Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Margaret Bagrie was born on 25 November 1838 in Forgue, Aberdeenshire, Scotland — the daughter of Robert Bagrie, a farmer, and Margaret Duftan.
She married James Roy, a ploughman, on 20 September 1860 in Forgue. They had a daughter in 1861 before they emigrated to Otago in 1862 on the Grasmere.
They had a further 12 children after their arrival in New Zealand.
The family lived, at first, in Dunedin where James worked as a missionary under Rev Thos Burns of First Church.
In 1866 the family moved to Wairuna in South Otago where James’ family were farming and James worked as a school teacher 'using his own house as a school'.
After about nine years James and Margaret farmed while James continued his missionary work.
James died in 1913 and the farm was sold the following year, Margaret went to live with her eldest daughter Margaret Taylor at her farm 'Ashley Downs'. (See 110 Margaret Ann Taylor)
'Mrs Roy will long be remembered in this district for her cheery words and helping hand.'
Margaret later moved to live in Dunedin where she died on 29 November 1920, she is buried in the Clinton Cemetery with James.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
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