RootsChat.Com

Hello Annie,

I thought I would keep you up-to-date with my follow-ups to some of the websites you have kindly sent me.

You will recall my writing to Lucy Frost about the [ESCAPE] Conference in 2003 and a Paper delivered by a Robert Grant about escaped convicts to NZ in the early 19th century......these could have muddied the waters for the "Parkhurst Boys" and been partly responsible for the bad press they got.

Unfortunately she does not have copies of the Papers that were delivered at that Conference and is not sure of the present whereabouts of Robert Grant, except he may be attached to a British University.  A little disappointing, but never mind.

So internet here I come

Take care

Tony

Hello Riley,

Thanks for the offer to look up the NZ ITMs.......one I cannot possibly refuse, although I do appreciate it is probably a "hit and miss" exercise.

The names below are ones for whom I have partially-completed Biographies and am hoping to find details that may indicate that they became "absorbed into colonial society as free citizens", such as marriage, children etc.  All the names quoted disembarked from the "St. George" in November 1842 at Auckland:

1.   William Henry BEASLEY;

2.   William Grace BLACKWELL;

3.   Thomas BURNAND ...........he had a Brother, Isaac,
      who was transported alongside him for whom,
      strangely, I have marriage/children details.....there
      appears to be no trace of Thomas according to Isaac's
      descendants;

4.   Thomas HARVEY....... he may have become a Chemist;

5.    John or James MAHONEY or LEE;

6.    William SMITH (aka HARLINGTON);

7.    William WARNETT (aka WARNUTT or WALNUTT).

That only leaves 116 "Parkhurst Boys" to research in NZ........!!   Actually if I can create another 7 or 8 full Biographies that would be more than sufficient for my thesis.   At the moment I have 17, including 3 who were re-transported to Tasmania, so the completion rate is fairly reasonable.

Once again, my thanks for your help......but please should you have any difficulties then don't waste too much time.

Best wishes

Tony

Annie,

You don't have to leave me alone....I enjoy the emails, each one has a snippet of information new to my files............much appreciated. 

This one for example talks about whaling, and boat building, but it is the whaling aspect that interests me, especially as regards Tasmania and Western Australia.    Quite a large number of the "Parkhurst Boys" escaped from the Colonies aboard American Whalers and they become lost entirely to my research......so how do I treat them for analysis......the easy answer "unreformed" and "recidivists".

Incidentally, did you get my responses to the other emails....I was especially grateful for the "lead" to the [ESCAPE] Conference in 2003.

Take care

Tony

Hello Annie,

This website was designed by a Murray Gosney, who I contacted sometime last year about James Coley......he did respond with a promise of information but the contact went no further.   Fortunately James Coley "sired" a large number of descendants and I now have a fairly comprehensive Biography for him.

There is also a Joseph Coley, ex-Parkhurst Boy transported to NZ on the "St George" too, but despite fairly exhaustive research through various channels no link has been established and no details available after his arrival in NZ.  The popular belief is that he was James Coley's brother.

Take care

Tony

Hello Annie,

All useful sources....some old and some new....and it has taken me, as you correctly thought, some little while trawling through plucking out snippets of information here and there

The SROWA website is particularly interesting and I have added it to my "Favourites", but  probably a sister website http://www.fremantleprison.com/history/ConvictsandShips/convict_display.cfm has proved invaluable providing individual details for "Parkhurst Boys" transported to Western Australia after 1850.

My good lady is into "rubbish", the type most councils collect on a fortnightly cycle of disposable and recyclable!!!   She wants reversion to weekly regardless of classification!!  You can visit her website on www.weeklywaste.com

Once again all my thanks for your help.

Regards

Tony