Clara Lethbridge

Biography contributed by Kay O'Brien

Clara Lethbridge was born on the 21 October 1852 in New Plymouth to Thomas Barnabus Lethbridge and Susannah Lethbridge nee George who were married in 1843 in New Plymouth Both families travelled to New Zealand on the Oriental in 1841.

 Clara Lethbridge married her cousin Frederick (Frank) Yates Lethbridge on the 28 May 1879 Frank Yates Lethbridge was the son of George Yates and Frances Lethbridge nee Perry married 1851-1852.

Clara had three brothers and three sisters.

Clara and Frank had three daughters Fanny Edith born 25 Jul 1881 she never married and died 18 September 1962 in Feilding aged 82 years.

Sapience Ella (Tui) born 25 Jul 1881 died 29 September 1961 Feilding Married 30 Jan 1907 Feilding but her husband George Walpole was to die in WW1 on the 2 Jul 1918.

Dorothy Barbara Lethbridge was born 10 Nov 1886 in Feilding died 3 June 1972 in Auckland Dorothy married 18 Dec 1907, but she also was to lose her husband George Barnard Russell Taylor in WW1 on the 7 Dec 1917 in Belgium.

Clara had put a notice into the Feilding Star of a meeting of the women of Feilding to help assist her husband as their representative in Parliament on the 18 Oct 1893.Perhaps while helping him he would help the women of Feilding to get the vote in 1893. He was to lose the election but made it in 1896.

Clara is listed in the 1893 Electoral Roll living in Feilding her occupation domestic duties. Clara was in every Electoral Roll up until 1928 In 1925 she was a widow living in Makino.

Clara died on the 30 October 1933 in Taranaki and she is buried at Feilding Cemetery Manawatu.

Sources

www.geni.com/people/Clara-Lethbridge

Winsomegriffin.com/Lethbridge/Thomas BarnabusLethbridge.

BMD’s online

MDC Feilding Cemetery

Cenotaph Database

Papers Past