Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Helena Clark was born in 1867 in New Zealand – the daughter of Samuel Marshall Clark, a school master, and Eleanor Lydia Carpenter.
She married Arthur South, a dyer, in 1888. They had four children and when Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living in Russell St, Dunedin. They later moved to Wellington where Arthur worked as a hairdresser.
In 1919 Arthur brought a divorce case against Mary on the grounds of 'constructive desertion'. He claimed that his wife treated him as a stranger, and latterly 'worse than a lodger'. Their daughter gave evidence that Mary was in delicate health, and that she was 'not in a position to continue ordinary marital relations'. Mary also said that Arthur had 'objectionable personal habits'. The jury found in favour of Mary.
They appear to have separated as when Mary died in Dunedin on 15 November 1941 Arthur was living in Wellington.
She is buried in the Andersons Bay Cemetery. Arthur died in the Wellington Hospital in 1942.
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
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