Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Janet Johnstone was born about 1846 in Kirknewton, Edinburghshire, Scotland – the daughter of James Johnstone, a carpenter, and Janet Hislop.
As an infant she sailed with her family to Tasmania where they lived for a few years before arriving in Lyttleton in 1850 on the Rebecca. Her father had been engaged to build the first immigration barracks.
Janet married Francis Chave, a collector, in 1874. They had 10 children, one who died in infancy and one who was stillborn.
When Janet signed the suffrage petition they were living in Castle St, Dunedin.
Francis died in 1910 and Janet died on February 26th 1921. They are buried in the family grave in the Northern Cemetery.
Sources
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