Biography contributed by Suzanne Woodley
Sarah Ann Turley (née Bell) was born on 25 February 1843 in Swan Village, Staffordshire, England.
She arrived in Otago in 1870 on the emigrant ship Leucadia. Before her marriage she was employed as a domestic servant.
She married Edward Turley at Trinity Methodist Church in Dunedin on 5 July 1873 and they had six children. Sarah Ann and her husband joined the Kew Primitive Methodist Church when it was established in Dunedin. This arm of the Methodist church was involved with social justice which family say was important to them both.
Sarah Ann was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and held the position of Superintendent of the Caversham (South-Dunedin) branch. As many as 480 women from Caversham are recorded as signing the suffrage petition. Family recall that she always wore a white ribbon and encouraged other women to sign the petition.
She died on 12 June 1928 at the age of 85 at Green Island, Dunedin. She and her husband are buried together in the Southern Cemetery.
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