Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Elizabeth Johnstone was born about 1840 in Scotland.
She married James Lawrie, an iron ship builder, on July 15th 1862 at Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire.
They had 3 children while living in Port Glasgow, one who died in infancy, before the family moved to Stockton on Tees in Durham, England.
They had 5 sons in Stockton, 2 who died in infancy, before the family emigrated to Otago in 1875 on the Nelson.
They settled in Dunedin where their last 3 children were born, and when Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition they were living in Lambeth Road.
Elizabeth & James celebrated their Golden Wedding in 1912.
Elizabeth died at their home on May 7th 1915. She is buried with 2 of her sons in the Northern Cemetery.
James died in Wellington in 1920. He is buried in the Old Taita Cemetery.
Sources
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