Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Thomson was born on 6 October 1851 in Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Scotland – the daughter of Isaac Thomson, a ploughman, and Esther Baird.
Mary moved to England & married John Philip Bailes on 18 March 1874 in Camden Town, London.
They had a daughter before they emigrated to Otago in 1875 on the Earl of Zetland and settled in Dunedin.
They had a further nine children, two who died in infancy and John worked as a hawker.
In 1888 their home in Wakari burned down, Mary was at home with five children and 'saved scarcely anything' escaping in their nightclothes.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition she gave her address as Castle St – the family were actually living in Howe St nearby.
Mary and John celebrated their Diamond Wedding in March 1934 at their home 'Cosy Nook', Ravensbourne. Their photo appeared in the Otago Daily Times.
John died at his home in 1938 and Mary died on 17 February 1939, they are buried in the family grave in the Northern 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
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
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