Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Sarah Jane Escott, known as Jane, was born in 1852 in Lacock, Wiltshire, England – the daughter of Henry Escott, an agricultural labourer, and Elizabeth Fortune.
Her father died in 1856 and her mother re-married in 1860 to James Fortune, also an agricultural labourer.
Jane had a son, William Henry, in 1870 while she was working in nearby Bath in Somerset.
She returned to Wiltshire in 1871 for her marriage to James Fortune – James was the son of James Fortune, Jane’s step-father.
Jane and James had two children before they emigrated to Otago in 1875 on the Dallam Tower accompanied by James’ brother John Fortune.
They settled in Orepuki in Southland where they had a further eight children and where Jane signed the suffrage petition.
Four of their sons served during the First World War, all of whom returned to New Zealand .
Jane died on 11 November 1929 and James died in 1932, they are buried together in the Orepuki Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Southland District Council https://www.southlanddc.govt.nz/
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/