Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley
Isabella McGregor was born on 1 April 1857 in Govan, Lanarkshire, Scotland – the daughter of John Leckie McGregor, a ploughman, and Christina Reid.
She emigrated to Canterbury in 1862 with her family on the Queen of Mersey and they settled in Christchurch.
Her mother died in 1863 and her father re-married in 1866 in Dunedin. His new wife was Jean Martin, sister of Marjory Martin. (See 143 Marjory Reid) and over the next few years Isabella’s three half-sisters were born, including Grace. (See 143 Grace C McGregor)
Jean McGregor died in 1874 when Isabella was about 17-years-old - the youngest of her half-sisters was only one year old – Isabella may have had to take a large part in caring for the children.
Her father had a farm at Sandymount on the Otago Peninsula and this is where Isabella signed the suffrage petition.
She did not marry and she died on 12 August 1904 at her sister Grace’s home in Dunedin, she is buried in the family grave in the Southern Cemetery.
Sources
DCC Cemetery Records http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Family Search https://www.familysearch.org
NZ Yesteryears http://www.yesteryears.co.nz
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.
Community contributions