INTRODUCTION
This database attempts to record all births, baptisms, marriages, defacto
relationships, deaths & burials for the second decade of settlement in the
colony of New South Wales, that is from 1801 until 1810.
Principle Sources of Birth Information
The six major sources of information on the genealogical details presented in
this work were derived from:
1. St Phillips Sydney Registers
2. St Johns Parramatta Registers
3. St Davids Hobart Registers
4. St Matthews Windsor Registers
5. Norfolk Island and its First Settlement - Reginald Wright
6. The Pioneer Register - Dr C J Smee
1. St Phillips Sydney Registers
In collecting early baptismal records, it was fortunate to have access to
the hand written transcription of the Baptismal Register of St Phillips,
undertaken by the late Joan Provis. It is understood that she may have had access
to the actual register in the late 1960's before it was microfilmed and withdrawn
from public access. In any case her records were then compared and cross
referenced with the microfilm held by the National Library in Canberra.
The Reverend Richard Johnson was the colony's first chaplain and it was he
who commenced the register. Baptisms in St Phillips register actually begin
before the First Fleet left England in 1787. Similarly the Rev Johnson
commenced his burial register before the fleet left England and continued
to record burials during the voyage to Australia.
The Reverend Richard Johnson left the colony in 1800 to return to England,
leaving poor Reverend Samuel Marsden as the sole chaplain to administer
to the entire colony, which of course included the management of the
St Phillips register's. Fortunately several missionaries from the London
Missionary Society visited the colony around this time and Marsden was able
to delegate some of the parish work to these men, such as Rowland Hassall and
William Pascoe Crook. As well the exiled Anglican priest, the Reverend Henry
Fulton, had been transported in 1800, who after initially serving no Norfolk
Island, returned to Sydney Town in 1806 to take over the care of St Phillips
just in time before Marsden himself left for a visit to England 1807 - 1810.
Of course the working of the parish was interrupted by the "Rum Rebellion"
by the New South Wales Corps on the 26th January 1808 when interestingly two
Justices of the Peace; Charles Grimes and Edward Abbott, took over some of the
ceremonies of the parish.
One of the reasons for Marsden's visit to England was to recruit more clergymen
and the first of these to reach the colony was the Reverend William Cowper who
arrived in 1809 to commence his long years of continuous service as the Rector
of St Phillips until his death in 1852 and interestingly after his death his
son, also William, replaced him. Cowper was the last man in the colony to hold
a commission granted by King George III.
2. St Johns Parramatta Registers
As was the case with St Phillips, access was had to the late Joan Provis's hand
written transcription of St Johns baptismal register and again a comparison
was made with the microfilm held by the National Library in Canberra.
The Reverend Johnson commenced the colony's second parish at Parramatta
in 1789 along with its accompanying birth, burial and marriage registers. When
the second colonial chaplain, the Reverend Samuel Marsden arrived in 1794,
he took over the care of this Parramatta parish.
St Johns was effected by Marsden's visit to England in 1807-1810 when the parish
affairs were managed by the missionary William Pascoe Crook and then two laymen,
Isaac Lyons and Richard Jones.
3. St Davids Hobart Registers
An online database held in the National Library of Australia in Canberra called
the "Tasmanian Pioneer Index: 1803-1899" published by the Archives Office
of Tasmania was the source of information on baptisms from this church.
St David's Church Hobart in Van Diemens Land had a very similar beginning to
St Phillips in New South Wales, insomuch as both church registers were
commenced on the voyage from England to Australia. In St David's case, the
Reverend Robert Knopwood recorded the first baptism at sea on board 'HMS
Calcutta' on the 6th June 1803. The first burial occured at sea on board
'HMS Calcutta' on the 13th March 1803. Even the first marriage occured at sea
on board 'HMS Calcutta' on the 23rd April 1803, followed by one at Port Phillip
Bay.
4. St Matthews Windsor Registers
The Lake Macquarie Family History Group has conveniently published nearly
all the parish registers for St Matthews making access to their information
readily available to a wide audience but again a comparison was made with the
microfilm held by the National Library in Canberra.
