Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Margaret Dollar was born about 1836 in Glasgow, Scotland – the daughter of Mary Chalmers, a broker.
She married James Keir in Glasgow in 1855 & they had 2 children before they emigrated to Otago on the Alpine in 1859.
They settled in Dunedin where James had a painter & glazier’s business in partnership with Andrew Lees.
Over the next few years they had a further 11 children.
In 1865 the partnership was dissolved & James went into business on his own. Shortly after this the family moved to Hokitika where they had a shop in Weld St.
James was declared bankrupt in 1867 and again in 1869.
By 1875 the family were back in Dunedin where James continued his business as painter & paperhanger.
When Margaret signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Heriot Row.
In the late 1890’s they moved to Wellington where James died in 1898.
Margaret died on February 2nd 1904, she is buried with James in the family grave in the Karori Cemetery.