Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Maria Gilbert was born in 1849 in Penzance, Cornwall, England – the daughter of Hannibal Lyne Gilbert, an agricultural labourer and missionary, and Elizabeth Congdon.
She emigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1860 on the Evening Star and she married William Jackson, a shipwright, on 17 March 1868 in Port Chalmers.
At this time her father was working at the Seaman’s Bethel Mission in Port Chalmers.
Maria and William had eight children, three who died in infancy – in 1882 William was charged with 'disobeying an order of the Court for the support of three children', the case was adjourned. William was again charged with the same offence in 1883 and 1885.
William died in December 1890 when he drowned while swimming in Lake Wanaka, he is buried in the Wanaka Cemetery.
Maria died on 6 October 1920 at her daughter’s home in Milton - she appears to be buried in the Milton Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/