Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Margaret Bellett was born about 1861. She married James Dawson, a member of the permanent artillery, in 1891.
They had five children and at least one died in infancy.
In September of 1901, when her youngest child was three months old, Margaret was in 'delicate health' and was admitted to the Seacliff Asylum for a month. On 24 November 1901, shortly after her release, Margaret committed suicide by hanging herself from the rafters of the washhouse.
The coroner’s inquest stated the cause of death was 'suicide by hanging while deceased was in a state of temporary insanity'.
Margaret is buried in the Southern Cemetery with James who died in 1918.
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
