Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Sarah Drew was born about 1845 in England – the daughter of Charles Drew, a carrier.
She married John Dickens on 6 May 1875 in Greenwich shortly before they boarded the Waimea bound for Otago.
They settled on the West Coast and had three children.
John worked as a platelayer on the construction of the railway between Greymouth and Reefton and during this time they ran a boarding house at The Saddle, Reefton.
They later moved to Cobden where Sarah signed the suffrage petition.
Sarah died at Cobden on 15 July 1923 and John died in 1927 – they are buried in the Karoro Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/