Wilhelmina signed the petition as Mini, Sandymount, Otago.
She was born on 27 June 1870 at the family home of Ivybank, Otago Peninsula, the sixth child and third daughter of Wilhelmina Brown nee Glendinning and Walter Riddell who emigrated to New Zealand from Eskdalemuir, Dumfries, Scotland in 1862 on the immigrant ship Grasmere.
Education was highly valued by the family with Walter responding to the Otago Education Board’s offer to provide a teacher if the community provided a schoolhouse. He petitioned his local community to support a school, arranged for a school committee to be elected and in March 1871 set about fitting up his first home for a schoolhouse. A teacher was appointed and arrived to open the school on 11 March 1871, the first at Sandymount.
The Riddell children regularly featured in the annual school prizegiving lists.
The Otago Witness (Paperspast) in 27 December 1879 reported that Wilhelmina achieved 2nd in her Standard three (year 5) class for Reading and Recitation, Arithmetic and Grammar and 3rd in for Dictation and Mental Arithmetic.
Then in the Otago Witness of 1 September 1885 when in her standard VI (year 8) class she was named as one of four students who received awards for diligence in their lessons and regular attendance along with three others, her two brothers William and John and her sister Andrewina.
Wilhelmina married Alexander Stuart Jnr on 24 May, 1900 in Dunedin. They lived at Glenkinich Clutha, Otago, then moving to Kelso, Mataura.
Wilhelmina and Alexander had six children; Walter Alexander, Ella, Alan Glendinning, Alexander Alistair, Jane Bannerman and Charles Edward.
Surviving grandchildren remember their grandmother in her old age as a gentle, sweet-faced lady who they only saw a few times as young teenagers in their summer school holidays. One granddaughter learnt the piano for a few years and believe the piano she used was sent by her grandmother from Warrington. She also recalls being shown a black and white oil painting done by her grandmother which would suggest both an interest and ability in music and art.
Wilhelmina died on 10 June 1952 at Warrington, Dunedin and was buried on 12 June 1952 at Anderson’s Bay Cemetery Block 169 plot 7 Dunedin. Alexander died in Warrington, Otago on 17 August 1957.
Wilhelima (Mini) Stuart (Nee Riddell). Family photo
Biography submitted by Pamela Jane Fuller, granddaughter of Janet Jane Henderson (nee Riddell)
