Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Annie Catherine Eberhardt was born about 1871 in Denmark – the daughter of Frederick William Eberhardt and Elsie Marie. (See 142 E M Eberhardt)
She sailed for Otago with her parents on the “Palmerston” in 1872 and they settled in Dunedin.
Catherine married Thomas Stephen Searle on 15 April 1892 at her parents’ home in Dunedin.
Prior to their wedding Catherine and Thomas “were the recipients of a silver teapot, suitably inscribed, from their fellow-teachers in the Sunday school”, at the King St Congregation Church. When Catherine signed the suffrage petition she gave her address as Ravensbourne although at this time the family were living in Clyde St, Dunedin.
They had two daughters and her husband worked as a baker in partnership with her father.
Thomas died in 1955 and Catherine died on 22 January 1961 – they were both cremated and their ashes are buried in the Searle 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
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Click on sheet number to see the 1893 petition sheet this signature appeared on. Digital copies of the sheets supplied by Archives New Zealand.
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