linswad on Family Tree Circles

Elizabeth LOGUE and her sister Emily arrived in NSW aboard the Sabrina, on July 10 1854. According to the ship's papers, they were both natives of Stillorgan, co. Dublin, Ireland, Protestants, and able to read and write. Their father was dead, and their mother was alive in Rathdown, co. Wicklow. Elizabeth, 18 years old, was a nursemaid, while her sister Emily, 19, was a housemaid. The Dublin City Directory lists a Mrs LOGUE at Hallstead Cottage, Galloping Green, Stillorgan in 1839, which may have been Eliza.

Three years later Elizabeth married John BARNETT at St James Anglican church, Morpeth, near Maitland. Her parents' names were given as John LOGUE, a land steward, and Eliza DIXON. Their first child Charles was born in Sydney the following year (where John was described as a seaman), while their next four were born back in Morpeth, the sixth in Newcastle, and the last two in Sydney again. Emily was also living in the Maitland area, as she married Robert CRAIG in 1855 at the Catholic church in Maitland. They had three children there until 1862, before disappearing from the NSW records (and into the QLD records).

Elizabeth and Emily might have written home to their mother about life in NSW, because she arrived via the Matoaka on 17 May 1855, less than a year after them, accompanied by her son John. She was present for her granddaughter Elizabeth CRAIG's birth in Morpeth on 13 July 1856 (where she was mentioned as mistress of the National School), and her grandson Charles BARNETT's birth in Sydney on 24 January 1858. Her visits to Maitland and Morpeth were probably where she met David BAXTER, a farmer from Stroud, whom she married in Sydney on 15 August 1859.

Elizabeth lost her husband John BARNETT in an accident aboard the S.S. Ranelagh, a ship which he was unloading, in 1882. She died 28 years later, in 1910, at the Newington Asylum near Parramatta.

Thomas William Wood LANE died at Surry Hills, Sydney on 15 April 1890. His death certificate stated that his parents were Thomas and Eliza, that he had lived 58 years in NSW, was 77 years of age and born in Gloucester, England. A search of the IGI did not find a Thomas with those parents, but did reveal one who was baptised at Painswick, Gloucester, England on 20 June 1812, the first of twelve children born to Richard LANE and Sarah WOOD, who had married at Hempstead, Gloucester on 8 March 1812. This tied in with the middle names Wood Lane which had been given to both my grandfather and father, although no-one knew why! Richard and Sarah's children were:

1. Thomas William, bap. 20 Jun 1812
2. Edith, bap. 14 November 1813
3. Nancy, bap. 14 May 1815
4. Ruth, bap. 6 April 1817
5. Elizabeth, bap. 21 March 1819
6. Caroline, bap. 11 March 1821
7. Nathaniel Richard, bap. 19 February 1823
8. Harriet, bap. 6 February 1825
9. Henry, bap. 15 October 1826
10. Anna Maria, bap. 14 February 1830
11. Sarah, bap. 27 January 1833
12. Pamela, bap. 23 February 1834

No trace of Thomas' arrival in NSW could be found until Pat Price discovered his arrival as a convict via the ship Heroine on 19 September 1833. He was confirmed as the Thomas baptised at Painswick by the details of the court case in which Thomas was charged, on 27 September 1831, with having

...feloniously and burglariously broken and entered the dwelling house of Benjamin Turnbull, and stolen, taken and carried away therefrom forty gold seals, fifty gold rings and brooches, one silver watch, four smelling bottles with gold tops, and other articles...

and his mother Sarah with having

...feloniously received [the same], she .. then and there well knowing the said goods and chattels to have been feloniously stolen.

Thomas was convicted and sentenced to death, commuted to transportation for seven years. Sarah was acquitted of her charge. It is puzzling to me why Thomas stole these goods, because the indents of the Heroine state that he had been a carpenter for six years. Perhaps as the oldest of ten children at that stage, he saw (or was persuaded of) the chance for quick money. Whatever the reason, he would not have seen any of his family again, as he thereafter lived and died in NSW.

