Monday 7 May 2012

George John Taylor Airey

THE PERMANENT MILITARY FORCES OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

The Parliament last session voted a sum of money for the colony, and arrangements have been made for the enlistment of the required number of men. Yesterday's Government Gazette contains the following proclamation, and notification of the appointment of officers to the force -
" Proclamation by his Excellency the Right Honorable Somerset Richard, Earl of Belmore, a member of her Majesty's most honorable Privy Council in Irelaad, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the colony of New South "Wales and Vice-Admiral of the same -
Whereas by the ' Military and Naval Forces Regulation Act ' it is enacted that it shall be lawful for the Governor, in the name and on behalf of her Majesty, to engage the services of, and maintain embodied upon the forms and conditions therein prescribed, such a number of men to serve in the Military and Naval Forces of New South Wales as the Parliament thereof shall from time to time authorize, and provide for: And whereas the Parliament has authorized and provided for the raising and maintenance of a Permanent Military Force, consisting of one Battery of Artillery and two Companies of infantry under the said Act: And whereas it has been determined to raise and embody such Force: Now I, the said Somerset Richard, Earl of Belmore, the Governor aforesaid, do hereby by this my Proclamation, issued in the name of and on behalf of her Majesty, direct that the said Battery and Companies shall be raised and embodied, and that the services of the necessary officers and men so provided for as aforesaid shall be engaged, upon the tems and conditions of the said Act, mentioned: And I further direct that the said Battery of Artillery shall be called the 'New South Wales Artillery,' and the said Companies the 'New South Wales Infantry.' Given under my hand and seal, at Government House, Sydney, this first day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, and in the thirty-fifth year of her Majesty's reign.
By command,
JOHN ROBERTSON-.
" God save the Queen ! "

Colonial Secretary's Offîce,
Sydney, 1st August, 1871.
His Excellency the Governor has been pleased, with the advice of the Executive Council, to make the following appointments in the Permanent Military Forces of this colony, viz. :
John Soame Richardson, Lieutenant-Colonel Command ing Volunteer Force, to be Lieutenant-Colonel of the  " New South Wales Infantry."
Arthur Frederick Fitzsimons, late Captain H.M. 40th Foot, to be Captain in the "New South Wales Infantry."
Alfred Spence Heathcote, V.C., lato Captain H.M. 60th Rifles, to be Captain in the " Now South Wales Infantry."
George John Airey, Lieutenant retired half-pay Royal Marines, to be First Captain of the " New South Wales Artillery." ...
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 2 August 1871

THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.
The following notifications appear in yesterday's Government Gazette -
APPOINTMENT - Captain G. J. Airey, the Officer Commanding New South Wales Artillery, to be a member of the Warlike Stores Board.
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 24 January 1872
[Warlike Stores Board  which provided direction to the Ordnance and Barrack Department. The Department was now responsible for all military supplies and ammunition and for all matters concerning private (commercial) explosives.]

APPOINTMENTS.-First Captain George John Airey to be major in the New South Wales artillery ; Empire Saturday 4 May 1872
Major Airey

MAJOR GEORGE J. AIREY, the second in command as regards the artillery of the New South Wales troops for the Soudan, like his immediate superior officer, was at one time an officer of marines, and indeed we believe that he also passed a great portion of his service in that capacity on board the same ship as Lieutenant-Colonel Spalding, viz., the Challenger. Major G. J. Airey is an officer of wide experience, and has at.various times, and in distant lands, seen a good deal of active service. Major Airey was the first officer appointed to take charge of the New South Wales Artillery, on its formation in August, 1871.
Illustrated Sydney News Saturday 14 March 1885


