Originally transcribed as Robekah Sutton.
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Rebecca Sutton was born in 1848 in Jacobstow, Cornwall – the daughter of Thomas Cory, an agricultural labourer, and Mary Moyse.
She married Thomas James Sutton on 4 April 1872 in Poundstock, Cornwall and they had a son shortly before they emigrated to Canterbury in November 1872 on the Himalaya.
Their son Thomas died on the voyage and was buried at sea.
They settled in Christchurch where they had a further 11 children – seven of these children died in infancy.
When Rebecca signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Southampton St, Sydenham.
Rebecca died on 13 April 1909 and Thomas died in 1921 – they are buried together in the Sydenham Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/