Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Murray was born about 1842 in County Cavan, Ireland – the daughter of Andrew Murray and Margaret Crowe.
She emigrated to Australia with her family and was living in Sandridge, Victoria when her father died in 1855.
He was the licencee of the Railway Hotel in Sandridge and after his death Mary’s mother continued to run the hotel.
On 28 December 1859, at St Francis’ Cathedral, Mary married Charles Colclough, a mining engineer. They had no children.
Charles was declared insolvent in 1861and by 1866 Mary and Charles were living in Cardrona on the Otago goldfields.
Charles worked as postmaster, store and hotel keeper as well as being involved in mining ventures.
In 1869 Charles discovered gold at Bendigo near Cromwell and held shares in a mining venture which was sold in the 1870s.
The couple then lived to Cromwell until 1884 when they moved to Dunedin.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living in George St, Dunedin.
In the late 1890s they moved to Paeroa in the North Island where Mary died on 20 February 1908 and Charles died in 1909.
Mary’s obituary said she 'was always highly thought of'. They are buried together in the Pukerimu Cemetery
Sources
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
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
Hauraki District Council https://www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz/services/cemeteries
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