Thomas Walker, Convict freed 1843. What happened next?

[judb]

The ACT heritage library has no records of papers for the Campbell family or for Duntroon estate in the 1800s and suggested that, as already mentioned by Neale1961, the Mitchell Library, NSW would be the repository of any such papers. I couldn't see any reference in their catalogue but Neale1961 may be able to see some as he's already done research on the family.  Sydney has a highlevel of restrictions at the moment.

I've ordered the book mentioned by JM at the NLA (Index to convicts in Iron Gangs and various trades 1788-1855, including 1821 victualling list / compiled by Kathryn Lucas) and should be able to access it tomorrow (no deliveries from the stacks on the weekend).
Excellent find, JM and your TROVE find, Caroline, was brilliant.

No help at all in finding Thomas but thought this photo of croquet on the lawn at Duntroon House 1840 interesting.  Quite civilised and no sign of the workers!!! 
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141442649/view

Judith

[judb]

Looked at at that book today but Thomas WALKER wasn't mentioned at all - only a John WALKER, also from ship "Melville'.

Judith

[caroline_forster]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, and thank you Judith for checking the Index.

I just had a spare hour and so was going back through the threads here to refresh my memory and plan my next step. One of the early posts from JM caught my attention again when he mentioned that Thomas would have been free to marry upon receiving his CoF and that he could have moved to NZ or 'Australia Felix".

I came across a marriage reference:

Thomas WALKER & Martha GAMBALL
17 Jan 1843
Geelong
Presbyterian
V18431505 76

It is the date of marriage that jumped out at me - Thomas received his CoF 16 Jan 1843. Could be a complete coincidence of course but I hope to get time again tomorrow to follow up further, just thought I'd share this possible link.

I identified via https://portphillippioneersgroup.org.au/pppg5g.htm that I could obtain a copy of the marriage certificate from the NSW Registry (if I decide it's worth pursuing, no "pdf" option).

I've only managed a cursory search on Martha Gamball. I found a Martha Gamble applying to marry in 1825 and a Martha Gamble arriving in Port Phillip in 1842 (she was Roman Catholic and 23yrs old, a lot younger than my Thomas) but no Martha GAMBALL (I know spelling was fairly flexible though).

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions, it's keeping me motivated to chip away at my search whenever I can!

Caroline

[majm]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, and thank you Judith for checking the Index.

I just had a spare hour and so was going back through the threads here to refresh my memory and plan my next step. One of the early posts from JM caught my attention again when he mentioned that Thomas would have been free to marry upon receiving his CoF and that he could have moved to NZ or 'Australia Felix".

I came across a marriage reference:

Thomas WALKER & Martha GAMBALL
17 Jan 1843
Geelong
Presbyterian
V18431505 76

It is the date of marriage that jumped out at me - Thomas received his CoF 16 Jan 1843. Could be a complete coincidence of course but I hope to get time again tomorrow to follow up further, just thought I'd share this possible link.

I identified via https://portphillippioneersgroup.org.au/pppg5g.htm that I could obtain a copy of the marriage certificate from the NSW Registry (if I decide it's worth pursuing, no "pdf" option).

I've only managed a cursory search on Martha Gamball. I found a Martha Gamble applying to marry in 1825 and a Martha Gamble arriving in Port Phillip in 1842 (she was Roman Catholic and 23yrs old, a lot younger than my Thomas) but no Martha GAMBALL (I know spelling was fairly flexible though).

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions, it's keeping me motivated to chip away at my search whenever I can!

Caroline

My reply, it's #19 ... marriage in England effectively terminated back in 1828 and he had been free to marry from mud 1829 ... upon landing 'beyond the seas .... English law 1606 or thereabouts.  Several RChatters have explain ed that law.

He was assigned,, so not serving time behind bars, and had set duties and free time under the Ticket of Leave system... so free to meet, form a relationship and marry, all in accordance with NSW civil admin practices established by Gov Lachlan Macquarie in 1810.

JM

[majm]

background, CAMPBELL, Sydney

 https://campbellsstores.com.au/history/  so from earliest British settlement of Sydney...

Also,  Lachlan Macquarie, 'Father of Australia' (its on his headstone in Scotland), Governor of NSW post the first coup d'etat ... Rum Rebellion etc, deposing Bligh .... 26 January 1808 etc ... 

Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth, her family name was CAMPBELL ... http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/macquarie-elizabeth-henrietta-2418

But we need to be looking at the period mid to late 1840s, for Thomas WALKER,  so convictism ceased to NSW by 1840,  he got his CF in 1843, and may well have been known by any name he chose to become known by.    His marriage had quite within both NSW and English law, been effectively terminated back in 1828 with his sentence 'beyond the seas' for 7 or more years (he got 14, due to former convictions) ... so he had been free to marry from as early as mid 1829 (with the governor's consent while under the bond of that sentence, but completely free from 1843 issue of CF).

Clearly he was well trained for farming.   But by 1843 he was no longer a young man ... so if he acquired his own land to farm, he would have needed to engage labourers to help.   Remember too that in the mid to late 1830s, England had set up South Australia as a separate entity ... not as a penal colony ... so it had set up a private company to 'sell' land ... (NSW had been 'granting land', pastoral leasing etc, - differences are well documented) ... so the 'price' of land needed to return profit to the private company ... so NSW governor had to increase his 'upset' price and the 'quit rent' price etc ... so land became expensive ... so an economic depression befell NSW in the early to mid 1840s ... so .... where would a single chap with a CF go to start over again - in the years before huge populations flocked to 'Australia' with gold fever - commencing mid 1851 ?

I think of New Zealand, or 'Australia Felix' (ie that part of then NSW that became Victoria), or Cape Town (South Africa), or Peru, Chile or California or perhaps South Australia ... or he stayed in and around Queanbeyan or the Monaro -   

Hope those suggestions are helpful.

JM  (yes, Neale is right about the Campbells - umm.... yes, there's a rogue Campbell on one side branch of my own tree !)

 
JM Is not a male. 

[caroline_forster]

I'm very sorry JM, I poorly paraphrased your previous post and hope I didn't cause offence by mis-genedering you, I've got you confused in my mind somewhere along the line with another contributor here.

Please accept my apologies,

Caroline

[majm]

 

No need for any apologies,  Caroline,   we are all chasing your Thomas, but he is a WALKER,  and he has many years head start on us all, he could have walked many a mile.

JM.

[jonw65]

A little info
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
17.1.1843
Thomas Walker, Bachelor + Martha Gamball, Spinster
residence both Geelong
witnesses Christopher Chan, Mary Stevenson
Minister Andrew Love

[caroline_forster]

No need for any apologies,  Caroline,   we are all chasing your Thomas, but he is a WALKER,  and he has many years head start on us all, he could have walked many a mile.

JM.

Thanks JM. My other ancestors have averaged around 10 miles per 100 years which is maybe the reason I live in a town named Amble - "to walk slowly"! So it's a new experience for me to find an ancestor who has, admittedly unintentionally, travelled so far .

Hoping things quieten down at work in a few days time and I get the chance to resume my research.

Thanks jonw65 for suppling the marriage information.

Caroline