charlie282000 on Family Tree Circles

I believe an ancestor of my husband's, James Kidd/Kydd came from Pittenweem, Scotland. He was a gardener from Fifeshire, Scotland who became Superintendent of Sydney Botanic Gardens, Australia.

He was convicted of forgery of a one pound note and transported to Sydney, Australia in 1830 aboard the Burrell. He had a wife Mary Ross and several children who followed him out to Sydney, Australia three years later aboard the Drummore, from Leith, Scotland, via Van Diemans Land. I have found baptism records of three children, John, Alexander and George from St Andrews and St Leonards, Fife. I found records of another daughter Mary Ann who was baptised in Dundee, Scotland, on 21 Jun 1829, by Rev. Wm Browne, who was also mentioned in documents in Sydney. I did find a James Kidd who was baptised in St Andrews and St Leonards in 1800, the son of John Kidd and Elspeth Edie. However I have found a Botanical Garden journal in Australia stating that his birth date was 1 Aug 1801. I then found a Baptism from Pittenweem stating that a James Kidd was born on 1 Aug 1800 and his parents were John Kidd/Kydd and Robina Cupar. The journal in Australia might have his year date wrong, but it is intriguing that his birthday was correctly recorded. I am thinking that this might be 'our' James Kidd from Pittenweem. Pittenweem is only a small coastal village in Fife, and I thought it might be interesting to try and trace his Scottish family. Mary Ross died shortly after her arrival and James remarried a few years later to Mary Ann Must. They are buried in historic Camperdown Cemetery in Sydney.

I wondered also if there were old newspapers from Fifeshire or Perthshire that might have recorded his crime? He was convicted on 14 April 1830 in Perthshire.

I have recorded documentation regarding all the above information, plus much more.

I would like to contact the Butterworth family of Stormont, Ontario, Canada whose ancestor was Martha Mitten nee Northey of Cornwall. Her daughter Patty Butterworth nee Northey married Thomas Butterworth. They had a son called Robert.