The 1893 electoral roll confirms domestic duties Selwyn.
Biography contributed by Joyce Hislop
Kezia Marsh was born around 1830 in England. On 4 March 1856 she married William Rapley at St Michael’s Church, Christchurch.
In early Electoral Rolls William is shown as a farmer in the Selwyn district. William and Kezia had eleven children: Annie (1856-1920), William George (1858-1910), Mary Ellen (1860-1928), Thomas (1862-1929), George (1865-1894), Arthur James (1867-1923), Michael John (John Michael) (1869-1954), Emily (1872-1937), Lucy (1872-1872), Walter (1874-1946) and Edwin (1877-1893).
A niece of William’s noted that William and Kezia had a great garden and she remembers Kezia taking her around the garden showing her the different flowers.
William died on 15 February 1900 aged 71 years and on the 1902 Electoral Roll Kezia had moved to High Street, St Albans. Her daughter Emily was living with her there. On the 1905-06 Electoral Roll Kezia is living at 30 Hanmer Street, Linwood, along with her son Walter who was a gardener. After 1908 Kezia does not appear on the Rolls.
She died on 19 February 1920 aged 85 years at her son John’s place in Dunsandel and is buried along with her husband William in the Linwood Cemetery.
Sources
BDMs
Electoral Rolls
Cemetery Records
Family records
NB: Kezia is the sister-in-law of both Lavinia Rapley (Page 503) and Sarah Rapley (Page 185) mother of Emily (also Page 217) and mother-in-law of Isabella Louisa Rapley (Page 478)
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