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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: Trees on Thursday 21 August 14 16:11 BST (UK)
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William Overton was transported in 1846 . He was on the John Calvin which sailed from Woolwich on 9 May 1846 I have seen the conduct report of the ship but what happened next did he stay in Tasmania or return to Britain? His wife was left with two very young children the youngest baptised just 6 days before the ship leftand had just buried a four year old. She had an illegitimate child while he was away, but never remarried and is listed as a Widow in 1881How can I find what happened next Did he return to the UK or set up home in Tasmania? It seemed a harsh sentence as he was one of four who committed a robbery but he was the only one to try to help an injured man and did not break the furniture or take the sensitive items yet all four had the same 15 years transportation
Trees ???
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This link http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=11
has this
Overton, William
Convict No: 54180
Extra Identifier:
SEE Surname:
SEE Given Names:
Voyage Ship: John Calvin
Voyage No: 371
Arrival Date: 21 Sep 1846
Departure Date: 09 May 1846
Departure Port: Woolwich
Conduct Record: CON33/1/88
Muster Roll:
Appropriation List:
Other Records:
Indent: CON14/1/37 p154
Description List:
Remarks: Off Norfolk Island per Tory Jun 1847
I wonder what the Norfolk Island bit is about?
I can't see anything else in the Tasmanian Archives. Convicts lives in Tassie were very well documented, so Norfolk Island might be quite significant.
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Here his conduct report which may take some deciphering http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON33-1-88,207,133,L,80
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quote
From September 1844 until 1856, when it closed as a penal settlement, Norfolk Island was under the jurisdiction of the Tasmanian Government, and was staffed by the Tasmanian Convict Department. Throughout this period, male convicts were being transferred from there to Tasmania, as a result of their sentences there having expired; some had been sent there from Tasmania, others had been sent direct from Great Britain.quote
http://www.historyaustralia.org.au/twconvic/Hyderabad+1845
Sue
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Recidivists were sent to Norfolk island during the second settlement - or convicts they thought to be 'bad lots' - it was supposed to be the worst place at the time, and obviously very isolated.
There were very harsh and inhumane conditions there during the second settlement which began in 1825 and ended in 1856. (Now it is a fascinating place to visit and learn the terrible history of the convict settlements.)
During the first settlement things were harsh though not as bad as the second. First settlement abandoned 1814 - It was necessary as a food source for the mainland in the very early days.
Wiggy
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The record shows he was shoemaker who could read and write and was Protestant.
He was well behaved, his conduct reported as very good ;D
Sue
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Perhaps they needed a shoemaker! ;D ;D
It still wasn't a nice place to be!! But if he was well behaved maybe he had a better time of it! ;)
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Many thanks everyone I feel so sorry for William the report tells how the three had been on a pub crawl and he was the one who took the worst for wear home he also tended to one of the house members that had been injured and that man stated that he did not take part in the distruction of a cabinet and looting its contents which went on while William was helping him with a bowl of water and cloth So it does seem harsh that he was separated from his young familywith the others and to read he was sent to a place for hardened thugs is very sad indeed I would love to know what became of him
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I found this reference in our newspapers - in Port Phillip - later Victoria.
- I wonder if it could be your man! If he was well behaved etc etc he could have received a ticket of leave, though it does seem early - but if he's been taken off Norfolk island, maybe that is why. Anyhow - for what it is worth.
Hope I am not leading you up the garden path . . . . .
http://www.rootschat.com/links/019k1/
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From the conduct record you can get a bit more information about where he worked.
31/5/49 it looked like he worked for Edward Sherrit? at Liverpool Sth? (there is no place named Liverpool in Tasmania now) a change of name for the place?
12/10/49 he was working for S Fraser? at Melville Sth? There is a Melville Creek near Hobart so that may be it. He went AWOL at this time and earned himself 14 days solitary confinement.
Then he worked for Ratcliff at Spring Bay (Triabunna)
Edit: Hobart has a Liverpool St and Melville St so this could be it.
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OK - if he was working at Spring Bay . . . . could this be him signing a petition/letter?
http://www.rootschat.com/links/019k2/
sorry I am not actually very good at this - willing though! ;)
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The last date on that conduct record is 18/2/59 but the writing is beyond me, I am guessing its his ticket of leave after serving his 15 years.
I cant understand the lack of records for this bloke, normally they couldn't move without it being noted on a piece of paper.
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Tree, are both these your contribution to this site?
http://www.convictrecords.com.au/convicts/overton/william/23979
It speculates a marriage. Were you aware of any second given name for the man?
