Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Isabella Livingstone was born in Scotland about 1844 and arrived in New Zealand about 1864.
She was married to Thomas Nicol Downes, a carter then later plumber. They did not marry, however, until 1890 after all of their eight children were born.
Their first child was born in New Zealand in 1865 and their second in Victoria, Australia in 1868. They returned to New Zealand in 1869 for the birth of their third child.
The family settled in Dunedin. When she signed the suffrage petition, Isabella was living with her family in Clarendon St.
Isabella died on 8 December 1914 and Thomas died in 1918. They are buried together in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz