See also Caversham research databases
Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Mays was born on 3 June 1851 in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland – the daughter of John Mays, a stone mason, and Margaret Shaw.
She married William McNeill on 23 June 1871 in New Monkland, Lanarkshire and they had four children before they emigrated to Otago in 1879 on the Oamaru.
They had a further five children after their arrival in the country and when Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living in Fairfield.
Two of their sons died during the First World War, one in France and one in hospital in England from illness.
Mary died at her home in Fairfield on 11 November 1927 and William died in 1930 – they are buried together in the Green Island 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
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
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