Sue
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There seem to be a family of Overtons around Spring Bay, there were a few Overtons transported in earlier years so this may be them. I can see three marriages for William Henry Overton to different women, probably not the same fella each time though. William is a common name for Overtons it would appear.
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Have you searched old Tasmanian newspapers on "Trove"? Enter name you're searching then click on Tasmania then click on decade and scroll down to earliest period and see what's there.
Do you know the ship he arrived on?
Have you checked the site "Felons and survivors"?
Kind regards
clancam37
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Have you searched old Tasmanian newspapers on "Trove"? Enter name you're searching then click on Tasmania then click on decade and scroll down to earliest period and see what's there.
Do you know the ship he arrived on?
Have you checked the site "Felons and survivors"?
Kind regards
clancam37
Trove is where I got the links I offered for scrutiny!! ;)
Wiggy
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He remarried in TAS - his age, occupation & place of living match:
OVERTON William Henry age 36yrs (occ. shoemaker) m. MCENTAGGART Margaret age 27yrs 15/04/1856 SPRING BAY #859/1856 RGD 37
A copy of the original marriage register is available here:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-35346-14201-24
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There are some shipping records that show them visiting NSW.
Then William & Margaret move to BATHURST NSW where a daughter was born & they also died there:
Birth:
OVERTON Emilia J b. 1858 BATHURST #4611
Parents: William H & Margaret
Marriage:
OVERTON Amelia m. EVANS George T 1884 BATHURST #3813
Daughter's marriage annoncement - proves it to be the correct William OVERTON from Leamington, UK :
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article109870563
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Deaths:
OVERTON Margaret T d.1882 BATHURST #5808
Mother: Mary
OVERTON Willian N d. age 67yrs 1887 BATHURST #6155
Margaret's Death notice inserted by William:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article111315731
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W H Overton of Bathurst retires:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62018214
Marital problems for Amelia:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62185289
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Death already posted by Merlin "OVERTON Willian N d. age 67yrs 1887 BATHURST #6155"
Adding Date 19/01/1887
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Good morning or rather good evening Australia Gosh you have been busy on my behalf while i slept like a babe.
No I didn't know of any other name than William he was baptised married and on the 1841 census tried and the long detailed report of his crime in the newspapers always refer to him simply as William.but merlins reply 17 certainly says William H was from Leamington and was the right age.I somehow feel glad he married (even though he was a bigamist) I think hewas treated badly by the court in 1846 still sad for his wife left in the UK he would have been 26 leaving Britain and his son a newborn. It looks like he was running a newsagents doesn't it and lead a repectable life with his new family His first wife never remarried and worked for her brother in law in his laudry so I think things worked out for her too she ended up living with their daughter Adeline who married and raised a large family.
I can't thank you all enough for taking his story so far along .
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I wonder whether William Henry OVERTON sometimes used his second given name in place of William,
This entry form the Grevilles Directory 1872
OVERTON, Henry, dealer. Williams Street, Bathurst.
This, of course, is the same street as the death place of Margaret OVERTON in the death notice. Williams Street.
Sue
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I am still wondering where the Henry comes from its not a family name and I have the family back to his great grand father.
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I can't see a William Henry Overton around Leamington at that time, he is the right age and profession so it is probably the right person. He may well have added the Henry as a slight smokescreen around his fraudulent declaration that he was a widower on the marriage certificate.
The person after him in the marriage register is also a shoemaker so they may have been friends.
Bob
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This looks like Amelia's death
EVENS Amelia T,
Reg 20530 Yr 1934
Aged 75
At Mental Hospital
STOCKTON
and possibly her husband ?
640/1909 EVANS George T
Parents George H & May
At BATHURST
Sue
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Trees, I don't think you should think of William as a bigamist.
In those times, if the convict had been parted from his wife and family for more than seven years and had no prospect of getting back to UK to be with them once free, they were legally entitled to remarry. You may even find that his first wife remarried, under the circumstances ???
Dawn M
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William Overton was transported in 1846 ............ His wife was left with two very young children the youngest baptised just 6 days before the ship leftand had just buried a four year old. She had an illegitimate child while he was away, but never remarried and is listed as a Widow in 1881........... Trees ???
Trees, I don't think you should think of William as a bigamist.
In those times, if the convict had been parted from his wife and family for more than seven years and had no prospect of getting back to UK to be with them once free, they were legally entitled to remarry. You may even find that his first wife remarried, under the circumstances ???
Dawn M
The Original Post tells us that she did not re-marry :)
Sue
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Thanks Sparrett - missed that bit :)
However, if she was listed as a Widow, that substantiates the ideas of the time, that the marriage was considered 'over' after a period of separation.
