Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Elizabeth Collins was born in about 1838 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England, she married Alfred Wilkinson, a loom overlooker, on 20 July 1856 at St John’s Church, Manchester.
They had three sons before they emigrated to Otago in 1863 on the John Duncan.
The family had a further eight children and Alfred worked as an engineer, erecting flax mills and stone crushing plants around Otago.
In the 1880s the family settled in Dunedin and were living in Eden St when Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition.
They celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1906 with a quiet gathering of family due to Elizabeth’s health.
She was praised for her 'many years of philanthropic work...when her skill in nursing and wisdom in counsel were at the disposal of everone in need, night and day.'
Alfred died at his home in 1920 and Elizabeth died on 25 February 1923, they are buried together in the Northern Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
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