suffrage_petition
Surname: 
Aitken
Given names: 
Helen
Given address: 
Gore
Sheet No: 76
Town/Suburb: 
Gore
City/Region: 
Southland
Notes: 

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Helen Stewart was born on 15 August 1859 in Doune, Perthshire – the daughter of Alexander Stewart, a farmer, and Mary Dounie.

After the death of her parents, around 1870, Helen emigrated to Otago with her younger sister Annie.

She married James Allison Aitken, a farmer, at her brother’s home in Dunedin on 26 July 1881.

Her brother was William Downie Stewart, a lawyer, who was to become a leading national politician.

They had nine children, one who died in infancy and the family lived on the family farm Hawthorn Den in the Waikaka Valley, near Gore where Helen signed the suffrage petition.

After James’ death in 1926 Helen retired to live at Gore. She died at her son’s home on 23 August 1938 and she is buried with James in the family grave in the Gore Cemetery.

Her obituary said she “did not take an active part in the affairs of the district, although she was an ardent supporter of the Presbyterian Church, particularly the P.W.M.U., of which she was a member for many years.”

Sources:

BDM online NZ     https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/

Family Search    https://www.familysearch.org

Otago Nominal Index   http://marvin.otago.ac.nz

Papers Past   https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz       

Find a Grave   https://www.findagrave.com/

Scotlands People    https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.

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