Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Hamilton Dougal was born on 17 August 1837 in Glasgow, Scotland – the daughter of Andrew Dougal, a baker and grocer, and Martha Shirra.
She married James Kirkland, a city mission agent, on 26 July 1859 in Glasgow and they had two daughters before 'the Rev Mr Kirkland' and family emigrated to Otago in 1862 on the Pladda accompanied by Mary’s younger sister Martha.
They had a further six children after their arrival and the family lived at Inch Clutha and Hokitika before moving to West Taieri where Mary signed the suffrage petition.
James died in 1902 and Mary later moved to Balclutha where she died at her daughter’s home on 25 October 1921, they are buried together in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin.
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