Biography contributed by Ella Thorpe
Agnes Mary Edlington was born on 26 February 1876 in Thames to Alfred and Jane Edlington. She was the third of 11 children. When Agnes signed the petition (despite being underage), the family was living on Great Barrier Island. Her mother also signed.
In 1894, the Edlington family assisted when the steamship Wairarapa slammed into the cliffs at Great Barrier Island, taking around 40 survivors into their home.
Agnes married Irishman James Alexander Gordon Johnson on 11 February 1903 in Waikara, Great Barrier Island. The couple had two sons, Beauchamp Newton Johnson (b. 1905) and Mervyn Gordon Johnson (b. 1911). Agnes died in Auckland hospital in 1919 at the age of 43.
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