Originally transcribed as Mrs M Robson
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Lilias Tait was born about 1835 in Southwick, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland – the daughter of William Tait and Sarah Coates.
She married William Robson, a bootmaker, on 6 July 1863 in Dumfries and they had six children, three who died in infancy.
In 1874 the family sailed for Otago on the Nelson and they settled in Dunedin where their last child was born in 1876.
In 1890 Lilias applied for a prohibition order against William. He had 'been drinking very heavily for the last two or three years, and she could not stand it any longer.' The order was granted for one year.
The following year William was found guilty of stealing an axe – he was sentenced to one month in prison with hard labour.
When Lilias signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Hawthorne Terrace, Mornington.
Once again, in 1894, Lilias applied for a prohibition order against William which was granted.
William died at their home in 1896 – his inquest said he 'had at one time been a heavy drinker, but had scarcely touched drink for nearly four months.'
Lilias died at their daughter’s home in Dunedin on 14 August 1906 – she is buried with William in the family grave in the Southern 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
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
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