Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Amelia Ann Lanyon was born in 1842 in Helston, Cornwall – the daughter of William Lanyon, a cordwainer, and Ann Gilbert.
She married George Helings/Hellings in 1864 and they had three children, one who died in infancy.
In 1875 the family boarded the Waitangi bound for Canterbury.
They settled in the Ashburton area and had a further three children.
In 1885 George was declared bankrupt and when Amelia signed the suffrage petition they were living in Ashburton and George was working as a contractor.
Amelia died on 18 March 1921 in Ashburton and George died the following year – they are buried together in the Ashburton Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/