Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Maria Josephine Powell was born on 24 July 1870 in Rathangan, Edenderry, Ireland – the daughter of Joseph Powell, a gardener, and Maria Broomfield. (See 159 Maria Powell)
She moved with her family to Wales before they emigrated to Otago in 1876 on the Timaru.
The family settled in Maori Hill, Dunedin and when Josephine signed the suffrage petition they were living in Water St and she was working as a dressmaker.
She married Frederick George Varey in Victoria, Australia in 1912 and she died in on 26 June 1942 in Melbourne. Josephine was cremated.
Sources
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Trove https://trove.nla.gov.au
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au
Irish Genealogy https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/