Sarah appears to have signed the petition three times – on Sheet 36, 121 and 140.
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Sarah Simpkins was born around 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland – the daughter of Charles Simpkins, a coal carter, and Margaret.
Sarah married Hector Alexander, a painter, on 6 November 1869 in Edinburgh. They had three children before the family emigrated to Otago in 1874 on the Auckland. A further six children were born in New Zealand. Their daughter Ellen also signed the 1893 suffrgae petition.
In February 1888 their 15 month old daughter Annabella went missing from their home. Half an hour later she was found face down in a ditch nearby and was unable to be revived.
Three years later their 7 ½ year old daughter Margaret died after “a short and painful illness”.
Sarah and Hector’s son John served in WWI, he drowned while in Egypt in 1916.
On 6 November 1919 Sarah and Hector celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary with a celebration at their home at Glasgow St, South Dunedin. The youngest of their 12 grandchildren was baptised there that morning. The festivities continued that evening with a dance at the South Dunedin Town Hall with 100 couples attending.
Hector died in 1925 and Sarah died on 12 December 1937. They are buried 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
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