Author Topic: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839  (Read 7928 times)

Offline Anchor425

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A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« on: Tuesday 17 March 15 02:16 GMT (UK) »
Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all

I am keen to find more about the origins of John and Catherine FARRELL who arrived in NSW on the ship "Susan" in March 1839.   They were accompanied by their daughter Mary who was born in Newtown,  some four years before.   They eventually settled on a farm in the Quirindi District of NSW.

To the best of my knowledge, my great, great, great, great grandfather was one Thomas FARRELL, born in Ireland about 1750.   His spouse, Diana SWEETON (1750-1835) had a son, William born about (ca) 1775 in Co. Kildare (gargie63, “Ryan Family Tree”, ancestry.com.au).

William FARRELL married Judith KENNEDY (1775-?).   Their son, John was born between 1806 & 1808 at Moyvally (north-west Kildare, on/near the (northern) border with Co Meath).  John, an illiterate farm labourer, married Catherine FALLON, born ca 1810, a laundress and needlewoman, in Kildare.   Catherine was from Newtown which is not far south of Cappagh and some 10 km east of Moyvally.

I would love to hear from anyone who may have knowledge of my forebears.

May the road rise with you.

KF (in Queensland, Australia) :)

   

Offline JenniferAC

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 22 November 15 02:49 GMT (UK) »
Hello KF
I am a descendant of the Farrells too, via their second daughter Catherine. She doesn't appear in the many family trees that I have seen. She was born in 1839 & I believe she may have been born on the Susan before the ship arrived in Sydney (a contemporary newspaper account states there were 6 births on the voyage). There is no birth certificate for her but I do have her marriage and death certificates which confirm she was the daughter of John Farrell and Catherine Fallon of Morpeth. She married an Irish ex-convict & widower Denis Behan in 1859 and they ran a roadside inn at Cobbadah in NSW. She died 10 years later in 1869 at the age of 29 years and was probably buried at Barraba. Two of her five children survived to adulthood - Catherine and Michael. Have other information which may assist.
Regards
Jennifer

Offline Anchor425

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 26 November 15 22:56 GMT (UK) »
Jennifer
I am very pleased to receive your response & to learn of our relationship.
I too couldn't find a record of the birth of Catherine on the NSW BDM Register, a very sensitive (to spelling of names) online database, but I had found online record of her marriage to Denis Behan.
Since March I have found another bit of info on the Farrells' 1st daughter, Mary Ann, believed to have been born in 1835/1836 in Newtown, Ireland; she was  baptized in the Parish of Kilcock on 17 March 1836 (registers.nli.ie).
Can you confirm my views on the background of John & Catherine Farrell?
I am a descendant of their son, Michael.   Are you  descended from Catherine or Michael Behan?
Kind regards
KF 

Offline JenniferAC

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 28 November 15 02:59 GMT (UK) »
Hello again KF
Very pleased to receive your communication. My research has been confined to the family in NSW so .I'm afraid I can't confirm the details of Irish records; it certainly sounds plausible. I have a little booklet published in 1977 on the pioneer families of Kyogle and it covers "Mick" Farrell and  some   descendants; brother John Farrell also farmed in the Richmond river district. I believe they married two sisters.  Their older sister Mary married Michael Molony when she was about 16 and they appeared to have had a vast family. They too ended up farming in the Richmond. One of Mary's granddaughters was a close friend of my own grandmother.
On the subject of your second question, I am descended from Catherine Behan. She married John Gumby (son of a convict and the stepson of James Couttman from a Tamworth brick manufacturing family). The relationship was a very troubled one and only one child survived - my grandmother. They separated for good and Catherine Behan Gumby moved to Sydney. John stayed in Tamworth and is buried in Tamworth next to his mother under the name of Couttman. Hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have.
Regards
Jennifer


Offline Anchor425

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #4 on: Monday 30 November 15 05:11 GMT (UK) »
Jennifer
I have found your convict in ConvictRecords under name of Samuel Gunby.
Tomorrow, I am going to NZ for a couple of weeks so will get back to you with more info upon my return.
Cheers
KF

Offline Anchor425

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 13 February 16 04:36 GMT (UK) »
Hi Jennifer
Happy New Year.
With your information & some more online research, I have put the following story together, and your comments would be much appreciated:

Catherine Farrell (1839-1869) was possibly born on the voyage to Sydney as it was reported that six children were born on the passage, but such births  are not recorded in digital copies of the Bounty Immigrants lists, 1828-96 (NSW Records) for  “Susan” arriving 10 March 1839; no record of her birth on NSW Registry of  BDM.   In 1859 in Maitland, she married Denis Behan (ca 1814-1895), an ex-convict who had arrived from Ireland in 1838 on “Elphinstone”.   Records  in NSW Registry has surname also spelt “Bhein”, “Behin” &”Bean”.   They ran an inn at Cobbadah, NSW (ca 18 kms N of Barraba, on Fossickers Way) and had five children but only two survived to adulthood.   Catherine Farrell d. Tamworth Dist (father recorded as John F & mother Catherine); she died when her youngest child was only 1 yr old or less & in the same dist. where she had that child.

