Epiphany Sessions 1832 John WEATHERSTONE

[Wiggy]

Don't know the answer to most of your questions JM but she does know he was a convict.

She is chasing Catherine Morgan who appeared as a witness in court in 1832.  I can't see the connection, but not my family . . and anyhow if John W was in Aus by that time he couldn't have been in court in 1832.  Something odd going on! 

[majm]

Hi Wiggy,

Yes,  The chap who arrived NSW on the Royal Admiral in 1830 was not tried at the Epiphany Sessions in Buckinghamshire in 1832.   The chap per the Royal Admiral was tried back in 1826 at Worchester as per the Certificate of Freedom info I posted earlier. 

JM

[majm]

In NSW family history pre the gold rushes it is often important to find the right husband when looking for the female ancestor who can be hidden in the records under the surname she was known by at time of arrival.   That surname can be : her birth surname (particularly if actually born in NSW), surname used by her mum when they both arrived here, whether arriving with mum under a sentence of a court or not,  surname as recorded by clerks asking verbal questions, and who were not familiar with the accent used by the respondent,  and many other variations including mis-transcribed names, or non standard spelling. 

Records for females can be difficult to find, and from my knowledge of searching for 1830s information for females who were of the Church of Rome, if in Sydney .... errrr .... there's lots of pointers to suggest some females arrived as steerage passengers, and no names were ever noted.

Please do check if your friend has Catherine Morgan's marriage details.   I am happy to follow up once I have the scant info that would have been on that m.c. (and if it has not been sighted, please encourage an official transcription rather than the expensive real deal document).

JM

[majm]

1837 NSW General Muster
Goat Island (it is in Sydney Harbour)

John WETHERSTONE aged 50, arrived per Westmoreland in 1835.

JM

The chap John WITHERSTON who arrived on the Westmoreland, July 1835, had been tried BUCKINGHAMSHIRE assizes:

From his convict indents:
  Trial was 3 March 1834, he was sentenced to Life for stealing bedding.
  He was aged 50, could Read and Write, a Protestant, a Married Man, with 6 sons and 1 daughter. 
  He was a native of Berkshire, and a Kitchen-gardener, farm labourer. 
  He had a prior conviction (which would have been taken into account resulting in the life sentence).

I don't see how he would have married in 1837 in NSW in a Roman Catholic ceremony, so I am back on fishing expedition to find the husband of Catherine Morgan so that we can learn more about her. 

JM

[majm]

NSW BDM, online index.
http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx

Burial  May 1846
John WITHERSTONE, about 50
Volume 31B (JM knows this is a volume with Church of England burials,)
line 1123.

As it is a parish burial being indexed it will be scant on family history.  Civil registration commenced in 1856.

From Coroner's Inquests
Parramatta 13 May 1846,  John Witherston, Apoplexy

From online newspapers http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31740892 Australasian Chronicle 26 Aug 1843, John Witherston, ex the Westmoreland was noted at Parramatta as earning a Ticket of Leave. 

I have not found any other likely Buckinghamshire tried candidates for John WEATHERSTONE, nor any lasses from Buckinghamshire named Catherine MORGAN sorry Wiggy.   

JM

[majm]

Here is a newspaper cutting re the tragic sad end to a John Weatherstone, with his wife named as Catherine.   

If this is your friend's ancestor, Catherine MORGAN, then perhaps the NSW BDM death cert will show information given by a family member re how long the deceased had lived in the colony and also the maiden name of Catherine, when and where they had married, and the details of the children of the marriage.   Alternatively if the Coroner was the informant it is possible that little or no information for that section of the registration was known to the Coroner's office. 

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110071122 Goulburn Evening Penny Post 21 August 1883.

NSW BDM # 5224 of 1883 registered Goulburn would be d.c. for the above chap.

JM

[sparrett]

Like JM and Wiggy, I am unsure whether or not we are on any sort of right track
However a search at
https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search?4

Does bring up births to a couple named John and Catherine WEATHERSTONE.
There are also deaths of the children.

I believe in the fuller details of these records, the woman Catherine's birth name could be found.

Sue

[Wiggy]

Thanks Sue - I will pass all this info on to my friend.  I think you are on to the right family.   

I think the family have the history of this family in Australia pretty well pegged - it is the birth and origins of Catherine they are anxious to find. 

As I said they have been looking for about 20 years, so  . . .

But that is why this search was started in Buckinghamshire,  UK rather than Australia!   

Many thanks for all assistance rendered by Sue and JM.

Wiggy

[MurriProduction]

Hey so John weatherstone is one of my greats grandfathers, believe to be the start of my line(well the start and finish for me atm lol )I'm in the middle of doing my family tree for my little ones and I would love to hear what any one on John weatherstone and Catherine morgan as this is my family line and atm im trying to piece together what my family has shared with me and what I can find in the internet.
Thanks in advance.