Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Margaret Donaldson was born about 1854 in South Australia, the daughter of Thomas Alexander Donaldson and Agnes Craig.
She sailed for Otago with her family in 1862 on the Alcyone and they settled in North Otago.
Margaret married Hugh Walker, a labourer, on August 28th 1874 in the Palmerston parish. They had 11 children, one who died in infancy.
Margaret signed the suffrage petition in Palmerston.
She died on August 17th 1893, shortly after the birth of her last child. She is presumably buried in the Palmerston Cemetery.
After Margaret’s death Hugh placed an advertisement in the newspaper: “Wanted, some Person to ADOPT a healthy BABY (Girl), five weeks old; mother dead.”
Baby Helen was adopted by the Hatfield family but appears to have kept in touch with her family as she was acknowledged in Hugh’s will.
Hugh died in 1916, and is buried in the Palmerston Cemetery.