Colonel Airey who was a member of the Soudan contingent, speaking of Suakim, says it is an undefended seaport, with no line of defences against either sea or land attack. Aden however is garrisoned and troops could be sent thence to Suakim in a couple of days. The approach to Suakim is between a number ot islands and the lead has to be kept going continuously until the anchorage is reached The town could be easily attacked by natives. 
The garrison does not exceed a couple of Egyptian battalions and at the time the contingent landed Suakim was the base of operations for a military demonstration. A fanatical rising of natives would result in disaster to Suakim for its defences are abso lutely incapable of supporting a fierce attack
by bands of nomadic warriors who would be incited by the belief that they were fight ing a holy war in which victory would give them the right to loot and plunder and death in paradise. The population is principally composed of half-cast store keepers, and the place is very unhealthy and absolutely without sanitation. 
Argus Saturday 4 April 1896


The retirement of Colonel Warner Wright Spalding, C.M.G., and Lietenant-colonel and Brevet-colonel .George John Airey from the New South Wales Artillery, with the rank of colonel has been approved. Both officers are permitted to wear their uniform on retirement.
Australian Town & Country Journal Saturday 21 November 1896

Colonel George J. Airey died at his residence, St. Elmo, Elizabeth Bay, yesterday, at the age of 63. The deceased officer was for many years in the New South Wales Artillery, but retired in July, 1896, on a pension. He was a member of the Soudan Contingent in 1885, and was mentioned in despatches. In the sixties, whilst in the Royal Marines, he saw some fighting with the Rewa River expedition.
Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 14 March 1905

Colonel George J. Airey has died from syncope at the age of 62. He came to New South Wales as officer in command of the marines on board the Challenger in 1866, and was in charge of the guard which protected H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh when he was fired at in Sydney .Colonel Airey formed the  first battery of the N.S.W. Artillery, now the Royal Australian Artillery. He leaves a widow; three daughters, and a son.
Australian Town & Country Journal Wednesday 15 March 1905

Colonel George J. Airey died at Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, on Monday, aged 63 years. He was for years connected with the New South Wales artillery, but retired in July, 1890, on a pension. He was a member of the Soudan Contingent, and was mentioned in dispatches.
Advertiser (Adelaide) 16 March 1905

AIREY -The Funeral of the late Colonel GEORGE J AIREY will leave St. John's Church, Darlinghurst THIS DAY (Tuesday) Service at 2.30 p m , thence to Waverley Cemetery
Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 14 March 1905

The funeral of the late Colonel George J, Airey, who was one of the founders of the New South Wales Artillery, took place yesterday at the Waverley Cemetery. A service was conducted by the Revs. E. C. Beck and H. J. Rose, at St. John's, Darlinghurst, prior to the interment, the Rev. E. C, Beck offi ciating at the graveside. Major C. Airey (brother) and Mr. Alfred Lord (brother-in law) were the chief mourners. There were also present Brigadier-General Gordon, CB, Major Luscombe, D.A.Q.M.G., Captain Forrest, R.N., Captain C S. Lindeman, Lieutenant. Colonel Murray, Major Broughton, Captai» Jenkins, R.A.A., the Rev. Canon Cooper, Sir Normand MacLaurin, Mr. R. J. Black, M.L.C Messrs. Harry Abbott, Milner Stephen, Wilfred and Arthur Docker, T. C. Ashe, Gillies, T. F. Waller, and E. L .Rutledge. Several warrant and non-commissioned officers of the R.A.A. were also present.
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 15 March 1905

Colonel George J. Airey, who has just died in Sydney, came to New South Wales as officer in command of the marines on board the Challenger in 1866, and was in charge of the guard which protected H.R.H. the Dake of Edinburgh when he was fired at in Sydney. Colonel Airey formed the first battery of the New South Wales Artillery, now the Royal Australian Artillery.
Barrier Miner Saturday 18 March 1905

Friday 4 May 2012

John Tebbutt - obituary

John Tebbutt married Jane Pendergast on 8 September 1857 at St Matthew's Catholic Church, Windsor. Jane was the eldest daughter of William Pendergast and Sarah Roberts.

