Stafford St
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Spiers was born in Thames in 1871 – the daughter of James Spiers, a coal miner, and Elspit Douglas.
In 1879 the family were living in Kaitangata in South Otago when James was killed in the Kaitangata mine explosion.
Mary’s mother was left to care for eight children.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition she was living in Stafford Avenue, Dunedin working as a tailoress.
She married John Fraser, a mariner, in 1897 and they had three children.
John died in 1939 and Mary died on 12 April 1948, 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
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz