Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Mary Sophia Christer was born about 1835 in Tunbridge, Kent – the daughter of John George Christer, a farmer, and Mary.
She married shoemaker, Alexander John North on 16 January 1865 in London and shortly after they emigrated to New Zealand.
They had five children, one who died in infancy, and they lived in Christchurch and Wellington before moving to Dunedin.
In 1892 Alexander attempted to commit suicide, he “had been drinking heavily about the middle of last month”. Mary found him and “cut him down before he became strangled”.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Main Rd, North East Valley.
Mary died on 2 September 1908 – she is buried in the Northern Cemetery.
Alexander died at Seacliff in 1916 – he is buried 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