Thomas received his certificate of freedom in 1841, at the end of his seven years. Two years later, he married Frances Matilda MUDIE at Lane Cove on 11 September 1843. Their marriage certificate states his age as 26 (actually 31) and hers as eighteen (actually thirteen). This early start gave them time to have sixteen children between 1844 and 1876:

1. Richard b. 3 August 1844
2. David b. 14 April 1846
3. Ann Louisa b. 10 May 1848
4. Amelia Matilda b. 8 January 1850
5. Thomas William b. 14 November 1852
6. Frances Matilda b. 14 February 1854
7. Sarah b. 17 July 1856
8. Nathaniel b. 26 October 1859
9. Eliza b. 24 June 1860
10. Susan Jane b. 14 May 1862
11. Edith Jane b. 12 September 1864
12. Agnes b. 12 August 1866
13. Walter b. 12 May 1868
14. Albert Ernest b. 3 November 1869
15. George Henry b. 12 August 1874
16. Arthur Reginald b. 22 September 1876

Thomas' will left all his estate to his "dear wife, Frances Matilda Lane, her heirs executors and administrators". The will was signed in a very shaky hand, written on 9 April 1890, shortly before his death.

William GREEN was the eldest child of two convicts, Thomas GREEN and Catherine DELANEY or McLAUGHLIN. Together they had six children:

1. William, b. ca. 1804, Green Hills NSW, m. 1849 Sydney, to Mary Jane MURRAY
2. Mary Ann, b. ca. 1806, Green Hills NSW, m.1823 Sydney, to William WORTH; m.1837 Sydney, to Christian HUBE
3. Margaret, b. ca. 1809, Green Hills, NSW, m.1843 Sydney, to Lawrence DELANEY; m.1850 Sydney to Samuel GUY
4. Catherine, b. ca. 1811, Windsor NSW, m.1828 Sydney, to Everitt SUMMONS
5. John, b. 2 March 1813, Windsor NSW, m.1834 Sydney, to Sarah BRYANT
6. Thomas, b. ca. 1815, Windsor NSW

After his father's disappearance at Bathurst, William completed an apprenticeship at the Government dockyard in Sydney to become a shipwright. His five siblings all spent time in the Orphan Schools run by the NSW Government:

* Mary Ann was apprenticed to Mr. GREENWAY as a house servant, but was discharged from his service after allegedly stealing money from him.
* Margaret was apprenticed to Revd CARTWRIGHT as a house servant.
* Catherine was married in 1828 by banns with the consent of the Clergy and School Corporation.
* John spent time in the Orphan School, and was noted as having run away from there.
* Thomas was apprenticed to the firm of Jones and Walker as a seaman.

William married Mary Jane MURRAY at St. Mary's Catholic church in Sydney, and they had a family of ten children, most of whom died as infants or young adults.

1. Martha, b.1850 Sydney, m.1878 Sydney, to John Aron SVENSEN or SWENSON
2. William, b.1853 Sydney, d.1884
3. John, b.1855 Sydney, d.1860
4. Thomas, b.1857 Sydney, d.1871
5. Mary Ann, b.1859 Sydney, m.1888 Petersham, to Carl KJELSBERG
6. John Joseph, b.1861 Sydney, d.1886
7. Elizabeth, b.1863 Sydney, d.1868
8. Anne Charlotte, b.1865 Sydney, m.1884 Macdonaldtown, to Alfred Samuel Richard WAKEFIELD
9. Catherine Margaret, b.1867 Sydney, d.1868 Sydney
10. Maud Ada, b.1870 Sydney, m.1891 Maitland, to Robert HECTOR

William and Mary Jane, and their sons William, Thomas and John Joseph were all buried in a single grave at Rookwood RC cemetery (see right).

Only four of their children survived to marry, all girls, so the name of GREEN disappeared from this branch of the family.

James COLEMAN arrived in Sydney via the Emerald Isle on 23 Dec 1841 from Louth, Ireland. The ship's papers describe him thus:

* a native of Ardee, county Louth
* his parents were Thomas and Judith (mother dead)
* a farm labourer
* 19 yrs old
* Roman Catholic
* able to read and write
* his sister Margaret was travelling on the ship, under his protection

James married Catherine TIERNEY at St Mary's Church, Sydney, on 4 July 1849. They had twelve children in the following 23 years:

1. James, b. 1853, d. 1854
2. Mary Catherine, b.5 July 1854, m.1896 James WADDELL
3. John, b.17 March 1856
4. Julia Catherine, b. 21 July 1857, m. Charles Edward BARNETT (12 August 1878 and 23 October 1879), d.17 September 1942
5. Thomas, b.1859, d.1861
6. William, b.1861, d.1862
7. Edward, b.1862, d.1911
8. Emily, b.1863, m.1884 David MARTIN
9. Edith, b.1865, d.1867
10. Albert Joseph, b.1867, m.1905 Ellen FAIRBURN
11. Henry Patrick, b.1869, m.1913 Jane WALLACE, m.1916 Elizabeth WALLACE
12. Elizabeth, b.1872, d.1906

At the time their fourth child, Julia, was born, they were living at West Maitland, running a shop there, but were mostly in Sydney.

