Mary Kennard

The Mary Kennard who signed the Suffrage Petition at Waimate is most likely Mary Kennard (nee McNicol) who was born in 1846. She arrived in New Zealand with her parents on the Ajax in June 1849.

Mary McNicol married Thomas Baker Kennard in August 1863 at Goodwood. Thomas Baker Kennard was "The First White Boy Born in Otago" (book by J Herries Beattie, published by AH & AW Reed, 1939 - see inside front cover photo of Thomas and Mary taken in 1931). Thomas was the fourth child of early Otago Paheka settlers, William and Maria Kennard who arrived on the Magnet, along with the Carey family, at Waikouaiti in April 1840.

In the above book, Thomas relates a story about Mary's father, Mr D McNicol, when he was "taking the census". It's not clear which census this refers to but the account suggests this could refer to the first Maori census in 1857 - 1858.

Mary and Thomas had 12 children. The Kennard family history "With Those Who Came First" (Beryl Maultby, second edition printed by Progress Print, Dunedin, 1990) describes Mary as "a very unassuming, gentle and kind person, loved by all." Their daughter, Flora, described a home "where much love and kindness, strict discipline and deep love and fear of God surrounded us."

Mary and Thomas had a daughter named Mary McNicol Kennard (B. 4 Dec 1866, D. 4 Sep 1908). I think it is unlikely the younger Mary is this signature on the Suffrage Petition, as she married Joseph Dodd in Waimate in June 1890. I can find no record of Mary Dodd in the Suffrage Petition.

Mary Kennard (snr) died in Waimate on 20 May 1932. She is buried at the Waimate Old Cemetary.