Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Betsy Fairweather was born about 1841 in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland – the daughter of John Fairweather, a handloom weaver, and Janet McRitchie.
She emigrated to New Zealand with her family in the early 1860s.
Betsy married Nicholas John Burrows, a sailmaker and ship chandler, in 1862. At the time of their marriage Nicholas was the licensee of the Commercial Hotel in Port Chalmers.
Their daughter was born in 1863 - the family lived in Invercargill and in Bluff where Betsy signed the suffrage petition.
Nicholas died at their home in Invercargill in 1903 and Betsy died at Bluff on 17 September 1906, they are buried in the family grave in the Bluff Cemetery.
'The flags at the port were flown halfmast...in token of respect for the departure of one who had been so long associated with the interests of the township.'
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
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