Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Agnes Kirkland was born on 28 June 1862 in Glasgow, Scotland – the daughter of Rev. James Kirkland and Mary Hamilton Dougal. (See 77 Mary Kirkland)
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1862 on the “Pladda” and they lived at Inch Clutha and Hokitika before moving to West Taieri.
When Agnes signed the suffrage petition she was living with her family at the Manse, West Taieri, Outram working as a music teacher.
She married Philip Spence Blackadder Bett, a bank clerk, on 19 April 1899 at her home in West Taieri - they had three children and lived in Dunedin.
Agnes died at her home in Roslyn on 18 January 1938 and Philip died in 1958 – they are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
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