Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Margaret Perry was born about 1846 in Scotland.
She married Thomas McLees/Lees, a farmer’s son, on 30 October 1867 in Leswalt, Wigtown, Scotland.
Shortly after their marriage the couple emigrated to New Zealand and had 13 children, two who died in infancy.
In 1879, while the family were living in Oamaru, Thomas, who was working as a carrier, was declared bankrupt.
He again faced bankruptcy in 1891 and shortly after the family moved to Cargill Rd, South Dunedin where Margaret signed the suffrage petition.
Thomas died in 1905 - he is buried with two of their sons in the Southern Cemetery.
Margaret died on 28 November 1928 – she is buried with their daughter 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
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
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