Hi Scott,
I'm in Sydney, where is home to you? Sophia Drury's (nee Bousfield) father William Cheek Bousfield was a barrister,and was Deputy Registrar of the Bankruptcy Court, and the irony is he ended up serving a sentence in debtor's prison. Both Sophia and James Drury had fathers who found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Sophia's father had premises with his partner Pilcher at 8 Chatham Pl Blackfriars in London . He owned a home in Warborough Oxfordshire and property at Mussel Hill. He died at Inns Court London a few years after getting out of prison. I have a photo of Sophia's mother Rebekah Bousfield(nee Richings). She comes from a family of clergy. Sophia's brothers were university educated, one was first Bishop of Pretoria, one a barrister , one a Surveyor etc.I have a tree on the Bousfields going back to 1600s and plenty of ancillary information. What I'm looking for is proof that Sophia was my great grandmother, I have a lot of circumstantial evidence but lack proof.
Do you know about Octavius Bousfield who was a Surveyor in NZ. Much is available about this family. My grandfather Philip Anderson was supposedly sent to his Uncle Octavius in NZ in1865.And James Henry Drury was sent to my grandfather later on. In his diaries Philip writes about repairing James Samuel Drury's desk that was sent to him in NZ.
I did know about Richard Drury's larceny charge. He was sent to Tasmania to serve his sentence and then went to NZ in1864. There are photos of Sophia, James Henry and James Samuel Drury posted in My Heritage. Did you put them there? If so where did you find them?
Much of the information I have is due to my cousin's many hours of work in copying my grandfather's diaries and journals which are held in the Mitchel Library Sydney. These books span 1865 ( year he went to NZ) to1938 when he died. However, he discusses some of his early years in Oxfordshire in them.
Sophia started a small school at 13 Radnor Pl Paddington London . She was also friends with Lewis Carroll who wrote a poem about James Henry's three sisters,Mary,Isabella and Emily.
Would be grateful to hear of any information that you have.