E. White

Anne Wells Posted: 15 Jun 2017

E.White (sheet 124).
Evelyn May Wilson White was my grandmother and signed the Suffrage Petition at Maori Hill. She was on the City of Dunedin 1893 electoral roll, voted, with her address being Herriot St. Evelyn was the only child of Clement and Annie (nee Wilson) White born at Linden Villa, York Pl, her grandmother's house. Evelyn's parents lived at various addresses in Dunedin and were very involved in Knox Church, George Street.
In 1896, her father was ill so the family moved to New Plymouth where he died in 1897. She then lived with her mother until she married George Stephen White. They had four children living at "Rapuke", Devon Street East, Fitzroy. George established White's Ltd with his brother, Percy, and worked there until his death in 1917. Evelyn and her four children remained at "Rapuke" for about two decades. Evelyn died in Stratford in 1950 whilst living with her youngest daughter, Alison Wells, and family, including me!
In 1993, I worked at Parliament on the Suffrage Activities with a colleague, unaware that my grandmother and probably my great-grandmother, had signed the Suffrage Petition!

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M Burnell Posted: 26 Nov 2018

Evelyn's father Clement White was born in Cochin, India, educated in London and orphaned in 1862. His father had been a surgeon working for the East India Company. Although he was only fifteen, he and his brothers Alfred, aged sixteen and Anthony aged 18, set sail for New Zealand on the ship Bombay. Clement settled in Dunedin, and later set up The Caxton Steam Printing company. He was a deacon of the Knox Church, very musical and community minded. He worked hard for womens rights and in 1884 the women of manufacturing establishments in Dunedin presented him with a silver tea service in recognition of his help to them in connection with the Eight Hours Act, part of the Employment of Females in Workrooms and Factories Act . His brother Anthony is the Great Great Great Grandfather of my husband

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