Records for St Matthews commence in late 1810. The first rector of St Matthews
was the second of Marsden's recruits, the Reverend Robert Cartwright who arrived
in 1810 and served at St Matthews until 1819.
5. Norfolk Island and its First Settlement - Reginald Wright
For his book Mr Wright has searched the victualling lists from the commissariat
records of Norfolk Island from 1788 until 1814 to produce his list of children
(and others).
A close inspection of Mr Wright's list of Norfolk Island births will reveal
that it is longer than the one presented in this work, the reason being
that any child baptised in Sydney is listed under that baptismal record rather
than the victualling record. Also not all children living on the island at
one time or another were necessarily born there, many were either childhood
arrivals to the colony or born at Port Jackson.
The completeness of these Norfolk Island records, and the list in this book,
is dependent of course on the thoroughness of the research of Mr Wright.
The victualling records have not been independently verified.
6. Index to Tasmanian Births/Baptisms 1803 to 1840 - A M Buchanan
Mr Buchanan in his book indexes all known births for Van Diemens Land for the
years 1803 to 1840. Being an 'index' it simply points to the original source
document and thus unfortunately only lists the year of birth and gives no
further details such as parents or place of birth. Happily the vast majority
were baptized at either St Davids Hobart or St Johns Launceston and as a
consequence are not repeated in this list.
The remaining few entries come from either; "CSO 1/122" which is from a census
of children conducted in 1827, the locality given is the place of residence
not birth; or "MM1" which is from a series of musters of children conducted
for Port Dalrymple in 1820 and 1821.
The problem with both these sources is that it is not certain the children were
actually born in Van Diemens Land. They may have come from England with their
parents or be from the mainland.
7. The Pioneer Register - Dr C J Smee
The Pioneer Register project is a collection of family trees for persons
arriving in the colony between in years 1788 and 1820. The project was commenced
in the early 1970's and to date four thousand families have been published
in over 58 separate books. The books are published in two editions, the first
being a soft covered production containing 100 families. When five first
edition volumes have been produced ie 500 families, plus their accompanying
spouse supplement, they are amalgamated into a second edition which is a
more handsome hard covered production. Four special series volumes have also
been published as spin offs of the main body of the Register; "First, Second,
Third and Fourth Fleet Families of Australia" their titles being self
explanatory.
The Register aims to collect 33 separate pieces of information on each pioneer:-
1. Christian Name(s)
2. Surname
3. Exact Date of Birth
4. Place of Birth
5. Christian Name(s) of Father
6. Christian Name(s) of Mother
7. Maiden Name of Mother
8. Exact Date of Arrival
9. Ship of Arrival
10. Status upon Arrival
11. Exact Date of Death
12. Place of Death
13. Church/Place of Burial
14. Exact Date of Marriage
15. Church/Place of Marriage
16. Christian Name(s) of Spouse
17. Surname of Spouse
18. Status of Spouse
19. Total Number of Children
20. Christian Name(s) of Each Child
21. Exact Date of Birth of Each Child
22. Place of Birth of Each Child
23. Exact Date of Death of Each Child
24. Place of Death of Each Child
25. Exact Date of Marriage of Each Child
26. Church/Place of Marriage of Each Child
27. Christian Name(s) of Spouse of Each Child
28. Surname of Spouse of Each Child
29. Status of Spouse of Each Child
30. Total Number of Children of Each Child
31. Christian Name(s) of Each Grandchild
32. Exact Date of Birth of Each Grandchild
33. Place of Birth of Each Grandchild
The family trees only extend as far as the grandchildren of the Pioneer and
this was decided upon for three reasons. Firstly, it allowed for a
straightforward layout of the family tree, on one page in most cases, which
is, both simple and clear. Secondly, in many ways the two generations represent
a 'functional' family unit. No doubt many of the Pioneers would have heard
the wish expressed at their nuptial service that they should live to see their
children's children. Even today the vast majority of families consist of
grandparents, parents and children so what is presented in most cases,
represents the family that the original Pioneer actually knew. That is not
to say however that in some families further generations are not shown, as
when a Pioneer married the daughter of an earlier Pioneer, for example
the grandchildren of Thomas Carpenter are the great-grandchildren of William
Shaw, and in the case of James Boyce who married Margaret Shortland, his
grandchildren are the great-great-grandchildren of John Shortland. Thirdly,
two generations will see most family trees, if not all, past 1856 when
compulsory registration of births, deaths, and marriages began in New South
Wales. After 1856 genealogical research is comparatively easy using the
facilities of the Registrar General's Department, whereas pre 1856 details
need access to sources such as those held by the Mitchell Library, the State
Archives and the Society of Australian Genealogists, which are not readily
accessible to people outside the metropolitan area and require some degree
of skill in handling. It is hoped that the Register acts as a genealogical
service to such people.
