Margaret came into this world at Mataura on the 25 Jan 1878. She was the second child to be born in New Zealand, after Elizabeth.
In 5 May 1901 she married William Short CARSON at Kaitaingata. At that time, her parents were living at Kaitangata as her father was working in the nearby coalmine. The marriage would see the arrival of 4 children, but tragically, ended when her husband was killed in the mine in 1907.
| Name | Born | Place | Died | Place |
| Rosceena Steele | 1901 | Mataura | 1929 | Wellington |
| Mary Osborne | 1902 | Nightcaps | 1974 | Christchurch |
| William John | 1904 | Otautau | 1960 | Wellington |
| Margaret Mitchell | 1905 | Nightcaps | 1988 | Christchurch |
| Second Marriage | ||||
| Thelma Isabel | 1909 | Dunedin | 1987 | Wellington |
Margaret remarried in 1908 to Charles Gardener in Christchurch and they couple had a child together.
The marriage ended in divorce in 1915 in the Dunedin High Court..
Margaret died at Dunedin Hospital on the 11 May 1916. Her burial was arranged by her sister, Jessie (from Christchurch) and her final resting place is Anderson Bay Cemetery, Block 30, Plot 59, which is an unmarked grave. She was a young woman, of 38 years of age and left 4 children behind under the age of 15.
