Hello,
Am tracing my 3GF and would appreciate some help and lookups to find out more about him once he got to Australia - as I think he married there BUT managed to get back to England.
He disappears off the English records for this time and he married in London in 1839 - and his status was given as a widower. We have not been able to find any prior record of a marriage in the UK so thinking he married in Australia once his sentence was served.
As an aside, is it unusual for convicts to be able to afford to return? I was always told that even short sentences were thought of as life sentences because the convicted men couldn't afford to pay their way to get home again. Am I mistaken about this/ can anyone find an emigration record for him back to England?
Here is the info I think I have:
1) I believe he was baptised 20 Mar 1801 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. Father's name on there is Thomas, which is the same as all three of his marriages in the UK many years later. Mother's name Ann.
2) Convicted of Larceny 18 Oct 1821 and voyage date 23 Mar 1822 on the Prince of Orange Vessel to Van Dieman's land. For seven years.
3) I found a marriage record 25 Nov 1833 Snake Bank, Longford, Tasmania to Anne Martin. Can anyone find a death record for her, or did she go back to England with Edmund?
And can anyone find out more about him in Tasmania from 1822 to whenever he left + where he left and which vessel please?
Can anyone find a death record for Anne?
NB: The family name was always spelt Pearse but he was sent to Australia under Pearce.
