Suffrage petition, 1893
This is the first sheet of the giant suffrage petition signed by ‘Mary J. Carpenter and 25,519 Others’ that was submitted to Parliament on 28 July 1893. Suffrage leader Kate Sheppard’s signature appears about halfway down the left column. You can now search a database of the signatures here.
This huge roll of names – which stretches more than 270 m – is preserved at Archives New Zealand, alongside the Treaty of Waitangi. The international significance of both documents has been recognised by their inclusion on the UNESCO Memory of the World register of documentary heritage.
Credit
Archives New Zealand, Head Office, Wellington
Reference: LE1, 1893/7a
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TwitterHow to cite this page: 'Suffrage petition, 1893', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/suffrage-petition-1893, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 20-Dec-2012
NZ history site has so much valuable info.
Found the Suffrage Petition by mistake
and noticed that the signature listed at 10th
is my great grandmother Margaret Watson. Her life long friend Ester is also under her signature. Her parents migrated from Galway Ireland and she was born in 1872 so she had just turned 21when the petition was offered to parliament. She married on 19/10/1898 to
Patrick H. Reddington. Had 3 children Louisa Ann 1899 music teacher, William Henry 1901 railway guard and my Grandmother Ena May 14/5/1906. Throughout her life she was a true matriarch of our family, a Milliner of repute. She died 16 June 1969 at 96 years.
Her family of descendants still live in chch
the Withell and Watson & Reddington families
all contribute to making NZ the incredible country it is. Some of her family also migrated to Australia and all currently live
in Queensland and her dads family also went to Canada.
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