William Brophy and Mary White

[bushpoet]

The following news clips shows a William Brophy [ex constable] and Mary White, who were living together in Sydney.

I believe they had two children.  Michael Brophy born 1839 and Margaret born 1843.

Mary White married John Callinan in 1846.

I previously believed that William died in 1844, but the second newspaper clip took place in 1845. 

So I am not sure if the relationship broke up prior to 1846.

I would like to find out more about William being a Constable if possible.

Also what happened to William Brophy.

[judb]

Not much help with William, but some info (which you may already have) re Mary WHITE  and John CALLINAN from Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry:

John CALLINAN, 32, arrived per Norfolk, having been sentenced to transportation for life, now with Ticket of Leave,
Mary WHITE, 28, arr Duchess of Northumberland, free,
Application granted 22 June 1846 at West Maitland

The marriage seems to have been registered twice , once in East Maitland, Maitland, West Maitland, district and another in Sydney

Judith

[bushpoet]

Hi Judith.

Appreciate your help.

The William Brophy and Mary White is a complicated story.

William's son Michael , born 1839, was my ggggrandfather.

His mother was Mary White.

On finding Michael's death certificate it showed his passing in 1890 in Queensland.

The certificate showed his father as John Brofield.  Mother unknown.

This caused a lot of confusion and my research did find a convict called John Brofield who turned out to be John Brophy who came out on the Asia.

Though I could never find a John Brophy having a son Michael.

Following Michael's marriage back I found out that he married under the name Calnan and married Catherine Kelly in 1859.

The only birth of a Michael Brophy was to a William and Mary in 1839.

This proved to be his parents as his birth showed his father as William Brophy and his mother was a Mary White.  I could find no marriage banns for them.

William and Mary then had a daughter Margaret in 1843.

I then found that Mary White married under her maiden name White a John Callinan in 1846.

I then assumed that William had died and found the death of a William Brophy in 1844 and that he had come out on The Governor Ready.  The indents showed no William Brophy but a William Broggy.  He received a ticket of leave in 1833 and a pardon in 1835.

Mary then went on to have three children to John Callinnan.

All five of her children the tried using various derivations of the Callinan name up until about 1870.

Hence Michael marrying under the surname Calnan.

So in summary I established that William Brophy or Broggy was born in 1805 in Clare/Limerick and was transported in 1828 to Sydney.

Was assigned to an Elizabeth Pitt at Richmond.

Received a ticket of leave in 1833 and a pardon in 1835.  Surname Broggy shown.

Mary White arrived on the Duchess of Northumberland as a free person in 1836.

Was living in a defacto relationship with William. Brophy.

Had Michael Brophy in 1839 and Margaret in 1843.

I sensed William Brophy died in 1844, surname Bropyh shown, and Mary then married John Callinan in 1846 and had three more children.

They all used derivations of the name Callinan until 1870 when all five began to use the surname Callaghan and that continued down to this day.

The quandary at the moment is finding the newspaper articles above which seem to show a William and Mary White together in 1838.

Also an article showing a William Brophy and Mary White living together an being robbed but in 1845.  A year after the death of a William Brophy in 1844.

So is the William Brophy who died in 1844 the right person and Michael's father.

Or did William and Mary break up and Mary went on to marry John Callinan in 1846.

When did the William Brophy the ex constable actually die?

Complicated eh?

If anyone can help that would be appreciated.

[judb]

Once again no help in finding genealogical information, but there is a further comment on the goose story where the poulterer was pointing out the honesty of Constable Brophy.  It's headed Christmas Dinner
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2551773

This may be him as well - re asking for a permit to marry
Paragraph headed: COLONEL WILSON: A SURROGATE for GRANTING MARRIAGE LICENCES
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32157515

Judith

[bushpoet]

Many thanks Judith.

All this fits in the time slot of Mary White arriving in 1836 and having her first child to William in 1839.

I see that there was a police force in Sydney in the 1830's

1833
There are now 84 men in the Sydney Police Force. The Sydney Police Act 1833 is passed.

1834
There are now 99 men in the Sydney Police Force.
 
1836
Three N.S.W. Constables - Robert Day, Joseph Hoosen and James Dwyer - are sent to Port Phillip to establish a Police Force.
 
1838
The Mounted Police now number over 160 officers and men in New South Wales.
 
1839
The Border Police Unit is established. There are now 128 men in the Sydney Police Force. This number will be reduced to 80 Constables by the end of the year. Albury is established as a Police outpost.
 
I wonder if there are any records available of individual constables.

Thanks again Judith.

[AngelaViolet]

Hi there,
I have a connection to Mary White & John Callanan. Mary is my 5 x great grandmother. Your connection is with her 1st husband/ partner, Michael Brophy Callaghan. Born in Wallabadah, NSW on the 11th April, 1939 & died at Yetman, NSW on the 9th July, 1890 from poison caused by stirring his tea with an oleander stick. Yetman is very close to the Queensland border so the assumption was that he died in QLD.
Michael married Catherine Rose Kelly on the 2nd of Feb, 1859 at Murrurundi, NSW
According to my records, they had several children.
Catherine, Mary Ann Margaret, John, Michael, Charles Henry, Daniel William, Everell Summer, William, Patrick & Sarah Jane. I don't have any history for these people as my direct line follows through Catherine Mullens nee Callanan, Mary's daughter from her second marriage.
Michael Brophy is registered in Births, Deaths & Marriage, NSW no: 208/ 1839 V1839208
William Brophy, Michael's father, I have as coming out from Ireland & died in 1844 in NSW
The Duchess of Northcumberland ship arrived in 1835, 1838 & 1839 so this seems to tie in with our history. Both Michael & Margaret took up the surname Callanan as they were 7 & 3 at the time Mary married John Callanan but later, records show this name changed to Callaghan. Love to here from anyone who has more on this story. Angela

[AngelaViolet]

Postnote:

Meant to add that Catherine Rose Callaghan died on the 5th Sept 1908 at Silver Spur in QLD which is just across the border in Qld
Angela

[bushpoet]

I was able to find another newspaper clipping on Trove with relation to the incident concerning William Brophy, The Constable, and the Christmas Goose story and it revealed that William incurred the nickname Goosey from the incident.  It also reveals that he was Christened in Connaught.

The first record I have of William in NSW is that of being a constable around 1837/8.

The big question is how did he come to NSW?  Some Constables were ex army and ex convicts.  I have a record of Constables wages and William shows up in 1838.  I had hoped to find a register showing further details of him joining as a Constable, but no luck so far.

The home invasion mentioned in 1845 Trove clippings shows William and Mary were residing in Sydney, so this discounts the record of a William Brophy dying in 1844 on BDM.  This was a different William Brophy.

Mary under her maiden name White then married a John Callinan in Maitland in 1846 and obviously took the two children Michael and Margaret with her. 

I have not been able to identify what happened to William Brophy after their split.

Any help would be appreciated.

[bushpoet]

Hi Angela,

I have been researching William and Mary's story for many years and it has been a real detective investigation.

Mary's children to William, Michael and Margaret, and her children to John Callinan, Catherine, John and Mary Jane, is a long complicated story. 

After her marriage to John it seems the children were using various derivations as a surname.   It appears around 1869/70 the five families took on the surname Callaghan.

I have compiled an 800 page book on all the families concerned.

I have never been able to establish what happened to Peter Mullens, Catherine's first husband.

I have been able to connect with some of Catherine's descendants of her daughter Mary Jane to Peter Mullens and a relative of her connection with Everitt Summons.

It is an ongoing research as their are still a few queries to sort out.

Angela is your connection to Annie Mortiss and Henry Gabriel Violet?