Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Jane Miller Gunn Rutherford was born on Christmas Day 1864 in Glenshiel, Ross and Cromarty in Scotland – the daughter of Alexander Gunn Rutherford, a farmer, and Mary Allan. (See 34 Mrs A G Rutherford)
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1881 on the “Jessie Readman” and they settled in Musselburgh in Dunedin.
Jane married William Nichol, an engineer, on 12 February 1891 in Dunedin and they had a daughter the following year.
When Jane signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Gore.
She died at her home on 11 November 1906 – her obituary said she “was greatly respected by a large number of friends for her many sterling qualities and help in time of trouble.”
James died the following year leaving a 15 year old daughter – they are buried in the Gore Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk