Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Laura Mitchell was born about 1866 – the daughter of John Mitchell and Elizabeth - the family lived at Skippers in the Central Otago Goldfields.
In about 1880 Laura and her mother moved to Dunedin, in May 1885 her father and youngest brother were killed by a 'fall of stone while working at the Phoenix mine.'
Laura married James Hamon, a carter, on 22 August 1885 in Dunedin and they had three children, one who died in infancy.
When Laura signed the suffrage petition the family were living in Castle St, Dunedin.
James died in 1924, he is buried with his parents in the Southern Cemetery.
Laura re-married in 1925 to James Hooper. James died in 1937 and is buried with Laura’s brother in the Southern Cemetery.
Laura died on 6 October 1945, she is buried in the Andersons Bay Cemetery with her daughter.
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
Presbyterian Research Centre https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/
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