Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Cecilia Young was born on 25 July 1838 in Newtyle, Angus, Scotland – the daughter of John Young, an agricultural labourer, and Margaret Simpson.
She married David Moir, a grocer, on 30 May 1866 in Arboath and they had five children, one who died in infancy.
The family emigrated to New Zealand in the 1880s and they settled at Ratanui, south of Owaka.
They 'built their house in the thick bush without road or track, the only outlet by boat across the lake to Owaka'.
Cecilia signed the suffrage petition in Ratanui – they sold their farm in the late 1900s and moved to Levels in north of Timaru.
They celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1916 with a gathering at the Stafford tearooms in Timaru. Presents from the family included a buggy and an armchair.
A few years later they moved to Little River on Banks Peninsula where Cecilia died at their home 'Robinhood' on 23 May 1919.
David died in the Christchurch Hospital the following year - they are buried together in the Bromley Cemetery.
Sources
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
Otago Nominal Index http://marvin.otago.ac.nz
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Scotlands People https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
Christchurch City Council http://heritage.christchurchcitylibraries.com
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