Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Giffen was born about 1849 in Renfrewshire, Scotland – the daughter of John Giffen, a hand loom weaver, and Mary Ann Sharp.
She emigrated to South Australia with her family in 1855 on the Bucephalus.
They spent time in New Zealand before returning to Australia in 1866.
Mary married farmer William Ayson at Port Lincoln, South Australia, on 9 May 1866.
They returned to New Zealand and farmed at Carterhope in the Clutha district, Gladbrook station near Middlemarch, Moutere station and Linburn station in the Maniototo before returning to the Waikaka Valley where they bought a farm.
They had eight children and when Mary signed the suffrage petition she did so at Gore.
Mary died at her home 'Southbrook' at Waikaka on 25 August 1935 and William died in 1938 – they are buried in the Warepa Cemetery.
Her obituary said she 'devoted most of her time to her family and home management, and to the local Presbyterian Church, but she was a willing helpmate for her husband in his early experiments to establish the present Corriedale flock for which the farm is renowned, and in overcoming the problems confronting him in various aspects of his labours.'
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
Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/
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