Hi All,
I've just come across this thread and can say that I am more certain than ever that Richard Harding alias Hart who arrived on the Lady McNaughten is the man who married Bridget Young and became the father of Steve Hart. He was the right age , born in Dublin, was Catholic and spent his convict years working for J K Hume at his "Collingwood" property in Gunning on the Fish River.
This ties in with everything that is known of Steve Hart's father as well as family stories that say that Richard Hart worked for the Hume family. But I don't know how it will ever be proven conclusively!
Whether Richard Harding alias Hart is in any way related to my Ann Hart/Magee/McGee is still up in the air. At the moment we are trying hard to track down our Ann's death. After several trips to NSW State Records at Kingswood and poring over the paperwork for Homestead Leases etc, we now know that our Ann was in Cunnamulla Queensland in 1894 and ,given her advanced age, probably died there.
There are two possible Ann McGee deaths in the right time frame and I will have to order both certificates. Fingers crossed that there is some good information!
Cheers
Anne
