Women could apply to the Fund for Promoting Female Emigration, and if approved get a free passage to New Zealand. Ann Smith’s 1851 application tells a brief story of her life. She was 21, born in London, with both parents dead. She could read but not write – her application seems to have been written by a member of the church she attended. Emigration was a way to better herself. Her application was approved, and a note at the top of the first page tells of her marriage to Henare Pitt-Porutu.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
MS-Papers-2474
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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