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Messages - Puzzle

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19
Australia / Re: Matthew Ward.......again!
« on: Wednesday 22 October 14 12:33 BST (UK)  »
Thank you Neil, as I understand it, with a TOL you could also buy property so long as you didn't leave the area and attended church on Sunday.  Although I am not sure how you amassed enough money, legally, to buy anything however humble.  I think if a convict woman married a freed man, or a TOL, she could live with him and he was responsible for her conduct.  However, I don't know if someone who was already a wife could join her husband in the same circumstances.  If I could find out what happened to Jane on her arrival maybe it would be shed some light, but I can't seem to find any records but they must exist as the books I have read specify periods spent in hard labour etc at the female factory.

20
Australia / Matthew Ward.......again!
« on: Wednesday 22 October 14 09:09 BST (UK)  »
Sorry to be back to Matthew and thank you for all your previous help and links which I followed and found out so much more, I really am most grateful.  Having done the research and reading a fair amount about transportation I now have a big question mark which you may be able to hoelp me with or tell me who could.
Matthew was transported to Tasmania for 10 years in 1840 for stealing 'pieces', a bolt of muslin.  He survived the journey and was of 'good conduct'.  In 1846 he was granted a Ticket of Leave and pardoned in 1849.  His wife, Jane, was similarly transported to Tasmania, for 10 years in 1842, again she survived the traumatic journey and according to the surgeon's report didn't need medical attention.  Her offence was handling stolen goods and a previous conviction for stealing cheese, poor dear. Again she was of 'good conduct'.  She was also pardoned in 1849 having served 7 years of her sentence.  I cannot find, as yet, a Ticket of Leave for her.
My question is this, most transportees were young, in their teens, twenties and thirties, but Matthew and Jane were comparitively old, 60 and 51 respectively, the oldest of either of their shipmates by some way and certainly well beyond the average life expectancy for the poor at the time, they were elderly. Matthew was a whip maker and could read and write, Jane could read, they were not convicted of violent crime and don't fit the 'pattern'. They left their only child, a daughter in England and after they were freed she joined them in Sydney.
Would Jane have been able to join Matthew after he had his TOL?  Is their any record that shows where they were assigned on arrival in Hobart? And, only conjecture, could she, in any way, have manipulated her transportation to join him?  A poor woman aged 51, with not much family to support her would face a fairly bleak future in 1840's Liverpool on her own, work house at best, perhaps risking transportation would seem preferable!

21
Other Countries / Suggestions please re Jeremiah John Smitten, Barbados.
« on: Sunday 28 September 14 17:17 BST (UK)  »
Please can anyone shed any light on why my 7xGreat Grandfather, Jeremiah John Smitten and his wife, Mary Haynes should upsticks to Barbados about 1702 to 1707'ish?
He was born in Claverdon, Wiltshire in 1670.  He married Mary in 1697 and their first 2 children, Mary and John were born 1700 and 1701 in Oldberrow, Warwickshire, then there seems to be a gap until Thomas who was born in Barbados in 1708.  I don't know if the first 2 went out with them, but I think it likely as my 6xGreat Grandfather, John next appears back in Warwickshire aged 29 where he marries Elizabeth Handcocks in 1730.  The gap in years could allow for his coming home again but why they would go such a long way on such a perilous journey in the first place or why John should feel the need to return baffles me.  Knowing my family, I cannot imagine that they were anything other than ordinary people and their roots don't suggest seafarers or anything like that.

22
Denbighshire / Re: ? Needle in a haystack - help please!
« on: Friday 19 September 14 07:01 BST (UK)  »
That's interesting and might very well solve it.  Would that mean the outlying areas too?  Something tells me I will never know!  But thank you for your help.  Do you know if there is a record of past Mayors of Mold anywhere?  This was my last hope,  I know when Fronhuelog was a school there was a Miss Evans, but that doesn't mean anything and I don't see how young lads with a motorbike would fit in!
The frustrating thing is when I was young and in Wales with my Dad, we popped in to see various  'Aunt somebody's' in cottages in the area, I just accepted it and never asked who they were!  Grrrrrrr. 
Thank you everyone!

