Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Ellen/Nellie McAulay was born on 28 October 1869 in Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland – the daughter of David McAulay, a pit head man, and Helen Kernohan.
She emigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1876 on the “City of Dunedin” and they settled in Blue Spur, near Lawrence in Central Otago.
When Ellen signed the suffrage petition she was living in St Clair, Dunedin with her sister Elizabeth. (See 68 L McAulay)
Ellen married Alexander Watson, an engineer, on 21 December 1893 in the Lawrence Parish and they had six children, one who died in infancy.
They retired to Oamaru in the 1940’s where Ellen died on 6 January 1956 and Alexander died in 1960 – they were both cremated and their ashes were scattered.
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