Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Ellen Campbell was born about 1851 in Belfast, Ireland – the daughter of George Campbell.
In 1857 her father volunteered for service in the army in India and his family travelled with him.
They came to New Zealand with the 70th Regiment in 1860 landing in Auckland.
While Ellen’s father was working in Dunedin, in 1861, her mother died and she was “brought to Dunedin from Auckland by Sergeant Stephens as a companion for his daughter.”
She later lived with a Mrs Coventry before she married, carriage builder, John Male Groves on 6 March 1870 in Dunedin.
John was declared insolvent in 1877 and again in 1879.
They had 11 children and when Ellen signed the suffrage petition the family were living in North East Valley.
John died in 1922 and Ellen died at her daughter’s home on 1 June 1939 – they are buried in the family grave in the Northern Cemetery.
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
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/