Hi Prue,
Thank you for your interest in my family search.
The information's about John Edward HUNTER I got from three different on-line genealogy trees on "Geneanet.com". I have in my family tree about 1400 descendents of this John Edward HUNTER down to our generation, but so far I've been unable to find anything about the ancestors of this John Edward HUNTER. As he married Suzannah FLANAGAN or CHAPMAN in SYDNEY on February 10th, 1817, I'm hoping that somebody of the FLANAGAN or CHAPMAN family might have some information's about the ancestors of John Edward HUNTER.
I also have a kind of biography of John Edward HUNTER made by one of his descendents. I'll join the first part of it here as this may help to find some contacts. Here it is:
NOTE:Source: Judith Williams
John Edward Hunter
John Edward (or Edward John) Hunter was born about 1793 in Yorkshire, UK. A mariner, his thirst for adventure drew him to the new colony of Port Jackson, where he met and married nineteen-year old Susannah Flanagan Chapman in 1817. Susannah was the elder of two daughters born to Ann Marsh and her legal husband, Robert Flanagan.
Eleven of their twelve children survived their childhood years, despite voyages between Tahiti and Port Jackson, a perilous undertaking in small ships. Quite some of them married French spouses, giving an interesting new branch in their already most interesting family trees, and Thomas junior married a Tahitian woman, this branch being of even greater interest.
A search of the Archives of State (NSW) Records shows John Hunter to have been on the following vessels, either as a first class seaman, first mate, and later, master. Two microfiches, (5288 and 5289, and also micro-reels 561 and 562), showed his seagoing voyages to be on small brigs, varying from 57 tons to 108 tons with the largest one 142 tons, not very big vessels to be voyaging out on to the not always peaceful Pacific, and the sometimes turbulent Tasman Sea en route to New Zealand.
In April 1816, he sailed on the Brig Active, Master Joseph Thompson, to New Zealand and back. Several trips were made on this small 108 ton ship, with the same Master, who must have been well satisfied with this young man's seamanship. In October 1817, John sailed to Bass Straits on the Brig Endeavour, (only 57 tons!), Master Thomas Hammond, in search of oil fish, whatever they may have been! May 1818, John Hunter, First Mate, was back on the Active, sailing to both New Zealand and Otaheiti, (Tahiti). March 1819 showed him still on board the Active, the Master still Joseph Thompson, on a voyage to New Zealand. Seven months later, in August 1819, the Active made a second trip to the Land of the Long White Cloud, and noted on the ship's manifest was that John Hunter, Chief Mate, was 26 years old.
In 1820, John was Second Officer on the Governor Macquarie, a Brig of 142 tons, Master, Samuel Herring, on a voyage to Tahiti. The following year, 1821, the Governor Macquarie is shown making a another voyage to Tahiti, with a crew of 16, the Master this time being John Hunter, now about 28 years old. Again, in 1823, John was again the Master of the Governor Macquarie, on a voyage to the Society Islands.
A later entry, December 19, 1832, showed Captain and Mrs Hunter, with seven children, on board the Ulitea en route to Tahiti, and two years later, another entry had Captain Hunter Master of the Blackbird, sailing first to New Zealand, and then to Tahiti., with the notation that also on board were Mrs Hunter and family - how many children, one wonders! The Sydney Morning Herald mentioned Captain Hunter in connection with various sailings, three in 1833 and two more in 1835. The Sydney Gazette had outgoing voyages in 1837, 1838 and 1839, Captain Hunter being the master of the ship Genii, and owner of the Ulitea. A very helpful book - The Tahitiens - alas, in French! - also has John the owner of the brig Diana, 204 tons. John was an owner of a considerable amount of property
Source: Judith Williams
John Edward Hunter
If you want to look up the family tree on Geneanet and see the whole story, go to this address:
http://gw0.geneanet.org/index.php3?b=diedrebird&lang=fr;pz=brennan+matthew;nz=stone;ocz=0;p=john;n=hunter;oc=1That's all the information's I have. Hopefully you can help me.
Anyways, it was nic to hear from you, Prue, and if you want informations about Tahiti, I'll be pleased to answer to all your questions.
Kind Regards
Franky
(Franz Laherstorfer)
PS. HUNTER is my wife's name.
Author
Topic: Ancestor search (Read 7303 times)