Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Ann Evans was born about 1846 – she married Thomas John Davis, a cook, in 1872 in New Zealand and they had five children.
The family lived in Christchurch before moving briefly to Forth St, Dunedin where Mary signed the suffrage petition.
In about 1894 the family moved back to Christchurch where, in 1904, Thomas was charged with failing 'to contribute towards the support of his three children in the Christchurch Receiving Home. He stated that he had only had a fortnight’s work, as cook, for some months, and his wife had been ill. It appeared that these statements were correct' - no payment order was made.
Mary died on 21 December 1906, she is buried in the Sydenham Cemetery.
Thomas died in 1920, he is buried in the Linwood Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Christchurch City Council http://heritage.christchurchcitylibraries.com
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