LATE MR. JOHN TEBBUTT.
FUNERAL AT WINDSOR.
A large gathering assembled in St. Matthew's Church of England Windsor yesterday afternoon as a token of respect to the late Mr John Tebbutt F .R. A .S. The remains were laid to rest in the family vault in St Matthew's Cemetery. The vault was built under the late Mr Tebbutt's supervision five or six years ago. It has four corners pointing north, south, east and west , each being surmounted by a sphere of the world.
In the course of his address in the church the Rev S. G. Holding (of St Matthias' Paddington, who was formerly at Windsor) said that he was glad to pay a tribute of respect to one whom he had know as a friend for many years . The late John Tebbutt was not only a sincere friend but one of tho most eminent Australians. In generations to come the name of John Tebbutt would be spoken of as one of the greatest scientists the Commonwealth had produced. But it was not for him (Mr Fieldlng) to deal with all the late Mr Tebbutt's scientific attainments--that would be done by those best qualified for the task in Australia, in Europe and in America. The late Mr Tebbutt had a great reverence for truth whether scientific or religious. He could not stand what he deemed to be a sham or a make-believe. It was that great love of truth that caused the deceased to be mis- understood from the religious point of view. The late Mr Tebbutt never really left the Church. He had often said to him (Mr. Fielding), "The truth shall make humanity free whether it be religious or scientific and we scientists have to fight for that freedom."
In the early days said Mr Fielding, scientists had to fight for freedom to be allowed to find out the facts of life and nature in their own way. The late Mr Tebbutt was not one of those who asserted that physical science was the only means of acquiring truth.
"I believe," Mr Fielding concluded "that if the Church is to fulfil the divine mission entrusted to her by Christ, she must be open to receive every aspect, not only of Christian truth but of all truth whether scientific or religious."
The Rev. Norman Jenkyn of Windsor officiated at the graveside and an address was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Roseby. The latter after endorsing what Mr Fielding had said of the late Mr Tebbutt 's love of scientific facts referred to his kindly sympathy and help and the length to which he would go in order to help others in securing astronomical in- formation. His work said Dr Roseby, would be enduring ; Australia hardlly realised how great was the man they had just lost.
The chief mourners were; - Miss Tebbutt (daughter), Mr J.T. Tebbutt (only son), Mrs Tebbutt and family, Mr and Mrs Rodda (son-in-law and daughter) the three Misses Rodda and Master Rodda, Mr and Mrs L. Orville Brown (grandchildren), Messrs. W. G. and John Prendergast (brothers-in-law).
Amongst those who attended either at the church or at the graveside were: -Messrs Walter F. Gale F.R.A.S .(president of the New South Wales branch of the British Astronomical Association), Mr James Nangle (superintendent of Technical Educatlon) and the Rev. Dr. Roseby (representing the Royal Astronomical Society of London), Mr. W. N. Ifould (principal librarian Public Library of New South Wales), Mr H. W. Potts and Mr. W. M. Hamlet (Royal Society), Mr J.C.L. Fitzpatrlck (Minister for Mines representing the Government) , Captain A. S. Fitzpatrick, Messrs W. H. Haxby (manager of the Windsor branch of the Commercial Bank of Sydney), R. A. Neville (manager of the Windsor branch of the Bank of New South Wales), Peter Beveridge. A . J. Berckelman, Mr and Mrs R. Bruce Walker, Frank Campbell, Hilton Moses, R. H. Judd (Mayor of Windsor), Ald. Ward, R. A. Pye, A. C. Hannabus, Dr. Callaghan, Dr. Davies, the Rev J. Steel (Presbyterian Church), W. F. R
Ross, John Dick (representing Colonel Paine. who is on active service), W. H. Dean (ex- Mayor of Windsor), H. M. Pulsford, W. Turnbull, W. Lobb ex-Sergt. Boyd, ex-Sergt. Norris, Mrs Howell Price and a number of the late Mr Tebbutt's tenants. 
Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 2 December 1916

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Notes from mc2 - Photos

Image Sets from mc2


Bath
Buildings and scenes of Bath that may have been frequented by members of the Mackillop family from the late 1840s to the 1860s

Grosvenor Place
Grosvenor Place, Bath. George Mackillop lived at no. 26.