Julia married twice to Charles Edward BARNETT, in 1878 and 1879. The first marriage was in a Baptist chapel in Sydney. Her father was a devout Catholic, and this was apparently not a good enough marriage for him, as they married again fourteen months later at St Mary's (Catholic) church in Sydney. When James' will was read, he left the sum of one shilling to each of John, Julia, Emily and Albert. My aunt June WHITE (nee SWADLING) remembers her grandmother Julia telling her about receiving the shilling, and throwing it back at the solicitor.

In his later life James lived at Balmain, where his wife Catherine died on 19 July 1898. Although she was also Irish and Catholic, she was buried in an unmarked grave in the Church of England section of Rookwood! James later died at 41 Curtis Road, Balmain on 15 April 1912, a wealthy man. Death and funeral notices were published in the Sydney Morning Herald at the time:

DEATHS April 16 1912 p.8 col.1
COLEMAN April 15 at his residence, 41 Curtis Rd Balmain, James Coleman (late city valuer) aged 88 years. R.I.P.

FUNERALS April 16 1912 p.7 col.1
COLEMAN The friends of the late Mr James Coleman and Family are kindly invited to attend his funeral; to move from St Augustine's Church Balmain East, this afternoon at 12:30 for Catholic Cemetery Rookwood. Mrs P. Kirby and Son Ltd.

His will states:

I, James Coleman, ... leave
To my daughter Mary Catherine, wife of James Waddell, the household furniture, bedding and other utensils now at 41 Curtis Rd. I also leave her the sum of £50 sterling to be taken from an account at one of the banks at Balmain.

To my son Henry Patrick I leave the 3 houses at the corner of Thames St and Curtis Rd, nos 39, 41 & 43 Curtis Rd, the sacred pictures in my bedroom, the chest of drawers in his bedroom, also a few pictures in the front room.

To my son John I leave the sum of 1 shilling. To my daughter Julia the wife of Charles Barnett I leave the sum of 1 shilling. To my daughter Emily the wife of David Martin I leave the sum of 1 shilling. To my son Albert Joseph Coleman I leave the sum of 1 shilling.

It is my sincere wish that my body be removed from St Augustine's church on the day of my burial and that a Requiem Mass be said at the month's end. I die a sincere member of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and a member of the Sodality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in St Augustine's church. I appoint Henry Patrick Coleman and my friend William McGrath to be my executors and trustees. Dated 2/11/1911.

Witnesses William Whitmarsh & W. Orr Stewart.

Probate granted 14/5/1912 to Henry Patrick Coleman of 41 Curtis Rd Balmain draper's assistant and William McGrath of Darling St Balmain bookseller. Died 15/4/1912
Estate sworn at £1118-18-0.

Samuel BRITTON arrived in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) as a convict via the Gilmore on 22 March 1832. He had been convicted at the Old Bailey in London almost a year beforehand, on 7 April 1831, for stealing a cask of white lead from a cart (he claimed it had fallen off and he was replacing it - it fell off the back of a cart, M'lud !).

Samuel's convict record shows two minor offences in VDL, drinking on a Sunday and using indecent language, for both of which he was admonished. On 25 October 1836 he was given permission to marry another convict, Ann WESTWOOD, which he did on 22 November following at New Norfolk. Both made their marks in the register. Ann and her sister Pricilla [sic] had been tried at Worcestershire on 20 February 1834:

for stealing fourteen yards of ribbon of the value of eight shillings, the goods of Isaac PARKINSON gardener, and found guilty, [to] be sentenced as follows:

The said Ann WESTWOOD to be transported to such of His Majesty's plantations beyond the seas as His Majesty with the advice of his Privy Council shall think fit for the term of 7 years, to be completed from the time of her conviction on the said 12th Feb 1834.

The said Pricilla WESTWOOD to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour in the house of correction for 6 calendar months, to be completed from the time of her conviction on the said 12th Feb 1834.

Ordered that the said Ann WESTWOOD who has also been tried for stealing two pieces of printed cotton of the value of ten shillings, and sixteen yards of printed cotton of the value of ten shillings, the goods of Samuel COOK, and found guilty to be transported for a further term of 7 years, to be completed from the expiration of the term mentioned above.

