Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Emma Pipe was born in 1847 in Hampstead, London – the daughter of William Pipe, a gardener, & Mary Jane Smith.
She married William Aschoff, a miner from Germany, in 1866 & the following year they emigrated to Otago on the Tamana.
They lived at Naseby where William was “a member of the Hit-or-Miss Company”.
They had 8 children, one who died in infancy, before William died in 1884, he is buried in the Naseby Cemetery.
The following year Emma was advertising as a “General Draper”, “Ladies’, Gentlemen’s and Children’s Underclothing made to order on the Shortest Notice”.
In 1887 Emma & her youngest daughter Linda went to Melbourne where Annie Aschoff was born, mother’s name – Emma Pipe.
What happened to this child is unclear, if she returned with Emma & Linda later that year she is not shown on the passenger list.
By the time that Emma signed the suffrage petition she had moved to Dunedin & was living at St Andrew Street.
In 1899 Emma was taking orders to make unclothing & in 1900 she was advertising her services as a ladies’ nurse.
She died at her daughter’s home in Dunedin on August 18th 1917 & she is buried in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.