Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Isabella Mackey was born about 1861 in County Fermanagh, Ireland – the daughter of William Mackey and Fanny Crummar. (See 132 Fannie Murray)
What happened to her father is unknown but Isabella emigrated to New Zealand in 1866 on the Viola with her mother.
After several years living at Waikouaiti she moved to Southland with her mother and step-father.
She married Alexander Dickson, a blacksmith, in 1885 and they had three children.
They lived at Bullendale, Skippers and Riversdale before settling in Mataura where Isabella signed the suffrage petition.
Alexander died in Invercargill in 1912 after which Isabella lived with her mother and half-sister in Dunedin.
She died there on 9 July 1941 and is buried with Alexander in the Mataura Cemetery.
Her obituary said she was 'a woman of wide interests and sympathies, Mrs Dickson took an alert interest in the affairs of the day'.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/