The Kohukohu Undertaker
This is a story of girl power in the 1800s of small town Kohukohu in Aotearoa's Hokianga.
Margaret Ann Williams was born on July 10th 1869 in Opara, Whirinaki. She was the daughter of James Fergusson and Elizabeth Leaf, being of Maori/Scottish/English descent she also had 15 siblings (Harriet, Hudson, Mary, George, Jane, Te Rangihua, Susan, Robert, Annie, Neil, Adelaide, Frederick, Emma, Shirley, Hazel, Lillian and Grace who was adopted.
She married Henry Archibald Williams and they had a son named Basil. Henry at that time was the local Kohukohu undertaker but according to relatives Maggie was the main business provider while her husband worked as a builder.
In those days most women were not business owners or managers, they were at home raising families. She sounds like quite a character.
Maggie passed away on October 15th 1935 aged 66 in Kohukohu,
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