Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Hay Neilson was born about 1842 in Renfrewshire, Scotland – the daughter of Alexander Neilson, a pawn broker, and Elizabeth.
She married John Harris in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire in 1861 and they had two children, one who died in infancy.
They emigrated to New Zealand in 1863 on the Daniel Rankin and had a further eight children.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition the family were farming at Purekireki in the Owaka Valley.
Four of her daughters also signed the petition (See 137 Elizabeth Dick, 126 Mary Hewson, 126 Catherine Neil Harris and 126 Jeannie Black Harris)
John died at their home in 1914 and Mary died the following year on 11 December, they are buried in the Owaka Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
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