Florence Cheriton

Biographical information provided by Stefanie Lash, Archives New Zealand, for the He Tohu exhibition:

Florence Deaton was born around 1855, and is difficult to trace until her marriage to Henry Hopping Cheriton, a labourer, in Oamaru in 1879. At the time of their marriage she had been in Oamaru for ten months, and her occupation was listed as ‘nurse’.

In 1881, Henry was arrested for bigamy, having been married previously in England. He was not charged.

A son was born, Charles Henry, in 1886, followed by James in 1889. James died at the age of six weeks.

Florence and Henry moved often. They lived in Oamaru, Timaru and Kingsdown, but when she signed the Women’s Suffrage Petition Florence likely lived on Colombo St in Sydenham, Christchurch. In the 1890s Florence listed herself as an umbrella-maker on the electoral roll.

In 1897, the house in which Florence and Henry lived and ran their umbrella shop from burned down, killing two of their tenants. They lost all their belongings. Sydenham locals held a concert to fundraise for them.

By 1900 Henry and Florence had moved to Latter St in Timaru, where she worked as a nurse and Henry did the umbrella-making.

Florence disappears from the public record after 1903. She may have died or separated from Henry around this time, as he continues to appear in the public record on his own, without mention of Florence.