Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Georgina Blundell was born in Yardley Gobion, Northamptonshire, England about 1838, the daughter of Alice Blundell.
Georgina worked as a lace maker before her marriage in 1862. She married Thomas Wilby, an agricultural labourer, and continued as a lace maker after her marriage and the birth of her four children. One child died in infancy.
In 1874 Georgina, Thomas and their three remaining children emigrated to Otago on the Scimitar. Their youngest daughter Eliza died on the journey from scarletina.
They had a further four children after their arrival in New Zealand. One child died in infancy in 1877 and their 6 year old daughter also died in 1881.
When Georgina signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Smith St, Caversham, Dunedin. Two of her daughters - Alice Wilby and Pleasant Wilby - also signed.
Georgina died on 5 February 1895. Thomas re-married a widow who died in 1918. Thomas died in 1928 in Christchurch. He is buried with Georgina and his second wife in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
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