Samuel and Ann raised a family of seven children in Hobart:

1. Priscilla, b. 8 Oct 1835, m. 8 Apr 1850 Hobart, to Charles POPE;
m. 1882 Sydney, to James BENTON
2. Thomas, b. 16 Jul 1837, d. 14 Mar 1838
3. John, b. 10 Dec 1838
4. William, b. 6 Jul 1841
5. Samuel, b. 6 Jul 1841, m. 1865 Sydney, to Mary MORAN
6. George, b. 20 Jan 1844
7. Eliza, b. 4 Jul 1845, m. 18 Apr 1864 Hobart to William WILLIAMS;
m. 6 Mar 1879 Sydney, to Joseph BENHAM

Samuel's occupation was given as labourer at each of these events. He died at the general hospital in Hobart on 18 September 1864 (the cause being given as Epilepsia) after being admitted a week before. His age was given as 56 years, and his birthplace as England. The burial register gave his age as 64 years; the hospital death book stated 54, and his place of birth as Bedford (this is the only reference I have found to a specific place in England).

William Keast BATE arrived in NSW via the Malvina Vidal on 24 June 1853, with his wife Mary Ann NO(R)SWORTHY. They had married only months before in Plymouth, just before leaving England. The immigrant list for the ship stated that William was

* 25 years old
* a sawyer
* a native of Plymouth, Devonshire
* the son of Henry, still living at Plymouth, and Elizabeth
* a Methodist
* able to read and write
* without relations in the colony

Mary Ann was

* 24 years old
* a native of Plymouth, Devonshire
* the daughter of William, still living at Plymouth, and Mary
* a member of the Church of England

After a short time in Sydney, they settled in the Illawarra area, on the coast just south of Sydney, where they raised a family of eleven children:

1. Elizabeth Ann b. 31 Aug 1853
2. William John b. 13 Dec 1855
3. Mary b. 6 Nov 1857, d. 24 Dec 1857
4. Henry b. 1859, d. 1859
5. Rosina b. 8 Feb 1860
6. Mary Jane b. 20 Apr 1862
7. Henry Nathaniel b. 1864
8. Alice Louisa b. 1866
9. Richard b. 1869, d. 3 Oct 1888
10. Frederick b. 1871
11. Arthur b. 11 Mar 1877

Searching the IGI for Devon turned up no trace of William or his family. It was only when Roy Parkhouse in England sent me these details from the 1851 census of Devon, that I looked in Cornwall records:

Stonehouse Lane, Plymouth St Andrew
* Henry BATE, head, married, 52 yrs old, timber merchant, b. Langternglas, Cornwall
* Elizabeth BATE, wife, married, 49, b. ditto
* Henry BATE, son, unmarried, 25, publican, b. Devonport, Devon
* William BATE, son, unmarried, 23, lath maker, b. Turnchapple Devon

Searching the IGI, I found that Henry and Elizabeth's children were baptised in Cornwall, where the parents had married:

Henry BATE m. 13 May 1821 Elizabeth KEAST at Talland, Cornwall

1. Mary bap. 25 Dec 1823 Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Polperro, Cornwall
2. Charlotte bap. 25 Dec 1823 Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Polperro, Cornwall
3. Henry [no record found]
4. William Keast bap. 1 Jan 1829, Talland, Cornwall
5. Elizabeth bap. 29 Nov 1829 Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Polperro, Cornwall
6. Richard Keast bap. 2 Sep 1832 Talland, Cornwall
7. Nathaniel bap. 6 Jul 1834 Talland, Cornwall

William and Mary Ann remained in the Illawarra area for the rest of their lives. William was an alderman of the North Illawarra Council, and served as mayor on two occasions. His obituary was printed in the Illawarra Mercury on Wednesday 13 November 1901:

Death of Mr. W.K.Bate, J.P.

We regret very much having to announce the death of Mr. W.K. Bate, J.P., early on Monday morning. The late Mr. Bate has been a great sufferer from a complication of internal troubles for several months past, he some time back undergoing an operation in Sydney. Since then up to a couple of weeks ago he had been able to be about, but was never entirely free from pain. He at one time occupied the position of Mayor, and was an alderman for many years in the North Illawarra Council; was chairman of the local branch of the Freetrade Association; chairman of the board of directors of the Wollongong Gaslight Company; and a trustee of the Savings Bank of N.S.Wales. Up to the time of his death Mr. Bate was engaged in brickmaking, he being the first to introduce machinery into the district for the manufacture of up-to-date bricks. The funeral took place yesterday afternoon, Rev. H.Tate of Bulli , in the absence of the Rev. G. D'Arcy Irvine, officiating at the grave at the Church of England cemetery. Deceased was 74 years of age.

