Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Nolan was born in 1839 in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
She emigrated to Australia around 1859 where she married Cornelius O’Brien in 1859 in Melbourne.
They had a daughter the following year, and possibly two sons in New South Wales, before they sailed for New Zealand around 1866.
They had a further seven children, one who died in infancy, and when Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living in Greymouth.
Cornelius died in 1904 and Mary died on 9 July 1913 – they are buried in the Karoro Cemetery.
Mary’s obituary said she enjoyed 'the unbounded respect and esteem of all with whom she came in contact'.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au