Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Jane Newlands was born on 6 June 1844 in Keith, Banffshire, Scotland – the daughter of Thomas Newlands, a farmer, and Elspet McConachie.
She married John Watt, a farmer, on 25 July 1872 in Keith and they had a daughter (See 106 Elsie Jane Watt) before they emigrated to Otago in 1874 on the Cartsburn - also on board was Jane’s sister Mary. (See 106 Mary Simpson)
Their second child was born on the voyage followed by a further five children.
When Jane signed the suffrage petition the family were living at Romahapa and John was working as a blacksmith.
Jane died on 30 July 1893 and John died in 1905, they are buried together in the Romahapa 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
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
