Hargreaves from Accrington to Tasmania
In my husband's tree, I have discovered not one, but five members of the one family transported to Tasmania.
Henry Hargreaves, his wife Jane (nee Crompton) and sons John and Howarth were all convicted for stealing cloth and waistcoats on 29th November 1844 in Preston, Lancs and sent to Tasmania for 7 and 10 years. A younger son, Holden followed in 1847.
Howarth only served a short sentence and went to Melbourne, Victoria where in 1851 he married Ann McKenna, an Irish "Orphan" - one of the many young Irish woman who made the long voyage to Australia for a better life, and to bring some stability to the largely male population of the new colony.
I have yet to find out what happened to the rest of this family. The last I have seen of Holden is an absconding notice in the Victorian Police Gazette. I am hopeful of finding some trace of the others. Ann and Howarth moved to the gold rush area of Sandhurst (now Bendigo) where he worked on the diggings with moderate success and had a large family. Howarth's sister Lydia married an Abraham Whittle in Lancashire and lived in Spotland, Rochdale. There was also a sister Betty (or Elizabeth) and brothers Crompton and William.
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