Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Jane/Jean McDonald was born about 1824 in Cortachy, Forfarshire, Scotland – she married James McLaren, a shepherd, on 14 June 1846 in Kirriemuir, Forfarshire.
They had 10 children before the family emigrated to Otago in 1874 on the “Tweed”.
They lived in Kirkland Hill in Dunedin where Jane signed the suffrage petition.
In 1906 they celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, they were said to have “made ideal colonists – sober, hard-working, neighbourly, and God fearing. They are very much respected in the district, in which they have lived for 30 years, and by all who know them.”
One week later, on 23 June Jane died at her home. James died in 1915 - they are buried in the family grave in the Northern Cemetery.
Sources :
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Scotlands People
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