Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Elizabeth Fraser Rae was born on 20 December 1857 in Lanarkshire, Scotland – the daughter of Robert Rae, a cotton weaver, and Elizabeth Fraser.
She married Edward Turnbull, a sailor, in 1878 and shortly after they emigrated to New Zealand.
They settled in Dunedin where Edward worked for the Railways Department and they had eight children, three who died in infancy.
When Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Cargill Rd, South Dunedin.
Elizabeth died at her home on 23 November 1924 and Edward died in 1938.
They are buried in the Southern Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
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