Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Margaret Ann Fitzsimmons was born in 1862 in New Zealand – the daughter of William Fitzsimmons, a shoemaker, and Ann Bennington.
She married, labourer, James Goodall on 22 March 1888 at the Greymouth registrar’s office.
They had two children and when Margaret signed the suffrage petition they were living in Greymouth.
Margaret’s mother in law Sarah also signed the petition (see 534 S Goodall)
James was active in the labour movement on the West Coast and helped to form the watersiders union.
Margaret died on March 12th 1940 – her obituary said she was 'of a quiet and retiring disposition she took little part in the public affairs with which her husband was connected and in recent years, owing to ill health she had been confined largely to her home. In earlier years when Mr Goodall was prominently associated with many aspects of the Labour movement, deceased was his valued helpmate, in the overcoming of the great difficulties experienced by the workers in opposing hostile legislation'.
James died in 1942 – they are buried in the Karoro Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
NZ Intentions to Marry Project https://itm.howison.co.nz/