Maker: Caroline O'Reilly

Panel number: 85

sheet number: 87

Person honouring: Mary Smith and all the other woman who meandered the country lanes to sign the petition

Relationship to maker:  Mary Smith – same name as my mother

Biography written by Kaye Foran, Mary Smith’s great-great-granddaughter.

Mary Smith, daughter of James Harty, a gardener, and Ellen McCarty, was born in  Cobh, County Cork, Ireland circa 1853. Aged 18, Mary sailed on the Carnatic to New Zealand, arriving in March 1874 in Port Chalmers. Her occupation was listed as servant.

Mary married Joseph Smith, on 5 February 1875, in Tokomairiro, now Milton.

Mary and Joseph had a small farm in Inch Clutha, South Otago but when flooded out by the 1878 floods moved to Wangaloa where Joseph leased about 50 acres of Education Reserve to farm. He also worked several seams of coal, supplying local farmers with fuel. 

Joseph and Mary had eight children at Wangaloa. In 1893, a Mary Smith of Wangaloa signed the Women’s Suffrage Petition. At the time, there were 15 families recorded in Wises Directory living in Wangaloa, with only one Smith family. 

Joseph Smith died 9 December 1912 at Wangaloa. Mary saw at least two of her sons enlist during World War 1; Joseph as part of the American Forces and Peter as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. Both returned from the war. Mary died at the home of her daughter, Margaret Brown, in her 83rd year on 14 February 1936. Joseph and Mary are buried in Kaitangata.

Panel materials: Recycled sheet, net, threads.