Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Sarah Jane Patterson was born in 1864 in New Zealand – the daughter of John Patterson, a farmer, and Letitia Jane.
She married Andrew Waters, a groom, on 14 September 1887 in Dunedin – they had two children, one who died in infancy.
When Sarah signed the suffrage petition she was living in Milburn, near Milton, working as a dressmaker.
In 1899 Sarah petitioned for a dissolution of marriage on the grounds of desertion. Sarah’s sister gave evidence that Andrew had 'given way to drink, and had neglected, but had not otherwise ill-treated his wife' - the dissolution was granted.
Sarah re-married in 1900 to William Frederick Bishop, a dredgeman, and they had a daughter the following year.
In June 1902 William died when his clothing was caught, while he was oiling a screen bearing, and his body was dragged into the machinery.
Sarah married once again in 1907 to Alexander Leslie, the owner of a threshing mill.
They had a son in 1909 and lived in Milburn then in Riverton where Alexander worked as a motor mechanic.
They retired to Dunedin in the mid 1930s where Alexander died in 1944, he is buried in the Fairfax Cemetery, Milton.
Sarah died in Dunedin on 29 July 1963, she is presumably buried with Alexander in the Fairfax Cemetery.
Sources
BDM online NZ https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
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