Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Elizabeth Helen Horder was born in New Zealand in 1863 – the daughter of George Horder and Martha Barratt.
She married Henry William Fleet, an expressman, on 19 February 1890 at her parent’s home in George St, Dunedin and they had two children.
When Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Great King St, Dunedin, either near or with Henry’s mother Elizabeth. (See 63 Elizabeth Fleet)
One year after their marriage Elizabeth applied to the court for a prohibition order against Henry.
She claimed that 'by excessive drinking of liquor the defendant misspends, wastes, and lessens his estate, greatly injured his health, and endangers and interrupts the peace and happiness of his family'. Henry failed to appear and the order was made for one year.
An order was again granted in March 1897 – in May of the same year Henry was in court for breaching the order. He appeared again in 1898, 1899 and 1901.
Elizabeth died at her home on 21 February 1902, at the age of 38.
Henry continued to have drinking problems, he died in 1924 and is buried with Elizabeth 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
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