WILLIAM BENNETT - Convict or not?

[judb]

Account of the trial at Maitland of William BENNETT, April 1847.  This is the trial where he was sentenced for 3 years in irons.  He had already been in prison in Maitland previously. The crime of assault was actually committed in October 1844. (This is the man described above as having tattoos and had been transported per Bengal Merchant)
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/689214

Judith

[Megan Hodges]

Thanks Judith for that indepth reply, I have some of that information I will follow up with the marriage although on the transcription it states that birthplace/age/parent details were obtained from church register No. 54.
I think your last entry sums it up William if he was a convict went through a transformation that's why I don't think he was a convict.

[wivenhoe]

Can you please list all the details on the death certificate, 1904, NSW, for William BENNETT.
It would be useful to account for his children.

[Megan Hodges]

William Bennett 16/8/1904 Place: "Buelah" Donnelly St Balmain North, Balmain Municipality, Occupation: Greengrocer, Old Age Pensioner, Male, 89 Place of birth: County Essex England, Time in Aust Colonies: 68 yrs in NSW. Father Unkn Occup Unkn Mother Unkn
Place of Marriage: Cooks River (Sydney) NSW Age at Marriage: 41 or 42 Name of Spouse: Harriet Mansir; Children of Marriage: ("William 50" has been crossed out) Lavinia 46, Maria 39, Mary E 37 George T 35, living. 1 male, 1 female deceased.  Informant G T Bennett son Park Ave Drummoyne
Cause of death 1 old age  2 diarrhoea 7 days last seen 15/8/1904 Date of burial 17/8/1904; Catholic Cemetery Field of Mars, Minister & religion LG Menard, Catholic;  Undertaker WN Bull Witnesses H R Connolly, GT Bennett  Registered 16/8/1904 Balmain North.

William 50 is the son of Harriett Manser, Lavinia was my gt grandmother wife of Robert Owens, Maria was the wife of HR Connolly, Mary known as Emma was wife of Patrick Farrell George Thomas married Elizabeth Coombe and Elizabeth J b1859-d1861 and Frederick b 1872 d 1873

Megan
 

[Ruskie]

I also wondered about the tattooed convict morphing into a pillar of the community. Maybe it did happen - he might have given up the drink, or found the love of a good woman. 

As an aside, I note that William was buried in a Catholic cemetery. Judith found him as a member of the Balmain Lodge in 1861 - is this a Freemason's Lodge? I thought that Catholics were not allowed to be freemasons.

Added: Have you looked to see if there were any other William Bennetts of similar age in NSW in case two Williams were mixed up?

[judb]

I am assuming that you have Lavinia's birth certificate (or any of the other children) which should have William's birthplace but, even if you do have it, I suppose it only has "England" or "Essex" on it.

I find the Roman Catholic religion at the end of his life interesting as I see his marriage and the baptisms of some of his children were Anglican, and his 1861 Lodge membership. Perhaps he converted later.  The third of the funeral notices was inserted by STAR OF HOPE Division No 14 Sons and Daughters of Temperance so perhaps he had had a drink problem in the past - sorry this is purely speculation.  I see Harriet was also buried in the Catholic section, Field of Mars.

Sorry - no help at all!  Judith

[Megan Hodges]

I also wondered about the tattooed convict morphing into a pillar of the community. Maybe it did happen - he might have given up the drink, or found the love of a good woman.    **always possible


As an aside, I note that William was buried in a Catholic cemetery. Judith found him as a member of the Balmain Lodge in 1861 - is this a Freemason's Lodge? I thought that Catholics were not allowed to be freemasons.      **I find also find that odd.



Added: Have you looked to see if there were any other William Bennetts of similar age in NSW in case two Williams were mixed up?

**There is a William Bennett arriving in 1834 per William Lockyer from a report in shipping news on trove.  Whether he was the same age or not I do not know, and unless I go to the State Archive in Kingswood to have a look at the shipping records I wont find anything out.  I used to live at Penrith now down on Jervis Bay.

Judith re the star of hope and temperance if Tattoo William is upstanding William then he was done for drunkeness and served more time.


I just don't know where to go from here, I am going to get the birth transcripts for gt grandma  Lavinia's siblings, I'll check out those. 

Thanks for the help so far.
Megan

[Ruskie]

Maybe Harriet thought it was the right thing to do burying him as a Catholic. I envisage a death bed conversion. 

A frustrating search for you Megan. It is a good idea to look to Lavinia's siblings for clues, even if you have to buy all certificates for all siblings. 

[Megan Hodges]

At least there is a discount on transcriptions this Saturday.