Does anyone know the family history of the mariner, blackbirder & trader, Thomas Farrell who was from NSW and went to Samoa via the New Zealand gold fields. He had a hotel in Apia where he met Jonas Coe, an American and his married daughter, Emma Forsayth (1850-1913). Emma's mother was Joana Talelatale, a Samoan belonging to the Malietoa dynasty. Her husband had been lost at sea and after some political trouble in Samoa, in 1878, with her father's blessing, she and Thomas sailed to New Guinea (NG) and opened a trading post at Mioko. Their time together is well related by R.W. Robson in his book "Queen Emma", first published in 1965. Robson described Thomas as a big man with a red beard.
Their business thrived & Emma became a person of fame, fortune and influence in East New Britain, NG. In time, Thomas had a few vessels in his charge, hence the title "Captain". He became ill and, in 1885, went to Brisbane where tuberculosis was diagnosed. He went back to NG briefly, transferred his business assets to Emma, then returned to Brisbane for treatment. Thomas died in 1887, either in Brisbane or Sydney. There is one record of the death of a Thomas Farrell in 1887 on the Queensland Index (C1210) which includes the note "born in NSW aged 40yrs", which could be relevant.
As far as I am aware, Thomas was not in my line of Farrells, but he is of historical interest and I would like to know more about him, especially his background in NSW.
KF
