Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary was born about 1838, in Ireland. She was married to Patrick Hussey. In 1870 they were living in Chicago, Illinois, USA with their five children. The oldest child had been born in Canada.
In 1875 the family, with another two children, arrived in Otago on the Earl of Zetland.
Patrick worked as a brickmaker but he was declared insolvent in 1880 and their house was advertised for sale in a mortagee sale.
The family made the newspapers on the occasion of their daughter’s marriage in 1883 to William Docherty. The Dochertys did not seem to approve of the marriage and came to their house in the early hours of the morning. Stones were thrown at the house and windows broken. There were also threats of arson and assault.
Patrick Hussey was also charged with assaulting Mrs Docherty, and his son Thomas was charged with assaulting Mr Docherty. The court case continued for several days with all parties being fined.
Patrick Hussey died in 1918 and Mary died on 3 July 1922. They were buried together 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
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