Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Emily Hannah Carpenter was born in London, England in 1852 – the daughter of James Edwin Carpenter, a cloth worker, and Helena Poole.
She emigrated to New Zealand in the 1860s and they settled in Dunedin.
Emily married William White Ridley, a dealer, in 1874 and they had 10 children.
When Emily signed the suffrage petition the family were living in George St.
Emily died at her home 'the Briars' at Portobello near Dunedin on 16 October 1928 and William died in 1936.
They are buried in the family grave in the Portobello 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