Old Bailey
Criminal Court in London where Uriah Moses and Richard Holland were tried and sentenced. Newgate Gaol was around the corner
Link to Flickr
Todmorden
Todmorden, England, hometown of Simeon Lord

Rosemary Moses and grandsons - 2005

Notes from mc2 - Links

Convict sites
Australia's Second Fleet Includes a list of convicts transported

First Fleet - Searching (a database of convicts)

Index to Convict records (NSW State Records - includes Colonial Secretary papers and Pardons)

Ireland - Australia Transportation Database The National Archives of Ireland holds a wide range of records relating to transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia covering the period 1788 to 1868

Irish Convicts to NSW 1788-1849 Includes Irish State prisoners, convicts who were tried in Ireland, and convicts who were tried outside Ireland whose native place was in Ireland

Proceedings of the Old Bailey A fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court - 1674 - 1834

Second Fleeters Resources and links to Second Fleet information from the State Library of NSW website

Ships carrying Irish convicts to New South Wales List of ships including in some cases names of passengers

The Sealers Article from TeAra The Encyclopedia of New Zealand on sealing including mention of Simeon Lord

Australia's Third Fleet Includes names of convicts and term of sentence

Todmorden & Walsden Information about Todmorden in Yorkshire - area where Simeon Lord came from
Decisions of the Privy Council The aim of this website is to reproduce the surviving records held in London of all the unreported appeals from the Australian colonies to the appeals committees or the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council before 1850

Family history sites
Belinda Cohen's Family History site Contains information about the Ramsay Family and their connection to the family of Simeon Lord

Links in Trove
George Guest 1767-1841 Link to article in Australian Dictionary of Biography about George Guest

George Mackillop Links to records of items held in the National Library of Australia and other collections about George Mackillop.

Simeon Lord 1771 -1840 Links to records of items in the National Library and other collections relating to Simeon Lord.

Thomas Birch1774 - 1821 Link to article in Australian Dictionary of Biography about Thomas Birch

Notes from mc2 - Trials & Transportation

Prior to the American War of Independence British prisoners were transported to North America. With the outbreak of war between England and America this was no longer possible and British gaols soon filled with long-term prisoners. In 1776, as a short-term measure until transportation could be resumed, an Act of Parliament was passed whereby prisoners who would normally be transported were sentenced to terms of hard labour clearing sand and gravel from the beds of rivers. The men were accommodated in prison hulks (unseaworthy ships) at Woolwich, Plymouth and Portsmouth from where they worked. Other prisoners were taken to the hulks to wait to be transported as alternative destinations for transporting convicts, especially in Africa were investigated between 1776 and 1788. On the 18th August 1786 it was decided that the convicts would be transported to Botany Bay.

For some of the convicts, especially those who arrived in the first two fleets, there is a great deal of information while for many of the others the information is sketchy, especially for convicts from Ireland and for some of the women.

Name
Age when Tried
Reason for Transportation
Mary Bateman
15
Theft
George Guest
17
Theft
William Roberts
30
Theft
Kezia Brown
18
Theft
Simeon Lord
19
Theft
Charles Daley
21
Theft
Mary Hyde
17
Theft
John Pendergast
30
Supporter Irish Rebellion
Uriah Moses
18
Theft
Jane Williams
24
Theft
Richard Holland
22
Theft
Susannah Alderson
29
Perjury

Notes from mc2 - Uriah Moses


Uriah Moses was born in 1780, possibly at Pontypool, Wales. Exeter is given as place of origin in some records. In 1798 he was accused of breaking into the shop of William Holmes - a linen draper and mercer in Whitechapel - (by cutting the glass possibly with a diamond) on 8 December 1797 and removing four or five cards of black lace, two pieces of silk handkerchiefs and two pieces of calimanco calculated as being worth a total of seven or eight pounds. The 18 year old Uriah was described in the records as being four foot eleven inches tall, dark complexion, brown hair and grey eyes. At the trial it was stated that Uriah had worked with Mr Jacobs in Petticoat Lane as a glasscutter for three years but had left three years ago.

