Mrs Sinclair

Signed family name

Sinclair

Signed given name

Mrs

Given address

Mataura

Sheet number

132

Town/Suburb

Mataura

City/Region

Southland

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Jessie Bain was born about 1855 in Scotland – the daughter of Duncan Bain and Margaret Thomson.

She emigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1860 on the Storm Cloud and the family settled at Blueskin, north of Dunedin.

Jessie married James Sinclair, a carpenter and builder from Mataura Bridge on 29 July 1873.

'The happy couple arrived home on Thursday night, amid great rejoicing. The establishment of Mr Cameron, who is married to the bride’s sister, was beautifully decorated with flags and evergreens, each pane of glass being separately lit with a wax candle. The large balcony in front of the hotel was filled by the friends of the bride and bridegroom holding torch lights.'

Jessie and James had 11 children and lived all their married life at Mataura where Jessie signed the suffrage petition.

James died in 1912 and Jessie died in Oamaru on 22 January 1945 – they are buried together in the Mataura Cemetery.