Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary/Marie Coxon was born in 1839 in Nottingham, England – the daughter of Thomas Coxon, a watchmaker, and Mary Maidens.
She married John King Worthington, a butcher, in 1860 and they had two children, one who died in infancy.
Mary sailed for Canterbury in 1862 with her 10-month-old daughter Kate on the Mermaid – John had presumably sailed earlier.
Kate died in 1863 in Christchurch and a further two children were born in 1863 and 1865.
What happened to John is unclear, on 24 April 1866 Mary 'relict of the late John Worthington' married Bernhard Ekensteen, a storekeeper, in Invercargill.
They had nine children, five who died in infancy or early childhood – two dying on the same day in 1875.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Don St, Invercargill.
She died at her home on 15 November 1900 and Bernhard died in 1903 – they are buried together in the St Johns Cemetery, Invercargill.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
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
Invercargill City Council https://icc.govt.nz