Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Charlotte Baker Smith was born in Ewhurst, Sussex, England – the daughter of Sarah Smith.
She grew up living with her aunt and uncle - she married James Thompson, a baker, on 21 June 1862 in Rye, Sussex.
They had four children, one who appears to have died aged four years, before the family emigrated to Otago in 1873 on the Allahabad.
They settled in Dunedin where they had a further 11 children in the next 14 years, one of who died in infancy.
When Charlotte signed the suffrage petition they were living in Camilla Place, Leith Street and James was working as a platelayer for the city tramways.
James died in 1914 and Charlotte died the following year on 19 September, they are buried together in the Andersons Bay 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
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
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