Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Margaret Scott Johnston was born about 1853 in Scotland – the daughter of William Johnston, a farmer, and Agnes Tulloch.
She emigrated to New Zealand with her family in the late 1850’s and they settled on the One Tree Estate in Southland.
About nine years later they moved to Annandale at Wreys Bush.
Margaret “became an accomplished horse-woman, and was never better pleased than when mounted on her favourite steed and roaming over wide stretches of then unknown countryside.”
She did not marry, when she signed the suffrage petition she did so at Gore.
“She was a keen naturalist, taking great interest in native plants and shrubs”. She was also “an ardent supporter of the Presbyterian Doctrine”, and she would “make periodical calls on horseback on the outlying scattered church members.”
Margaret died at her home in Nightcaps on 11 September 1922 – she is buried in the Wreys Bush Cemetery.
Her obituary said “of a very quiet and unassuming nature, she was one of those who continually performed acts of kindness and benevolence, often unnoticed at the time, but later on highly appreciated by the recipients”.
Sources:
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.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