Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Mary Styring was born on 5 February 1848 in Sheffield, Yorkshire – the fourth daughter of Henry Styring, an accountant, and Mary Crabtree.
She married Henry Josiah, a Congregational Minister, on 7 May 1873 at Montgomery Chapel in Sheffield.
They had four children, one who appears to have died in infancy, before they emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1880’s.
They had a further two children after their arrival in the country and when Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living in Gore.
Around 1896 they moved to Woodville, in the North Island then to Patea and Paeroa before Henry retired in 1907 due to “failing health”.
A farewell social was held arranged by “the ladies of the Paeroa Presbyterian Church”. After an evening of musical entertainment “a dainty little supper was provided by the ladies and was much enjoyed”.
Mary and Henry retired to New Plymouth where Henry died in 1916 – he is buried in the Te Henui Cemetery, New Plymouth.
Mary died on 2 September 1918 at her home in Cambridge – she is buried in the Hautapu Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
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
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/