Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Jane Frances Willett was born in 1868 in New Zealand – the daughter of Richard Wright Willett and Ann Shields Manson. (See 147 Annie Willett)
Jane married Alfred Arthur Austin, a chemist’s assistant, in 1889 and when she signed the suffrage petition they were living in Russell St, South Dunedin.
Jane & Alfred had five children, their only daughter dying in infancy.
In 1914 Alfred was reported missing while on his way to visit friends at Waitati. His body was found on a nearby beach 17 months later and was identified at an inquest.
Jane died on 2 October 1954, she is buried with Alfred and their daughter 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
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.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