The second edition volumes are divided into four sections; the main body
of the work containing the family trees, the spouse supplement, the son &
daughter-in-law index and the chronology.
The number of families published in the Register thus far is 4,000. When
one adds the spouses to these 4,000 Pioneers, plus their 14,000 children and
over 47,000 grandchildren, plus 5,000 sons & daughters-in-law, one arrives
at a total of over 73,000 names, making the Pioneer Register project one
of the largest genealogical works ever published in this country.
The research on The Pioneer Register project has resulted in numerous
individuals being identified whose births did not appear in any of the other
sources. By approaching the problem from the other end as it were, descendants
have been able to trace themselves back to individuals who obviously must
have existed but were not otherwise identified anywhere else.
It should be noted as well that the Pioneer Register project was the principle
source of information on the marriages and deaths of the First Generation.
The Paracencus of New South Wales - James Donohoe
This section on the sources of information could not be concluded without
mentioning Mr Donohoe's major opus, documenting births, deaths & marriages
in the colony from 1788 to 1828, which has been of immense assistance in solving
many of those tantalizing mysteries which one constantly encounters in early
colonial genealogical research.
With regard to the Births the aim was to identify the parents of each child
by researching when they arrived in the colony and in what capacity. There
were 3,142 births recorded and 1,038 baptisms. The identities of 74% of
the fathers were found and 77% of the mothers.
With regard to the Marriages the aim was to identify each bride and groom
by researching when they arrived in the colony and in what capacity as well
as determining their age at marriage. There were 539 marriages recorded. The
identities of 93% of the grooms were found and 91% of the brides.
Since around half of the births were illegitimate, it seemed important to
include the De Facto Relationships as well. Obviously only those
relationships which produced children are included. There were 511
relationships recorded. The identities of 89% of the 'grooms' were found and
87% of the 'brides'.
With regard to the Deaths the aim was to identify each of the deceased by
researching when they arrived in the colony and in what capacity as well as
determining their age at death. In the case of the colonial born the aim was
to identify the names of their parents. There were 1,820 deaths recorded
and 1,501 burials. The identities of 84% of the deceased were found.
A particular type of death, namely Judicial Execution, was thought to
be of particular interest to the modern reader and all 49 known hangings have
been collected in the Appendices along with their crimes if known.
For completeness Childhood Arrivals have been included for the 260 children
who were not born in the colony but arrived as young children. After all, those
who arrived very young would have an early life experience not very dissimilar
from the actual colonial born and were often their siblings. For no specific
reason the age of ten has been selected as the cut off point for inclusion in
this category.
Local Historical Developments
The first decade of the nineteenth century was much more eventful than the last
decade of the eighteenth century for the infant colony.
Captain Phillip Gidley King RN replaced Captain John Hunter RN to become the
third governor of the English colony of New South Wales in 1800. King in turn
was replaced by Captain William Bligh RN in 1806, the last of the Royal Navy
governors only to be removed in rather dramatic circumstances in January
1808 by a military coup (of which more later). After an inter-regnum of
three years the first of the Military governors arrived in person of Colonel
Lachlan Macquarie.
In almost every respect; historical, political, economical, social - the
first decade of the 19th century very much belonged to the New South Wales Corps.