William's deceased estate file at the NSW Archives revealed that he owned several pieces of real estate in Wollongong, totalling £1373-0-0. His will left his entire estate to his widow.

Mary Ann died nine years later on 11 February 1910, leaving an estate of £328-12-7 divided between her children, except that her son William received only one shilling (what had he done wrong?).

Update, 2021: DNA testing has now linked me to other families descended from David STIBBLES and Elizabeth BARNET of Dundee, so they are definitely the parents of John. He is no longer a mystery!

John Edward BARNETT is still something of a mystery to me. At his marriage in Morpeth NSW on 22 January 1857 to Elizabeth LOGUE, he stated his birthplace as Brooklyn, America, and his occupation as mariner. His parents' names were given as David BARNET, horse dealer, and Elizabeth STIBBLES or STAPLES. On the birth registration of his son Charles, his birthplace is stated as Brookton, USA (the clerk also wrote his wife's maiden name as LOWE, so perhaps there was a problem with her Irish brogue). There is no record of a John BARNETT arriving in NSW, until we recall that the 1850s were the time of the Gold Rush in Australia, when people were doing almost anything to get here. Ships' Deserters 1852-1900 compiled by Jim Melton, p.31, led me to the NSW Government Gazette, 4 Mar 1853, p.434

Return of seamen who have deserted from their respective
vessels, as reported at the Water Police Office:-

Edward Barnett, [ship] Milbourne, seaman
W.C.Mayne, Inspector-General of Police
Sydney, 4th March, 1853.

This could explain a change of name from Edward to John (Edward), and would explain why he worked on the docks until the day he died. John's death occurred (as I found from his gravestone at Rookwood cemetery), when he

was accidentally
killed on the S.S. Ranelagh
1st May 1882
aged 47 years

As well as death and funeral notices, the Sydney Morning Herald of 2 May 1882 carried a brief news item about his death:

A fatal accident occurred at 10 o'clock yesterday morning to a wharf labourer, named John Barnett, whilst at work unloading near the fore-hatch, on board the Ranelagh, lying at the A.S.N. Company's wharf, Circular Quay. He was making the staging fast when the part on which he was leaning canted over, and he fell down the hold, a distance of 20 feet, striking his back on a crossbeam. He was immediately brought to the deck and examined by Dr. Ewen, who pronounced life to be extinct. The body was conveyed to the deadhouse, Circular Quay, where it awaits an inquest. The unfortunate man is about 56 years of age, married, and leaves a wife and nine children.

[Even then, newspapers got the facts wrong in their haste for a story].

The inquest mentioned above was held, and created a new puzzle:

Name of deceased - Barnett, John
Age - about 50 years
Where born - Dundee, Scotland
Locality where death occurred - On board the steamship Ranelagh, lying at the A.S.N. Company's Wharf, Sydney.
Verdict or cause of death - Effects of injuries accidentally received on board the steamship Ranelagh.

The difference in his age is reasonable, and errors could be explained by the details being given by his workmates, rather than family members, but 'Dundee, Scotland' is rather particular to be a mistake. Also, my research has turned up only eight children to John and Elizabeth, not nine:

1. Charles Edward John, b. 24 January 1858 Sydney
2. Emily Jane, b. 1861 Morpeth
3. Frances,b. 1864 Morpeth
4. Edith, b. 1866 Morpeth
5. Clara, b. 1869 Morpeth
6. Ernest, b. 1872 Newcastle
7. Arthur Henry, b. 1875 Sydney
8. Frederick William, b. 1878 Sydney

His widow Elizabeth died some years later at Newington Asylum, on 1 January 1910, and was buried at Rookwood with her husband.

I have now found a family in the Scottish Old Parish Registers, as follows, which appears to be relevant:

David STIBBLES married Elizabeth BARNET 24 Feb 1825, Dundee, Angus, Scotland. Their children were:

1. John bap. 21 Aug 1825 Dundee
2. Elizabeth bap.31 Jan 1830 Dundee
3. Agnes bap. 30 Dec 1832 Dundee
4. Elizabeth bap. 14 Feb 1836 Dundee
5. David Henry bap. 17 Dec 1837 Dundee
6. James bap. 12 Dec 1841 Dundee

So, my great-great-grandfather John BARNETT appears to be Edward BARNETT, shipjumper, a son of David STIBBLES and Elizabeth BARNET.