Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Barbara Sinclair Gilbertson was born on 21 January 1845 in Dunrossness, Shetland, Scotland – the daughter of William Gilbertson, a fisherman and crofter, and Ursula Garrick.
She married Paul Smith, a mariner with the RN, on 4 December 1862 in Dunrossness and they had five children before they emigrated to New Zealand in 1872 on the Euterpe – their five-year-old son Paul died on the voyage.
They had a further six children after their arrival in New Zealand - they settled on Stewart Island for a short time before moving to Bluff where Barbara signed the suffrage petition.
In 1898 their six roomed house was destroyed by fire, both building and furniture were insured.
Paul died at their daughter’s home in Bluff in 1915 – he is buried in the family grave in the Bluff Cemetery.
After Paul’s death Barbara went to live with family in Perth, Western Australia – she died there on 16 December 1928 and is buried in the Subiaco 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
Invercargill City Council https://icc.govt.nz
Govt of WA https://bdm.justice.wa.gov.au/
WA Cemeteries https://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/
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