Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Originally transcribed as L Hardrick
Louisa Maria May was born in 1860 in Wiltshire, England – the daughter of George May, a policeman, and Elizabeth Pearcey.
Her father appears to have died in the 1870’s and the family emigrated to Otago in 1873 on the Allahabad.
Louisa married David Christie, a carpenter, on 18 March 1876 in Dunedin and they had six children, three who died in infancy.
In 1885 David’s father James Christie was “called upon to contribute to the support of his son”. “In the beginning of January he left home. On making inquiries in March she found that he had become insane, and was in Seacliff Lunatic Asylum.”
David had since come home but Louisa “was unable to support her children”. David’s parents offered to take the children but Louisa refused.
She was eventually granted 3s 4d per week for the support of each of the children.
David died at Seacliff in 1886.
Louisa re-married in 1888 to carpenter George Hardwick, George died in Melbourne in 1889.
When Louisa signed the suffrage petition she was living in in Maclaggan St, Dunedin.
Louisa died at her home on 19 December 1893 – she is buried with David and their three young sons in the Southern Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/