Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Sarah Macfarlane was born on 1 December 1845 in Campbeltown, Argyllshire, Scotland – the daughter of John McFarlane, an Excise Revenue Pensioner, and Sarah Galbreath.
She emigrated to New Zealand about 1863 and married James Hamilton Reid on 23 October 1868 in the West Taieri Parish in Otago.
They had 10 children, one who died in infancy.
The family lived, at first at Waihola south of Dunedin where James was in a partnership in a sawmilling and timber merchant’s business.
In 1880 the family home was put up for auction 'a substantially built seven-roomed Dwelling house and Outbuildings'. 'Will be sold without the slightest reserve terms unusually liberal'. The house appears to have sold as the following year another auction was held offering 'Valuable household furniture' which included a piano, chairs and sofa, chiffonier, 18 valuable pictures and a silver tea set.
Shortly after James’ business partnership was dissolved and the family moved to Dunedin where James was declared insolvent in 1882.
When Sarah signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Leith St, Dunedin.
James died in 1912 and Sarah died on 21 October 1912, they are buried in the Northern 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