Also signed as 142 J M Wilkinson
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Jessie Mercer Abernethy was born in 1871 in Dunedin – the daughter of John Abernethy and Agnes Watson.
Her father had died before her birth on board the James Nicol Fleming en route to Otago leaving her mother with 12 children to support.
Jessie married John Arthur Wilkinson, a wood turner, in 1891 and they had two children.
When Jessie signed the suffrage petition they were living in St Andrew Street, Dunedin.
In the 1930s they moved to Palmerston North where they celebrated their Golden Wedding.
Jessie died there on 10 October 1943, she was cremated – John died in 1952.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
North Isles Family History https://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/index.php
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