Hannah Benjamin was accused of receiving the stolen goods. The theft took place at 6 o'clock in the evening. Uriah cut the back of his hand on the glass, resulting in a trip to Guy's Hospital. A card of lace was found in his hospital bed. The rest of the goods were then hidden in a room of one of Hannah Benjamin's lodgers.

Uriah Moses was sentenced to death, later commuted to transportation for life to New South Wales. Hannah Benjamin was sentenced to fourteen years transportation. he arrived in Sydney aboard the Royal Admiral in 1800. Uriah served his sentence in the Windsor district and received his ticket of leave in 1812. He was recommended for emancipation in 1821.

Once he had his ticket of leave Uriah worked as a baker and storekeeper in Windsor, first near Macquarie Street and later at 62-64 George Street.

On 9 March 1830 Uriah married Ann Daley, daughter of Charles Daley and Susannah Alderson.

The children of Uriah and Ann:
  • Frederick 1830-1831
  • Rachel 1831 - 1832
  • Henry 1832 - 1926
  • Susannah 1834 - 1923
  • George 1838 - 1908
  • James 1840 - 1840
  • James Uriah 1842 - 1842
  • William 1844 - 1918
  • Thomas 1846 - 1850
George Moses married Elizabeth Pendergast, daughter of William and Sarah Pendergast (nee Holland).

Uriah was Jewish but is said to have converted to Christianity before his death. He died at Windsor on 5 December 1847.

In 1868 Ann Moses married William Powell. She died at Windsor on 12 June 1880.

Notes from mc2 - Charles Daley & Susannah Alderson


CHARLES DALEY (also spelt Daly, Dayley or Daily) arrived in Sydney on the Boddingtons on the 7th August 1793. Charles was tried in Dublin in December 1791 for stealing saddles and was sentenced to seven years transportation. He was listed as being a landholder.

Charles was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1775 and died in Windsor, New South Wales on 17 May 1831.

In 1796 Charles Dayley married Ann Lockett who died in 1806.

Charles Daley and Susannah Alderson were married on 27 May 1810 at St Matthews Church, Windsor.

SUSANNAH ALDERSON (in some records Hannah) was tried at York (East Riding) on the 7th April 1807 for perjury and received a sentence of seven years transportation. Susannah came to Sydney on the female transport Speke in 1808.

Susannah was born in Yorkshire - her place of origin was recorded as Gilmanby NR during the trial hearing - in 1778 and died in Windsor, New South Wales on 7 October 1854.

The children of Charles Daley and Susannah Alderson:
  • Ann born 1809
  • Mary born 1811
  • Charles born 1813
  • Sarah born 1815
  • John born 1817
  • Susannah born 1819
Susannah also had a son, William, born in England in 1806

ANN DAYLEY married URIAH MOSES in 1830.

Notes from mc2 - Simeon Lord & Mary Hyde




Simeon Lord was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire on 28 January 1771. His parents were Simeon Lord (1744-1787) and Ann Fielden (1746 - 1786).

On 22 April 1790 he was found guilty of theft of a quantity of cloth and sentenced to seven years transportation to New South Wales where he arrived on 20 August 1791 on board the Atlantic, part of the Third Fleet. Before leaving England he had been taken to Woolwich and from there to Portsmouth before the journey to Australia.

Aboard the Atlantic Simeon Lord was assigned to Captain Thomas Rowley and this arrangement continued once the convict ship arrived in Sydney. He was later assigned to Mrs Bligh, a baker. By 1798 Simeon Lord was a free man and on his way to being a successful businessman and trader.

Mary Hyde (Hide) - also known as Sarah Blunn and Mary Black - was baptised on 19 February 1779 at Halesowen, Worcestershire. Her parents were Edward Hyde and Sarah Blunn.

