Biography contributed by Kathy McKee.
Sarah Jane Willis was born in a tent in Onepoto Gully, Napier on 9 November 1858, the 7th of the 8 children of Sergeant Robert Willis, of the 65th Regiment, and his wife Sarah (who signed Sheet 445 of the suffrage petiion). The soldiers were billeted there while the barracks were being built on Napier Hill.
In 1878 Sarah Jane married Henry Start, from Exmouth, Devon and over the next 27 years she bore 16 children. Tragically 10 of these children died in infancy.
Henry died in 1933 and is buried in Park Island Cemetery, Napier.
Sarah Jane lived in Napier all her long life, apart from six weeks when she was evacuated after being injured in the 1931 earthquake. She died on 15th October 1952 and is buried with her husband.
Sources
Start family knowledge
paperspast
bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.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