Obviously I've drawn the short straw with these names, but it's worth a try.
Mary is believed to have been born Mary Taylor/Tayler (another source suggests Dial/Dyal) in Dublin, Ireland, in 1823, and had children (including my gg grandmother, Catherine, in 1851) in Tasmania with John Smith, before moving to New Zealand and possibly having more children. They settled in Bannockburn, where Mary remarried in 1870 (to Samuel Champion). The marriage certificate states she was a widow. Mary died in 1898 as Mary Champion in Invercargill. No probate for either Samuel or Mary. Samuel and Mary owned a pub after they married, and Mary was convicted of being a sly grog seller several months before they married.
I've not found much on John Smith at all. There's a rumour that he died in 1866 shortly after the family arrived in Bannockburn. They may have lived in Tinkers (Matakanui) and Cardrona before moving to Bannockburn. However, I've not found evidence of this as yet.
Any leads/suggestions/ideas for finding out more about this line? I've ordered Mary's death certificate (printout), but have to wait till it arrives. No idea which death certificate is John's as there are at least 8 possible contenders
