Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Boyd Mitchell was born in Scotland about 1846, she married Andrew Morton, a furniture dealer, in Scotland in 1882. The same year they emigrated to Otago on the Dunedin and had a daughter in 1886.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition the family were living in St Andrew St, Dunedin and Andrew was working as a storeman.
Andrew died in 1922 and the following year Mary re-married Alexander Colston, a boilermaker.
Alexander died in 1939 – three years later Mary was interviewed on the occasion of her 97th birthday.
She was described as 'an upright figure, so spritely and full of life'. 'In spite of her advanced age Mrs Colston is as active as a woman of half her age.'
Mary died on 24 March 24 1949 at the age of 103. She is buried in the Northern Cemetery with both of her husbands.
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
Scotland's 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