In November 1795 Mary was accused of stealing items of clothing from Francis Deakin, her employer, including 1 black silk cloak, 1 muslin shawl, 1 cotton gown, 1 dimity petticoat, 2 pair of cotton stockings and 1 pair of scissors. She was tried at the Warickshire Assizes on 21 March 1796 and the 17 year old was sentenced to seven years transportation to New South Wales. She arrived at Port Jackson aboard the Britannia in July 1798.

Mary Hyde and John Black, a naval officer, had two children, John born in 1799 and Mary Ann. In 1802 the ship The Fly was lost at sea with John Black on board.

Mary Hyde later lived with Simeon Lord and after the birth of their fifth child they were married at St Phillip's Church, Sydney on 27 October 1814.

Children of Simeon and Mary:
  • Sarah Ann 1806 - 1889
  • Louisa b1808
  • Simeon 1810 - 1892
  • Francis 1812 - 1897
  • Edward 1814 - 1884
  • Thomas 1816 - 1876
  • George William 1818 - 1880
  • Robert Charles 1820 - 1857
Simeon Lord adopted the two children of Mary and John Black.

Simeon Lord died in Sydney on 29 January 1840.
Mary died at Botany on 1st December 1860.

Notes from mc2 - George Guest & Mary Bateman

George Guest (Gess) was born at Prestbury, Gloucester in 1767. On 4 March 1784 at Gloucester Lenten Assizes he was sentenced to death on two counts of theft - stealing ten live pigs and a chestnut mare. The sentence was reduced to seven years transportation to America. Initially the seventeen year old was taken to the hulk Censor. At the end of February 1787 George was transferred to the Alexander to leave for New South Wales with the First Fleet.

After almost a year at Sydney Cove, George Guest was aboard the Supply on 7 January 1790 bound for Norfolk Island where he completed his sentence.

Mary Bateman was born in London in 1773. On 7 May 1788 fifteen year old Mary Bateman was tried at the Old Bailey for the theft of a silver watch from James Palmer and Elizabeth Sully was tried for receiving the watch as stolen goods at her lodgings at 45 Cable Street, East London where she entertained her clients.

Mary Bateman and Elizabeth Durant had met James Palmer in Welclose Square and had a drink of ale with him. From there they went with him to their lodgings where his watch disappeared. Mary Bateman was sentenced to seven years transportation to New South Wales, travelling on the Lady Juliana as part of the Second Fleet, arriving on 3 June 1790.

Mary Bateman was one of the female convicts sent to Norfolk Island arriving on 7 August 1790 aboard the Surprise.

On 5 November 1790 George Guest and Mary Bateman married. In 1791 George farmed one acre of land. By October 1792 his land had increased to 12 acres and six acres had been ploughed. He sold and purchased land and also received grants so by 1805 George owned 242 acres on which he grazed 600 sheep. He was the largest landowner on the island.

George did not escape the harsh penalities implemented on Norfolk Island to maintain order. He was flogged for the crimes of lying to Major Ross, neglecting his duty and employing two convicts without permission.

When it was decided to transfer the settlement to Tasmania the Guest family volunteered to leave. In September 1805 George Guest and his family were transferred to Tasmania and settled at New Norfolk. However, Guest felt that he never received his just entitlements in the transfer of land from Norfolk Island to Tasmania and spent much of his life, including several trips by ship to Sydney, disputing this and other decisions with government officials.

The resettlement of George Guest's family and other families at New Norfolk in Tasmania helped establish the sheep industry in that state as the sheep from Norfolk Island flourished in their new environment. Tasmanian sheep were later used to establish the sheep industry in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

George Guest also undertook a number of business enterprises including opening the Seven Stars Inn in Campbell Street, Hobart. He owned a number of houses in Hobart as well as large land holdings.

The children of George Guest and Mary Bateman:
  • Sarah 1792 - 1868
  • George 1794 -
  • William 1804 - 1835
  • Mary 1802 - 1804
  • John 1805 - ?
In 1810 in Sydney George Guest reported to government officials that his wife was deprived of her reason. By 1828 Mary Bateman was an inmate of a lunatic asylum at Liverpool in New South Wales where she died on 2 April 1829.