This regiment, formed specifically for service in the infant colony, and
somewhat unfairly referred to as "The Rum Corps" reached both the zenith and
nadir of its brief twenty year existence in this period.
Whilst the convict element of the naiscent society is usually credited with
the creation of many of the subsequent characteristics associated with
"Australianess" - mateship, egalitarianism, larikanism come readily to mind
- not so well appreciated is the influence of the Corps in establishing other
characteristics like entrepreneurship, initiative and exploiting
opportunities when they arise. Who knows how retarded the colony might have
been if it were not for the officers of the Corps grasping and promoting the
trading and business opportunities the young colony presented. Just the simple
matter of clearing the land and establishing economical and productive farms
was largely due to the officers taking over and amalgamating the smaller
convict plots to make them more profitable and efficient. Not to mention the
pioneering of the wool trade which would be the financial life blood of the
colony for over one hundred and fifty years.
The zenith of the Corps time in the colony would be the way they behaved to
suppress an uprising by Irish convicts in 1804, who planed to go on a murderous
rampage throughout the colony and commandeer "HMS Porpoise" then in the harbour
and make their way back to Ireland. Fortunately the only colonist they murdered
was the French aristocrat Chevalier Verincourt d'Clombe. One company of the
Corps under the command of Major Johnson and Captain Antil, after an epic
all night forced march from their barracks in Sydney town, tracked the rebels
down near Castle Hill and even though greatly outnumbered, through their
discipline and military proficiency completely routed the rebels and saved the
lives and property of the loyal English colonists.
The nadir of the Corps time came on the 20th anniversary of the colony's
founding when it rose in rebellion against Governor Bligh. This action proved
fatal to the Corps in the sense that as a result the Colonial Office decided
to recall it from the colony and include it amongst the other regiments of
the line, even renaming it the 102nd Regiment. When Governor Macquarie arrived
to resume control of the colony he came at the head of his own 73rd Highland
Regiment. The Corps departed in May 1810 onboard "HMS Dromedary" and "HMS
Hindostan" taking many of the First Generation and the "Deuxieme Dizaine"
with it. Incidentally the return voyage was via Cape Horn making the New South
Wales Corps the first British regiment to circle the globe.
The major histo-geographical developments during this decade were the
abandonment of one settlement and the establishment of three more.
Norfolk Island
The settlement at Norfolk Island was abandoned after twenty five years in 1813
and all the inhabitants moved to the new settlements in Van Diemens Land.
Most of this movement took place in 1807 and 1808 with the last remaining families
being moved to the new settlement at Port Dalrymple in 1813.
In a sad act of historical destruction, a clean up party under the supervision
of William Hutchinson was dispatched in 1814 to make the island uninhabitable
for escaped convicts. The task was carried out in biblical fashion with 'not
a stone left upon a stone' and no physical trace of the island's first
settlement remains.
The book to read is "Norfolk Island and its First Settlement" by Raymond Nobbs.
The Coal River
The Coal River (or Hunter River as it was renamed by Governor King in 1804
after the Governor at the time of its discovery) was discovered by John Shortland,
first lieutenant of 'HMS Reliance', in September 1797 whilst in pursuit of
escaped convicts. The original name derives from the coal seams which Shortland
noted in the cliffs. Shortland also reported fine stands of cedar trees which
also excited the interest of the authorities in Sydney.
Looking to exploit the natural resources found there, in June 1801 Governor King
decided to found a settlement at the Coal River, under the command of Corporal
Wixstead New South Wales Corps with 19 others. This first settlement attempt
was not a success and after only 8 months the first settlement was abandoned.
However history was overtaking events and a second attempt at settlement was
soon put in train.
After the Irish convict rebellion at Castle Hill in March 1804, Governor King
at once decided to establish a place of secondary punishment at the Coal River
where he could send the ring-leaders of the rebellion and any other convicts
who offended against regulations.
On this occasion Lieutenant Charles A F N Menzies of the Royal Marines aboard
'HMS Calcutta' was appointed Commandant and Magistrate of the settlement
at Newcastle, in the county of Northumberland in late March 1804. He led
a settlement party of 40. Coal no doubt influenced Governor King in the naming
of the settlement, as Newcastle-upon-Tyne was the principal town in the coal
region of the county of Northumberland in England.