Dawn M
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Trees, I don't think you should think of William as a bigamist.
In those times, if the convict had been parted from his wife and family for more than seven years and had no prospect of getting back to UK to be with them once free, they were legally entitled to remarry. You may even find that his first wife remarried, under the circumstances ???
Dawn M
Here is a link which Trees may like to read about the conditions under which convicts could remarry after transportation. http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/res-10.html
Regards
Jennaya
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This looks like Amelia's death
EVENS Amelia T,
Reg 20530 Yr 1934
Aged 75
At Mental Hospital
STOCKTON
Date of Death for Amelia = 3 Oct 1934
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Well its a relief to find his marriage was legal he seems to have eventually been able to set up a happy family in Australia I wonder if he ever wondered about his first family though. Mary did not remarry she bought his remaining two children up the first having died aged 4 before he got involved in the robbery. Mary had a daughter in 1850 by an unknown father the entry in the baptism register making the situation very clear ""23 Feb 1851 Ellen The illegitimate daughter of Mary Overton the husband undergoing transportation abroad" In 1851 and 1861 Mary is a laundress with the three children probably working in her brother in law's laundry (from newspapers, censuses and his will it was a fair sized establishment) In 1881 she was still a laundress but living with a married daughter up till then she was always listed as married , I wonder if she was still hoping William would return, but in 1881 she was a widow.
Mary is the connection to my tree so I feel sad for her she was so harshly punished for his night of drunken stupidity.I think his brother Jesse was looking out for herfamily though. Jesse witnessed his niece's marriage and newspapers show that he was a prominent member of his non conformist church and the "Garibaldi lifeboat crew" a temperance society. He and his wife are listed as donators to a fund to build a new Anglican church to, So altogether a reasonable end to this sorry incident
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the link you poseted Jennaya is very interesting do we know anything about Williams wife was she also from a transported family?
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do we know anything about Williams wife was she also from a transported family?
No, she emigrated as a free person:
MCINTAGART Margaret Bounty Immigrant 26/08/1854 on the ship KINGSTON to HOBART.
Reel: I4-13; Section: CB 7/19; Frame: P4; Film: SLTX/AO/EP/240
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The 'Kingston' left Southampton 26 May 1854 and arrived in Hobart Town 26 Aug 1854. On board were 345 immigrants made up of 71 male adults, 191 female adults and 83 children under 14 years. During the voyage there were 4 births.
M'ENTAGGART Margaret - Board of Immigration #CB 7/17/2
Emigrants under agreement to repay passage money before leaving Tasmania (Indenture System).
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3333835
http://www.blaxland.com/ozships/events/6/596.htm#61812
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There are several possibilities for Margaret born in Scotland but I can't see a Margaret Theresa. From her death she was born about 1829 Are there any possible records that will show her birth place? are there any census for Bathurst for example or a 1851 for Spring Bay?
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I found this thread very interesting as I'm always keen to fing out anything I can about my own convict. On the link Jennaya posted to the Convicts to Australia website it states that there were musters or censuses in 1832 (2), 1833, 1835, 1836 (2), 1837 (2). I've found my man on the 1837 muster which is widely available, and the Censuses and Musters section of the same website states that the 1833 and 1836 censuses have not survived, but there is no mention of 1832 and 1835 there. Does anyone know where I might be able to find out more about these two?
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The documents are in HO 10/48 and 10/50 and are archived as a "List of Convicts", not a muster.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C42131
They are digitised on Ancestry.
Debra :)
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Margaret McENTAGGART was aged 27, Roman Catholic, could read and write, General Servant, Native place Dublin.
Debra :)
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Many thanks Debra that narrows the search down well
:) Trees
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Thanks Debra I'll have a look on Ancestry for those.
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Margaret McENTAGGART was 27 when she arrived in 1854 (per reply #38)
And still 27 in 1856 when she married (per reply#16)
;)
Sue
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Umm does that give me permission to have a variable age too ;D ;D
She was 53 when she died in 1882 so must be born between 1825 and 1830
That is a narrow time span to search many thanks
I'm off now for a few days but will be keen to see what develops many thanks to all concerned
Trees :) off to celebrate her X-2 or maybe I can stretch it to -3 birthday with the cousins
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Happy Birthday Trees ;)
- interesting thread - I've been watching developments
Wiggy
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Many thanks Wiggy We had a great time 15 cousins came and I don't think we stopped talking and laughing all day. They were all fascinated by how much help I get from RC and at least two are going to join us here.#Trees a but older than she admits to ;D