Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Buchanan Borrows was born on 23 October 1839 in Glasgow, Scotland – the daughter of Jeremiah Borrows, a baker, and Marion Angus. (See 167 Marion Borrows)
She married James Ferguson, a bootmaker, on 17 January 1862 in Glasgow and shortly after they sailed for New Zealand.
Mary and James had six children and four years after their arrival they went to live in Milton where James worked as postmaster.
Thirteen years later they moved to Dunedin when James received a promotion to chief clerk at the Post Office.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Moray Place.
James died in 1901 and Mary died on 25 August 1915 at her daughter’s home. They are buried together in the Southern Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz