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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Tshed on Thursday 27 August 20 11:40 BST (UK)
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Hi,
The attached refers to a 1839 conviction for Jesse Johnson (bn 1795). This document is the Prison Hulk Leviathan and the two column refer to Gaoler's report and How disposed of. Jesse's is the bottom entry and I am trying to understand what the comment is for the right column 'How disposed of'. I don't actually know where he was transported to either and can't find reference to that. Is anyone familiar with what looks like 'Paw' as a disposal?
Jesse was from Sutton Mandeville in Wiltshire and not to be confused with a convict of the ame name from Wells Somerset who was sent to Tasmania the following year.
Any help understanding this entry would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Neil
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Might it be "Paid" as in a fine :-\
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Or ...
Pard as an abbreviation for PARDONED followed by date of pardon?
JM
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Thanks for that, 'Paid' and Pardoned are good possibilities. Paid less likely perhaps as his sentence was 7 years transportation. THe entry above him was the thief and Jesse was the handler, and they both got same sentence. It looks like the thief entry for disposal says 'Bermuda' I wasn't aware that was a destination of transportation so again not sure. But if Jesse's entry was 'Pardoned' I wonder where I can corroborate that. The newspapers only have reference to the convictions.
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It looks like the thief entry for disposal says 'Bermuda' I wasn't aware that was a destination of transportation so again not sure.
Might 'Bermuda' have been another ship?
If Jesse was pardoned or released he should appear on censuses, BMD?
Re possibility of 'pardoned' - the 'r' in Bermuda is quite clear, not so in Jesse's entry. Re possibility of 'paid' the 'd' is very different to that in 'Bermuda'. The 'Unknown' looks to be in the same hand so I would expect the right hand column to be also.
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Thank you......yes could well be another ship. great thought.
Well he was sentenced in 1839 and received 7 years , He doesn't appear on 1841 census ( that I have found....his wife and children do) but he is back at home by 1851....so that would have been after his sentence anyway; and while I know that it would have been difficult to get home had he been transported it is not beyond possibility, though perhaps it does suggest he didn't get transported.
Thanks for the interesting thoughts, its an are of genealogy I have not encountered much.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_prison_hulks
There is one hulk, Coromandel, that was moored in Bermuda, maybe Jesse's co-accused got transferred to that....
Were any children born to Jesse's wife between 1843 [date on record] & his appearance on 1851 census?
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Britain transported convicts to Bermuda. :) I am sure a search of RChat will find threads about that destination. I am on my E reader, so cannot give live links.
Pad and Pard are both found on various convict records at NSW Archives, and usually followed by a date, a reference number and the type of pardon (absolute, conditional, colonial, etc)
JM
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Oh that makes a abbreviation for Pardoned more likely then JM. I think I was trying to make it too complicated ;D
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Thanks everyone for these interesting pieces of knowledge.
With regard to a pardon, if it was this it came 4 years after conviction and such I wonder whether the term 'pardon' was not an expungement of conviction but maybe just commuted the transportation having served a few years already.
And Josey thank you, in 1851 he had no children living with him but I'll check all births against mother's maiden name to ensure.
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Yes, at least in that era, in the colonies, a Pardon could basically be issued to remit the remainder of the sentence.
JM
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Well he was sentenced in 1839 and received 7 years , He doesn't appear on 1841 census
In 1841 he is where you would expect to find him - on the Leviathan Hulk.
HO107/ 415 Book: 6/7 p 11 Portsea Leviathan Convict Hulk
Debra :)
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Well found Debra :D
Here's a thread re transporting convicts to Bermuda
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=767579.0
JM
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Thanks everyone for all your help.
Thanks Debra for finding that. He hadn't appeared in any searches and todays job was the old fashioned manual way, so thanks for saving that one!!
As an interesting aside if anyone is interested. It seems that Jesse did not get transported then despite his sentence. His four years or more absence however caused the expected hardship on his family. One of his sons Herbert, turned to dishonesty burglary and thieving and did manage to get transported in 1850. Almost as if there was some preordained necessity for the genes to make their way to Australia....
Thanks for your help everyone.
Neil
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if Jesse's entry was 'Pardoned' I wonder where I can corroborate that.
Jesse Johnson, tried at Marlborough in October 1839, was granted a Free Pardon, along with several others held on the hulk Leviathan, on 18 June 1843 (Correspondence and Warrants, National Archives, HO 13/83, p. 18).
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Thanks Bookbox thats great. I'm not currently on FindMyPast (I was on both but had to cut down at lockdown) where these records are accessible so may have to get a visit to Kew in soon or get a month of FindMyPast.
THats great to know though and really does confirm and finish the story, thank you.
Neil
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so may have to get a visit to Kew in soon or get a month of FindMyPast.
FYI, National Archives records that have been digitised by a commercial partner are not normally accessible at Kew as original documents, but only in their digitised format. Normally these images are free to access on the computer terminals, but there is currently no computer access for readers at Kew, because of Covid-19 restrictions.
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In 1841 he is where you would expect to find him - on the Leviathan Hulk.
HO107/ 415 Book: 6/7 p 11 Portsea Leviathan Convict Hulk
I did look here - maybe looking in wrong place - the Jas Johnson ag lab is aged 20?
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HO107/ 415 Book: 6/7 p 11 Portsea Leviathan Convict Hulk
I did look here - maybe looking in wrong place - the Jas Johnson ag lab is aged 20?
Jesse Johnson is 45 :-\
He’s the only Johnson on that page?
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Ah think I was looking in wrong book, sorry :-[
ADDED; Double apologies :-[ :-[
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Is this your Jesse?
https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/johnson/jesse/52899
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Jesse was from Sutton Mandeville in Wiltshire and not to be confused with a convict of the ame name from Wells Somerset who was sent to Tasmania the following year.
Good find, Peter but I suspect the 1841 transportation is the OTHER Jesse mentioned above as in original post.