Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Ellen Bray was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England in 1841, the daughter of Benjamin Bray, a farmer, and Eliza Ick.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1858 on the Lord Worsley. They settled in Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin.
Ellen married John McLay in 1861. They had 11 children and lived at Waikouaiti where Ellen signed the suffrage petition.
John died in 1916, and Ellen died at her home on July 11th 1920. They are buried in the family grave in the St John’s Anglican Cemetery, Waikouaiti.
Sources
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