Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley.
Elizabeth Caroline Kaye was born in 1866 in New Zealand, the daughter of Joseph Kaye and Alice Margaret Denton.
She married 44 year old John Valentine, a shopkeeper and widower with six children, on June 1st 1891 in Dunedin.
Elizabeth and John had a further four childre, and when Elizabeth signed the suffrage petition they were living in Waikouaiti.
In 1907 Elizabeth applied to the court for a separation due to “persistent cruelty” and “wilful neglect to provide maintenance for her and their children”.
“The trouble had commenced some two or three years ago. Since September 1906 the defendant had contributed nothing towards the support of his wife and young children. The cruelty alleged was in the nature of threats”. The judge refused application due to the fact that Elizabeth had left the family home.
John died in Dunedin Hospital in 1914 and Elizabeth died in Dunedin on February 5th 1943. They are buried together in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.
