Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Isabella Gardiner was born on 14 May 1848 in Orwell, Kinrosshire, Scotland – the daughter of David Gardiner, a farm labourer, and Grace Fyall.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1861 on the Lady Egidia and they settled at Sunnyside, near Dunedin.
Isabella married William Innes, a blacksmith, on 8 July 1875 in Oamaru.
They lived in Georgetown, where Isabella signed the suffrage petition, and they had 10 children, two who died in infancy.
William died at their home in 1910 and Isabella died on 3 October 1923 at her daughter’s home in Clifden.
She is buried with William in the family grave in the Georgetown Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
NZ Yesteryears http://www.yesteryears.co.nz
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Waitaki District Council https://www.waitaki.govt.nz/Services/Cemeteries