George Guest died in Hobart on 23 March 1841. He was buried in the cemetery at St David's Church.

Sarah Guest married Thomas Birch.

Notes from mc2 - Richard Holland

RICHARD HOLLAND arrived in Sydney on the Duke of Portland on 27th July 1807. According to the crime registers on the 22nd June 1806 Richard had stolen a parcel out of a cart. He was tried at the Old Bailey in September 1806 and sentenced to seven years transportation.

Richard was born in England on 8 May 1783 and died at Windsor, New South Wales on 10 May 1867.

Richard Holland married MARY ROBERTS (daughter of William Roberts and Kezia Brown) on 18 October 1813 at St Matthews Church, Windsor. This was a second marriage for Richard as he had been married in England.

Mary Roberts was born in Sydney on 15 June 1793 and died on 24 July 1863.

Richard farmed land at Cornwallis and also possibly owned land in Windsor where he had a shop - initially a bakers and later a butchers shop.

The children of Richard and Mary were:
  • William 1813 - 1897
  • Richard 1815 - 1881
  • John 1817 - 1897
  • Sarah 1820 - 1891
  • Thomas 1822 - 1824
  • Thomas 1825 - 1913
  • Henry 1828 - 1828
  • Henry 1830 - 1906
  • Ann 1836 - 1905
SARAH HOLLAND married WILLIAM PENDERGAST

Notes from mc2 - John Pendergast & Jane Williams

JOHN PENDERGAST (also recorded as Pendergass, Pendergrafs or Prendergast) was tried at Dublin in March 1799. He was transported on the Minerva which sailed from Cork, Ireland on 24 August 1799 and arrived at Port Jackson on 11 January 1800.

John was born in Ireland in 1769 and died in Windsor, New South Wales, on 27 January 1833. At his trial his occupation was listed as a labourer.

JANE WILLIAMS arrived in Sydney aboard the Nile on 14 December 1801. She had been tried in Gloucester on 12 January 1801.

Jane was born in 1776 and died in Windsor in December 1838.

A record of the marriage between John Pendergast and Jane Williams has not been located.

By 1808 John Pendergast had acquired a farm at Upper Half Moon Reach on the Hawkesbury River. Prior to this he had rented 30 acres at Mulgrave Place. Despite floods farming on the Hawkesbury was a successful venture with crops including wheat and maize and land used for grazing cattle and pigs.

John Pendergast was a Catholic and was actively involved with the establishment of the Catholic church in New South Wales. He donated land for the building of a school but the land may have been used instead for a chapel which was later washed away in the 1867 floods. A small Catholic cemetery was located on his land.
(John Pendergast and Upper Half Moon Reach)

The children of John and Jane were:
  • James 1803 -1863
  • Thomas 1805-1862
  • Sarah 1806 - 1873
  • William 1808 - 1850
  • Bridget 1810 - 1885
  • Charlotte born 1810
Records show that John Pendergast also had a son, John 1800 - 1867 who was a farmer at Campbelltown.

Their son, WILLIAM PENDERGAST married SARAH HOLLAND

A John Pendergast was listed as a landowner in the Campbelltown area and a street in Minto was named after an early landholder, John Pendergast. The Pendergast family donated a block of land on the corner of Campbelltown Road and Redfern Road to the Catholic Church.

Notes from mc2 - William Roberts & Kezia Brown

William Roberts was born in the Cornwall region possibly in 1755. Little is known about his life in England.[Later research has shown that, before his arrest, that William Roberts married Mary Russell in Heston, Cornwll, in 1778 and they had three children. http://connectingthefamily.blogspot.com/2014/01/52-ancestors-2-william-roberts.html ]

At Bodmin Assizes in August 1786 William Roberts was charged with stealing five pond and half weight of yarn, property of Wm Moffatt of Launceston resulting in a sentence of 7 years transportation. He was taken to the hulk, Dunkirk moored in Plymouth Harbour where he was kept with other prisoners until he was transferred initially to the convict ship Charlotte and finally to the convict ship Scarborough during March 1787. On the 13th May, 1787 the ships of the First Fleet left for Botany Bay.