There are records of births in Warialda & Tamworth Districts to Catherine & Denis Behan (or variant) of Michael (1860-1940), William (1862-1863), Mary A. (1863-? d.yr.) & Elizabeth (1868-1868), but not a Catherine.   However, in 1883, at St Mary's Bingara, a daughter Catherine Behan (?-1931) married John Gumby (1855-1914), the son of  Harriet Cole (1833-1920) & the convict Samuel Gunby (1805-1861) who arrived in Port Jackson in 1829 on “Waterloo”.   John & Catherine Gumby had three children, (Violet) Clara Veronica (1893-1984), Eva (1898-1898) & John (1901/1902-1902).   In 1918 at Petersham, NSW, Clara married Bernard Richard Butler (1895-1953).

I cant attach a copy of Samuel's Certificate of Freedom as file is over 500KB.
Kind regards

KF 

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Offline JenniferAC

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 14 February 16 05:31 GMT (UK) »
Hello again KF
Thank you for your research - very kind of you. Some comments:
- I recently searched the baptism records for St Joseph's East Maitland and could find no record of Catherine Farrell II ( I will give them numbers to make it less confusing!). There was no requirement to register births at that time. The closest I came was a baptism record for John Farrell (son of John I and Catherine I). Catherine II's marriage certificate to Denis Behan states that she was born in NSW and that she was 20 years old (in January 1859). She needed the permission of her father John to marry as she was under the age of 21yrs. Going by the dates, she may have been born on the Susan which sailed in about October 1838 and arrived in March 1839.

- Denis was a pardoned convict who had been transported for life along with his brother William for the crime of manslaughter. William was sent north to Port Macquarie, married twice and died at Rawdon Island. His name is on the monument on the old pioneers cemetery at Port Macq.

- Denis' first marriage was to Elizabeth Lockhart - they had one son John (Jack) before she died in about 1855 (cause unknown but she was supposed to have been buried in the grounds of the inn- can't prove that!). The inn at Cobbadah was known as The Sportsman's Arms and there is a record of it on Trove - probably a very basic lodging/ horse-changing house for travellers (Denis certainly knew about horses). He and Catherine II were together for 10 years until she died - the cause of death was lung disease (I suspect this meant asthma rather than consumption). Their daughter Catherine III's birth is certainly recorded - BDM 15193/1866. Spelling is BEAHAN. I have a photo of both Catherines taken in about 1867-8.
- Catherine III had a troubled life and I can supply more detail privately. She and John Gumby had 5 children including 2 sons called John (all except Clara died as infants). She died at my grandmother Clara's house in Dulwich Hill in Sydney and is buried at Rookwood Cemetery.
- The Gumby story is interesting. I'm not sure if the name change from Gunby was deliberate to obscure a convict past or just a regional accent pronunciation which became permanent. John's mother Harriet was the daughter of convicts Phoebe Stirrup (alias Elizabeth Harrison)and Amos Scols and she made a career of marrying, just like her mother. Her first marriage to Samuel Gunby seems rather bizarre given the age difference but I suspect sentiment didn't come into it where Harriet was concerned. Samuel had re-offended in NSW and copped another few years on the road gangs (account of it is on Trove).He died carting goods to Wee Waa- reputedly from blood poisoning incurred butchering a diseased sheep (yuck) and when Harriet found out that the wagon and goods had been sold at public auction, she wasted no time in going after the money. No superannuation or pensions in those days and a woman had to look to the main chance ...

Hope this is of interest. Am happy to provide more details.

Regards
Jennifer
-

Offline Anchor425

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Re: A Farrell Family Who Migrated to NSW in 1839
« Reply #7 on: Monday 28 March 16 02:18 BST (UK) »
 :) Hi Jennifer
I suggest we move our discussion from the Kildare sub-board, to the Australian sub-board, as we are discussing events in NSW, not Ireland.
Our Farrell family history in Ireland is obviously a challenge but one can only hope that, one day,
someone out there may be able to throw some new light it.
Best wishes
KF