She was the daughter of Michael Rogers, a clergyman, and his wife Emily Blake, and was descended from notable botanist Thomas Gage.

[1] On 6 August 1863 she married John Hannath Marshall, a tutor at King Edward VI Free Grammar School, and they went on to have four sons and a daughter.

[1] White's garden at Grove House became known for its rare plants, both native and exotic, and attracted both local and international visitors between 1883 and 1905.

[1][2] She was a member and patron of the Wanganui Horticultural Society, and an active supporter of the SPCA, the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anglican church.

She returned to New Zealand that year, sold her Wanganui property and moved to Marton to live with her children, where she created a beautiful garden featuring trees imported from Melbourne.

[3] In June 2017, contractors digging a new water main at the old Grove House property unearthed remains of White's garden, including a brick drain.