Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Isabella Stephenson was born about 1842 in Newcastle upon Tyne in Northumberland – the daughter of William Stephenson, a stone mason.
She emigrated to Victoria, Australia with her family where she married carrier, John Cupit, in 1860.
They had six children and lived in Melbourne where John was declared bankrupt in 1866 owing £229 15s 11d.
In September 1878 the family sailed for Greymouth on the St Kilda – sometime after this their name was changed to Phelan and when Isabella signed the suffrage petition in Cobden her name was Isabella Cupit Phelan.
John died in 1899 and Isabella died on 11 December 1910 – they are buried in the Cobden Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
Trove https://trove.nla.gov.au
BDM Victoria https://online.justice.vic.gov.au