Kezia Brown was born in Severn Stock, Worcester, in 1771, the daughter of Aaron and Mary Brown (nee Farley).

c 1779 Kezia left home and headed to Gloucester where she worked as a labourer in a garden belonging to James Wheeler. When she contracted smallpox she was was allowed to stay in the house to recover. On 20th August 1789 she left the house, taking with her items of clothing possibly belonging to the family of her employer. She was tried in Gloucester and sentenced to seven years transportation to New South Wales aboard the Neptune, part of the Second Fleet, arriving at Sydney Cove on 28th June, 1790.

In September 1791, William, the first son of William Roberts and Kezia Brown was baptised. A daughter, Mary, was born in June 1793. In August 1793, William Roberts and Kezia Brown were married at St Phillip's Church, Sydney, after the expiration of William's sentence suggesting that he may have been married in England.

Early records are unclear but William Roberts may have received a grant of 30 acres of land near Sydney in 1794. In 1796 he received a grant of 50 acres of land near Windsor which he let. He later purchased land from Thomas Hobby which was part of the property farmed by the family in the Windsor area until the 1950s.

William Roberts died at Richmond, NSW on 14 February 1820.
Kezia Brown died at Richmond, NSW on 26 June 1854.

William and Kezia had ten children: -
  • William 1791 - 1863
  • Mary 1793 - 1863
  • Sarah 1875 - 1815
  • James 1798 - 1877
  • John c1801 - 1880
  • Robert 1803 - 1873
  • Maria 1805 - 1868
  • Harriet c1807 - 1857
  • Ann 1809 - 1876
  • Edward 1813 -1890
Mary Roberts married Richard Holland.

In 1988 the William Roberts and Kezia Brown Family Association Inc published a two volume work -
A Rich Inheritance: William Roberts and Kezia Brown - their background and their family.

Notes from mc2 - intro

In May 2003 I set up a Family Connections site on My Connected Community (mc2). As mc2 is due to close at the end of June some of the information will be transferred into this blog.

Between 1788 and 1808 William Roberts, George Guest, Kezia Brown, Mary Bateman, Simeon Lord, Charles Daley, Mary Hyde, Uriah Moses, John Pendergast, Jane Williams, Richard Holland and Suzannah Alderson arrived in Sydney aboard convict ships. Two of the convicts arrived on the First Fleet followed by two more on the Second Fleet with another on the Third Fleet. This website will contain information about these convicts and their descendants.

Not all family members were convicts of course and from 1808 to the 1880s free settlers of the family including Thomas Birch, George McKillop, William Forbes Hutton and family, William Weston, Jane Cox, Agnes Thom and family, and John and Catherine Hillcoat arrived from England or Scotland, sometimes via India.

The Court family arrived in Australia from England via New Zealand in 1969.

The first members of the family in Australia were convicts:

William Roberts (1788 Scarborough)
George Guest (1788 Alexander)
Kezia Brown (1790 Neptune)
Mary Bateman (1790 Lady Juliana)
Simeon Lord (1791 Atlantic)
Charles Daley (1793 Boddingtons)
Mary Hyde (1798 Britannia)
Uriah Moses (1799 Royal Admiral)
John Pendergast (1800 Minerva)
Jane Williams (1801 Nile)
Richard Holland (1807 Duke of Portland)
Susannah Alderson (1808 Speke)

Members of the family who came to Australia as free settlers include:

Thomas Birch arrived in Australia in 1808
George McKillop arrived in Australia in 1834
William Weston
Jane Cox arrived in Australia in 1842
Charles Septimus Smith
Sarah Smith
George Hutton arrived in Australia in 1869
William Forbes Hutton arrived in Australia in 1871
Eleanora Hutton arrived in Australia in 1874
James Campbell Thom