Biographical information provided by Dawn Chambers for the He Tohu exhibition:
Marion Baird Campbell was born in London in 1869, the daughter of James Campbell, a draper, and his wife Agnes Armstrong.
At 11 years of age, Marion departed from London on 18 August 1880 with her family on the ship Aconcagua for Melbourne, Australia. Her grandmother, Agnes Armstrong aged 67 years, and her mother travelled cabin class, while she and her siblings were in steerage. Only her older brother, Andrew Armstrong Campbell, was missing from the family group. Two days after arriving at Melbourne the family departed again on the steamship Te Anau on 6 October 1880 and eventually arrived at Lyttelton on 14 October.
Marion was a pupil teacher at West Christchurch School in 1888 and continued teaching there for another three years. She then moved to Addington School.
Marion Baird Campbell died after a long illness on 23 July 1895 aged 29 years. This was just a few months after her sister Janet (who signed Sheet 210) died from a suspected heart attack.
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
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