Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Margaret Boyd was born on 15 January 1855 in Cambusland, Lanarkshire – the daughter of Stevenson Boyd, a farm labourer, and Margaret Dean.
She emigrated to Otago in 1878 on the “Canterbury” accompanied by her sister Rachel. (See 123 Rachel Wilson)
Margaret had a son in 1880 before she married William Preece, a miller, in 1885 in Gore.
She had a further five children and when she signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Gore.
William died in Gore in 1915 – he is buried in the Gore Cemetery.
Margaret moved to Timaru where she died at her daughter’s home on 27 July 1937 – she is buried in the Timaru Cemetery.
Sources:
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
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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