Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Minnie Stewart was born in 1870 in New Zealand – the daughter of Hugh Stewart and Rebecca Gillon. (See 72 R G Stewart)
When Minnie signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Gore and she was working with her mother and sisters (See 72 Rebecca Stewart and 72 Mary Stewart) in the Gore Coffee Palace. Minnie married John Vickers Instone, a storeman, in 1900 and they had three children.
In 1906 Minnie was living in Port Chalmers when John was charged with 'failing to maintain his wife' and children – John did not appear.
They seem to have separated around this time with Minnie living with her mother in Owaka at the time of the 1911 electoral roll.
Minnie died at her sister’s home in Christchurch on 26 July 1930 – she is buried in the Waimairi Cemetery.
John died in 1932 in Riverton – he is buried in the Riverton 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/
