See also Caversham research databases
Originally transcribed as Jeanie Gaiden
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Jane/Jeanie Henderson was born in 1857 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland – the eldest child of Robert Henderson, a farmer, and Margaret Fyfe.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1874 on the Wild Deer. On the voyage her younger sister died of bronchitis and her 4 year old brother was killed ‘by the main signal haulyard’s block falling from aloft and fracturing his skull’.
The family settled in Andersons Bay and later moved to Mosgiel.
Jeanie married, labourer, James Garden on March 13th 1889 in Gore. They had 2 sons and when Jeanie signed the suffrage petition, they were living in Caversham. James appears to have had a drinking problem – a prohibition order was obtained against him in 1893 and again in 1896.
Their eldest son, died in 1915 at the Alexandria Hospital while on active service and James died in 1918 when working at Riversdale in Southland.
He was driving a wagon containing fencing posts on a steep hill when it overturned – he is buried in the Riversdale Cemetery.
Jeanie died at her sister’s home in Dunedin on August 14th 1934 – she is buried in the family grave in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.