Biography contributed by Katherine Blakely
Emilia Bielawska married Robert Nelson, a widower with 3 children, on 28 October 1876, probably at the Jackson Bay Special Settlement south of Haast.
Emilia was born in Poland c 1853 and although she is not found in official records was probably one of the group of settlers who arrived at the settlement in 1875-6. Emilia & Robert’s first child was born at Jackson Bay in 1877 and then a son in the Invercargill registration district in 1878. Together they had six children before Robert died in 1891. When Emilia made her will in 1923 she signed with a cross indicating that she was unable to write, she died in 1924 and is buried in the Invercargill Eastern Cemetery.
Sources
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Southland District Council www.southlanddc.govt.nz/my-southland/cemeteries/cemeterysearch