Signature witnessed by S.A. Dukes
Biographical information provided by Lynette Buchanan for the He Tohu exhibition:
Caroline Stuart was born circa 1820 in Surrey, England. In 1861 she was a widow living in Melbourne Australia where she married Joseph Hessey, (from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England) a widower with children. In 1862 the family migrated to New Zealand leaving by the port of Melbourne and arriving at Port Chalmers on the ship Omeo on 20 May. Travelling passengers were Caroline Hessey, listed as a married woman aged 39 years, husband Joseph, children Joseph 7, Francis 9, and John 15. They came to Canterbury and initially settled at Waikuku Creek (near his daughter Mary and son-in-law John Ranby).
The family were living in Masterton where Caroline signed the petition with an ' X'. Caroline died on 23 August 1900 aged 80 and is buried at the Masterton Cemetery, 3 Archer Street, QE Park. Weeks later her husband Joseph died on 2nd October 1900 aged 88. The brothers, John Hessey died in 1933 aged 84 and Frank died in 1913 aged 58, are buried nearby.