This time the settlement succeeded with several of the "Deuxieme Dizaine" moving
there. From Newcastle settlement proceeded up the Hunter Valley to Singleton ,
Morpeth, Maitland (both named after similar towns in Northumberland) and
beyond.
The book to read is "The Birth of Newcastle" by Wilfred James Goold.
Van Diemens Land
In 1802 after a visit to Sydney by the French explorer Nicholas Baudin in
his ships the 'Le Geographe' and 'Le Naturaliste', Governor King became
convinced that the French were about to lay claim to Van Diemens Land
(discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1662 and named for Anthony Van
Diemen, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies) and to plant
a French settlement on the new trade-route through Bass Straight. This led to
a flurry of settlement activity resulting in four new settlements in
the years 1803 and 1804. Two did not last, Risdon Cove and Port Phillip Bay
but two did, Hobart Town and Port Dalrymple.
These two settlements were to have great significance for the lives of those
"Deuxieme Dizaine" members who were born or lived on Norfolk Island and then
subsequently moved to Van Diemens Land.
Risdon Cove
King chose a young naval lieutenant, John Bowen, who had recently arrived on
board 'HMS Glatton' to command the settlement attempt at the Derwent River.
The Derwent River in Van Diemens Land was named in 1793 by Captain John Hayes
after a river of the same name in his native County of Cumberland. He also
gave Risdon Cove it's name, after the second officer on board his ship the 'Duke
of Clarence'.
In September 1803 the 'Albion' and 'Lady Nelson' ferried the first 49 persons
to Risdon Cove. The first military contingent included the intrepid Corporal
Wixted, perhaps that was a bad omen.
Unfortunately Risdon Cove proved to be a poor choice by Bowen for a settlement,
in that ships and boats could not conveniently anchor near to the shore to
unload cargoes and the river proved to be an unreliable source of water in
summer. The settlement ultimately failed and in October 1804 was moved to David
Collins' new colony at Hobart Town on the other side of the river.
The book to read is "John Bowen's Hobart: The Beginning of European Settlement
in Tasmania" by Phillip Tardiff.
Port Phillip Bay
Upon receiving King's urgent advice about French designs upon Bass Strait,
Lord Hobart acted quickly in January 1803 by dispatching Lieutenant-Colonel
David Collins (who had previously arrived with the First Fleet as
Judge-Advocate) as Lieutenant-Governor of a new settlement to be made somewhere
in Bass Strait, and in April Collins and his party of 466 sailed in 'HMS
Calcutta', accompanied by the store-ship 'Ocean' for Port Phillip, which
they reached in October. In what was becoming a familiar pattern of initial
settlement, Collins decided in January 1804 to move his settlement to the
Derwent, because of the poor quality of the soil and lack of fresh water,
with the added difficulty on this occasion of hostile natives.
Hobart Town
Lieutenant Bowen gave the name Hobart to his settlement, in honour of Robert,
Lord Hobart, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies at the time. Collins
appropriated the name when the two settlements merged.
It was to this settlement that the Norfolk Island families were moved to from
1807 onwards. It comes as no surprise that they were settled in an area called
New Norfolk.
The book to read is "Convicts Unbound" by Marjorie Tipping.
Port Dalrymple
Lord Hobart also gave instructions for a settlement on the other side of the
strait at Port Dalrymple.
Port Dalrymple in northern Van Diemens Land was discovered by Lieutenant
Matthew Flinders in his sloop 'Norfolk' in November 1798 during his voyage
of exploration which proved that Van Diemens Land was an island separated
from the mainland by Bass Strait (named by Flinders for his fellow explorer
Surgeon George Bass). The port was named after Alexander Dalrymple,
Hydrographer to the Admiralty, whose name had been mooted as the leader of the
voyage to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus, before the choice fell
upon James Cook.
