Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Catherine Robertson McLachlan was born on 17 November 1825 in Kilmallie, Argyllshire, Scotland – the daughter of Dugald McLachlan and Ann Abercromie. She arrived in Wellington with her family in 1840 on the Blenheim.
Catherine married William Poppelwell, a mariner, in 1843. They had a son in Wellington before they travelled back to Scotland where their daughter was born in Berwickshire in 1846.
They returned to New Zealand in 1848 on the Blundell which landed at Dunedin and they eventually settled near Fairfax in Otago. Another 10 children were born after their return to New Zealand.
William died in 1883 and shortly afterwards Catherine came to live in Dunedin. She died on 8 March 1900 and was buried in the Milton Cemetery with William.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
Community contributions