Hi, I'm in Australia and trying to determine the birth place of Ann Sharkey (or Shirkey etc) in about 1786. She was a servant convicted in Dublin in 1816 of stealing a plate and transported to Australia for 7 years. She sailed from Cork on the Canada (4) in 1817 and arrived in Port Jackson (Sydney) in August of that year. She met William Herbert, a convict from Wiltshire, who had arrived in April, and they married in St Luke's Anglican church at Liverpool (Aust) in Sept 1818. They were pioneers in an area near Canberra known as the Naas Valley, from the Naas River running through it. I have been able to find out a lot about them and their family in Australia but most of the convict papers just give the date and place of the trial and the name of the ship and date of its arrival, not any earlier personal information. I have found three conflicting places listed for Ann's birth, but don't have proof for any of them. One is Wexford, I'm not sure why that would be the case. One is Dublin, and she was certainly there when she was tried, but she was about 30 years old by then. The other suggestion is Naas in Kildare. I am not sure if the Herberts actually named the Naas Valley but if they did, it would make sense that William named it after his wife's birthplace. I like that version but would dearly love some evidence to back it up. Ann married in an Anglican church in Australia so was probably a member of the Church of Ireland rather than a Roman Catholic. According to untested information I have, her parents were John Sharkey and Ann (possibly Maginnis). If anyone can suggest how I can prove any of these theories (and discard the errors) I would be most grateful. I subscribe to Ancestry but would prefer not to have to pay for other sites. Thanks, Geoff Turner.