For this settlement King selected Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson of
the New South Wales Corps. Paterson received his commission and full
instructions and sailed on October 1804 in 'HMS Buffalo' in company with the
'Lady Nelson', 'Francis' and 'Integrity'. Paterson's establishment consisted
in total of one hundred and eight-one persons.
Paterson had explored and named the Tamar river in honour of Governor King
who had been born at Launceston on the Tamar in Cornwall, England. For once
a settlement was made where the land was fertile and well watered.
It was to this settlement that the last of Norfolk Island families were
moved to in 1813.
The book to read is "The Story of Port Dalrymple: Life and Work in Northern
Tasmania" by Llwelyn Slingsby Bethell.
International Historical Developments
King George III continued upon the throne of England, albeit in an occasional
state of porphyria induced lunacy. The British prime ministership passed from
William Pitt the Younger, to Henry Addington, Lord Grenville, the Duke of
Portland and Spencer Percival.The office of Colonial Secretary, so vital to
the young colony, changed from Lord Hobart to Earl Camden, Viscount
Castlereagh and Earl Liverpool, names which would be liberally sprinkled
around its shores.
The loyal subjects in the colony would no doubt have reflected in the glory
of the Royal Navy with its monumental victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
in 1805, leading as it did to British mastery of the seas for over one
hundred years, even if this great joy was saddened somewhat by the death
of the battle's hero, Lord Horatio Nelson.
It is not recorded how the king's not so loyal Irish subjects responded in
1801 to the news of the Act of Union with Ireland being joined with England,
Wales and Scotland to create the United Kingdom.
The Treaty of Amiens in 1802 between Britain and France did not last long.
Not so heartening for the colonists would be the news of Napoleon's continued
string of military victories on the continent; 1805 at the Battle of Austerlitz
against Russia and Austria, 1806 at the Battle of Jena-Augstedt against
Prussia, 1807 at the Battle of Friedland against Russia, 1808 at the Battle
of Tudela against Spain, 1809 at the Battle of Landstat against Austria. On
the other hand maybe the colonists had started to hear of a General Arthur
Wellesley who was doing rather well on the Iberian peninsula. Perhaps the
colonists would have been a little bemused to learn that Napoleon had crowned
himself Emporer in 1804 and proclaimed the First French Empire. Napoleon did
not confine his conquests to the battlefield, in 1810, abondoning his beloved
Josephine, he married the eighteen year old Archduchess Maria Louisa - eldest
daughter of Franz II of Austria.
The abbreviations used in this database are explained below:
d = defacto
m = married
CF = came free
GS = government servant (convict)
FS = free by servitude (emancipist)
AP = free by absolute pardon
CP = free by conditional pardon
EX = exile
NE = never emigrated
-- = unknown
Eng = England
Ire = Ireland
Mal = Malta
Sct = Scotland
Wal = Wales
CGH = Cape of Good Hope
NY = New York
Cvy = Covertry
Dvn = Devonshire
Dub = Dublin
Esx = Essex
Htf = Hertfordshire
Knt = Kent
Ldn = London
Mdx = Middlesex
Nfk = Norfolk
Sfk = Suffolk
Sry = Surry
Sst = Somerset
Ssx = Sussex
Wil = Wiltshire
Wwk = Warwickshire
Yrk = Yorkshire
CCC = Christ Church Castlereagh
CCN = Christ Church Newcastle
NI = Norfolk Island
NN = New Norfolk
SAS = St Andrews Sydney
SDH = St Davids Hobart
SJL = St Johns Launceston
SJP = St Johns Parramatta
SJPT = St James Pitt Town
SJS = St James Sydney
SJW = St Johns Wilberforce
SLL = St Lukes Liverpool
SMS = St Marys Sydney
SMW = St Matthews Windsor
SPC = St Peters Campbelltown
SPR = St Peters Richmond
SPS = St Phillips Sydney
STPM = St Thomas Port Macquarie
STSR = St Thomas Sackville Reach
CE-V = Church of England - Van Diemens Land
CR-V = Church of Rome - Van Diemens Land
* = duplicate entry
# = previous decade
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