Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Mary Ann Steele was born about 1833 in Brosley, Shropshire, England – the daughter of John Steele, a china painter, and Sarah Francis.
She married draper Samuel Evans on 17 August 1858 at the parish church in Wellington, Shropshire.
They had two children before they emigrated to New Zealand about 1862 where they had a further nine children.
When Mary signed the suffrage petition they were living in Andersons Bay, Dunedin.
Samuel died in 1915 and Mary died on 26 August 1918 – they are buried 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
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Free BDM https://www.freebmd.org.uk
GRO England https://www.gro.gov.uk
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
