Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Ann Morgan was born in 1866 in Monmouthshire, Wales – the daughter of Thomas Morgan, a coal miner, and Hannah Whiting.
She emigrated to Otago with her family in 1876 on the Corona and they lived, at first, in Green Island before moving to Blue Spur.
In 1885 Mary passed her examination as a pupil teacher at Blue Spur school and in 1887 Mary was appointed to the position of Assistant Teacher at East Gore school.
Later that year her father died in a colliery accident at Burwood in New South Wales. He had been working there for the last three years and had built a house ready for his family to join him.
Mary signed the suffrage petition at Gore where she remained teaching until her marriage, in Gore, to James Boyne, a merchant, on 11 September 1895.
Prior to her marriage 'the teachers and office-bearers of the Gore Wesleyan Sunday School, together with the members of the choir and scholars of her class, met at the church' for a farewell social. It was said the Mary 'had laboured zealously in the Sunday School for over eight years, and during that time her scholars had become deeply attached to her.' She was presented with a 'handsome family Bible as a token of their esteem'. On behalf of the choir it was said that she 'was a diligent member and a splendid singer' and she was presented with 'a jelly dish and an extremely handsome biscuit barrel'.
Mary and James had four children, one who died in infancy, and lived all their lives in Gore.
James died in 1934 and Mary died at her daughter’s home on 31 October 1947 – they are buried together in the Gore Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/