Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Elizabeth How Chalmers was born about 1843 in Forfarshire, Scotland.
She married Charles Strachan, a commercial traveller in tobacco, on 24 December 1863 in Aberdeen.
After their marriage they lived in Glasgow where they had seven children, three who died in early childhood.
In the early 1880s Charles was appointed as precentor/music teacher and choir master at the Milton Presbyterian Church.
Elizabeth and the children followed in 1881, arriving at Otago on the Jessie Readman.
They settled in Milton where Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition.
In 1895 the family moved to Timaru – a farewell social was held for the family in the church vestry.
Charles worked as a music teacher in Timaru and Elizabeth advertised in the newspaper for boarders.
Charles died in 1924 and Elizabeth died at her home on 2 June 1926, they are buried in the family grave in the Timaru 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
Timaru District Council https://www.timaru.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.
Community contributions