.

In the 1870’s Elizabeth formed a friendship with Charles Cornish, an insurance agent, which her father appears not to approve of. In his will dated 1875 he wrote – “if my same Daughter shall marry one Charles Cornish with whom she is now acquainted she shall immediately thereupon cease to” benefit from the will.

Not long after this Elizabeth married Charles and they sailed for Victoria.

Their first child was born on board the “Alhambra” and was named Charles Neil Alhambra Cornish. Their daughter was born in 1877 before the family returned to New Zealand in 1878.

In 1880 Elizabeth’s father had a change of heart and made a codicil to his will reinstating her inheritance - “I have become reconciled to the said marriage and am desirous of altering my said will”.

Elizabeth and Charles settled, at first, at North Taieri before moving Dunedin - they had a further four children, one who died in infancy. Shortly after the birth of their last child Charles left the family and went to Australia.

In 1890 Elizabeth applied to the court for a protection order under the Married Women’s Property Protection Act and she also asked for the exclusive custody of the children. The order was granted.

When Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition she was living at North Taieri.

She died at her home in Dunedin on 12 September 1921 and is buried in the family grave in the Southern Cemetery.