23
Denbighshire / Re: ? Needle in a haystack - help please!
« on: Thursday 18 September 14 16:24 BST (UK)  »
Yes, I am on Ancestry myself.  If only he was called Arbuthnot or something.....

24
Denbighshire / Re: ? Needle in a haystack - help please!
« on: Thursday 18 September 14 16:13 BST (UK)  »
Thank you for your replies, yes, the 1881 census with Thomas married to Maria is him, but the 1901 isn't, and the 1828 baptism is too early, sadly. He is pretty consistently 1831/1832.

I wondered if his mother could have been called Ann as his older sister was Ann, and Thomas and Maria's eldest daughter was Annie-Maria.  Names seem to be very repetitive in our family, but I haven't found anything.  As ever, I should have asked more questions when I was young
He did rather like to make more of himself than was the case!  So I take 'farmer' with a pinch of salt.

I meant to add I have a copy of an older family tree where his father is John and mother, Elinor with a ? Which is why I originally went down the Nantglyn route but nothing seems to tie up with this, including the names.

25
Denbighshire / ? Needle in a haystack - help please!
« on: Thursday 18 September 14 10:58 BST (UK)  »
I am come to a wall in the search for my Great-grandfather, Thomas Evans, not an easy name!
The few things I know for certain are:
He was born in Denbighshire in or near to 1832.  He died in Liverpool in 1893.  My father said his family were from the rural Ruthin/Mold area and they certainly had connections to Ffronhuelog.  His father was called John who had died before 1856 (when Thomas married Maria Gleave in Liverpool).  He gave his father's profession as 'farmer', but, knowing Thomas, that could be upping things a bit!

I originally had him as born in Nantglyn to  John and Elinor Evans but I really don't think this is right.
I have done a lot of research on line but now I am stumped, there are so many John and Thomas Evans's but none seem to match up.
I have a baptism which is a possibility on March 25 1832 in Cyffylliog, parents John, (miller)and
Elizabeth Evans.  The only 1841 census that could fit is Bachymbyd/Felinfred?dd, Fronhuelog Township, but I can't make out the relationships, it might be that the Thomas aged 9 was orphaned and living with family?  The other people were Thomas aged 60, miller, Catherine 45, Thomas 20, and young Thomas 9.  Millers again, not farmers.
My father who was born in 1898, died a long time ago, Thomas was his Grandfather, but I remember he talked about lovely holidays with his 'cousins' ( not necessarily 1st cousins) at Ffronhuelog, they had one of the first motorbikes in Wales, (Dad fell off and cracked his spine), and when we were round there he always stopped at some old gates and said that was all that was left, it was a quarry by then.  He said his 'Uncle' had once been Mayor of Mold, which must have been in the early 1900's.
That's it, it is difficult checking records from France, but I wondered if anything rang a bell with someone, or you could point me in a new direction please!

26
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: GGGG-Grandfather's pardon
« on: Tuesday 09 September 14 21:30 BST (UK)  »
Loved all the stories re your various Grandparents, and there was I rather shamefaced about my double convict act and it seems they were almost models of virtue!  Thanks for the Founders website, that's fantastic, my ipad doesn't seem to want to view the original documents but I'll try on another device.  I find the appearances really interesting, Matthew's Grandson, my Grandfather could be look just like him except he was tall, well, minus the scars! 

27
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: GGGG-Grandfather's pardon
« on: Monday 08 September 14 19:36 BST (UK)  »
Thank you, isn't it incredible to have a physical description from so long ago?  The only thing is.... as far as I know he was born in Manchester, I have a baptism for him which ties in with his marriage which I know is correct.  He was a tough old ancestor, after being transported at a fairly advanced age, he lived until 85! His wife was transported 2 years later after a string of misdemeanours.
Roots chat is marvellous, I think you are all amazing.

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