Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Ann Elizabeth, known as Elizabeth, Ashwell was born in Leicestershire, England in 1855 – the daughter of Harry Ashwell, a general machinist, & Elizabeth Arblaster.
In 1871, 14 year old Elizabeth was living with her widowed mother & siblings in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. Also boarding with the family was 21 year old Robert James Tomlinson, an ironmonger’s assistant.
Elizabeth & Robert married later that year on May 9th & their daughter Elizabeth was born the following year.
What happened to Robert is unclear – in 1877 Elizabeth married William Arbuckle Towers, an ironmonger.
They emigrated to New Zealand & settled in Dunedin where they had 5 sons, the eldest 2 who died in infancy.
William died in 1889 when their youngest child was one year old - he is buried in the Southern Cemetery.
Elizabeth remarried in 1891 to George Henry Sismey, a seaman, & they had a daughter in 1893.
When Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition they were living in Leith Street.
Soon after this the family moved to Auckland where, in the 1910’s they ran a boarding house.
George died in 1932 & Elizabeth died at her daughter’s home on June 3rd1938, they are buried together in the Hillsborough Cemetery.
Source
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
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