Braidwood bushrangers

[Gamone]

I apologize for the volume of this message, but the subject is most important for me in the context of my maternal family-history activities.

After lengthy research in Australia, I recently learnt that my g-g-g-grandfather was a convict from Tipperary named Patrick Hickey, who didn't get his urge for cattle-stealing and house robbery knocked out of him by being transported. On the contrary, he even earned himself, through an additional crime committed in New South Wales, a taste of the hell of Norfolk Island. Patrick must have been a good talker, because he persuaded the authorities to send his wife and kids out to Braidwood. His daughter, Ann, married Charles Walker from Cork (steward on the Caroline, the vessel that had brought the Henty brothers to Western Australia), and they were my g-g-grandparents.

I am searching for information on one of Ann's brothers, William Hickey, born around 1823 in the Tipperary townland of Borris (now called Two Mile Borris). It was said in the following mysterious police document (about which I know little, except that it was apparently written just before the execution of the Clarke brothers in 1867) that this Billy Hickey was a Braidwood bushranger who rode with the Clarke gang:
 
WILLIAM HICKEY age about 45 years, farmer, residing at Reidsdale. Has been an associate of  the bushrangers and is still suspected of harbouring and assisting them. Was arrested in 1863 for highway robbery, acquitted by the Bench. His father, an Imperial Convict, was tried for house robbery about the year 1852 and sentenced to 14 years roads, which sentence was afterwards mitigated on memorial. William Hickey was present when the outlaw Clarke and William Berriman assaulted, with intent to rob, a number of Chinamen at Majors Creek in November 1864 and for which offence Clarke was under committal for trial when he effected his escape from Braidwood Gaol.
 
We know a lot about the Clarke brothers, photographed here in Braidwood shortly before they were taken to Darlinghurst to be hung:

On the other hand, I know almost nothing about their Braidwood friend, my ancestor Billy Hickey. Any assistance in this domain would be greatly appreciated.

William

[CuriousDiana]

Just a suggestion  -  you might like to email the Braidwood Museum and the Braidwood & District Historical Society, both at www.history@braidwood.net.au

They do research. Good luck

[CuriousDiana]

Have a look at GenesReunited website. There is an entry for a William Cornelius Hickey, b. Braidwood, who may be a descendant.  You can email the person who posted the name on the website. 

[Gamone]

Thank you, "CuriousDiana", for your suggestions. There were many Hickey people in the Braidwood region at the time of my great-great-grandmother Anne Hickey, and much of my work up until now has consisted of trying to sort them out. The following chart concerns Anne's brother, my Tipperary-born Billy Hickey the bushranger:

I have often wondered whether one of the three sons of Billy Hickey and Kate Brunton might have descendants living today, enabling me to find out what became of my great-great-grandmother's brother.

I can't believe that a reputed bandit such as Billy Hickey would have disappeared into thin air, because many of his mates were notorious: the Clarke brothers, the Connells, William Berriman, etc.

These Braidwood bushrangers are the subject of an excellent book:

John O'Sullivan
The Bloodiest Brushrangers
The violent story of the Australian outlaws

Everybody is mentioned there by name except my Billy Hickey. Now, I think I know why O'Sullivan doesn't mention Hickey, who is nevertheless mentioned explicitly by the policeman Superintendent Martin Brennan, who was the source of much of the material used by O'Sullivan. You see, we're right in the middle of one of those typical situations in which historians refrain deliberately from being too explicit for fear of hurting certain readers. In his preface, O'Sullivan states:

I have not thought it necessary to mention a number of surnames when the family is still in the district and where the omission is not significant.

Personally, I am more offended by people hiding facts from me than if they were to tell me everything they knew.

William Skyvington

[Gamone]

O'Sullivan's title refers, of course, to bushrangers, not brushrangers! But my invention is nice... Bushrangers operated in the really wild outback country, whereas brushrangers did their dirty work in more civilized settings.

[Gamone]

I forgot to say that, in my charts, the letters b, m and d mean born, married and died, and that a squiggle means "about". I notice, too, that Billy's third son died as a child.

I've often thought of sending off postcards to all the Hickey people listed in the phone directory around Braidwood, in an attempt to find cousins. But they might not appreciate the opening line, which is neither nice nor diplomatic: I'm wondering whether one of your ancestors happened to be a bandit...

[trish251]

Hi William

You could well get a pleasant surprise by sending off letters to all the Hickey folks - one of them may  also be researching the family. Definitely worth a try.

Trish

[Gamone]

Trish, your encouragement is perfectly appropriate. Sound advice. I must do that, because it's easy (through phone directories available on the Internet), receivers are free to ignore my letters if they're not interested, and I actually had an opportunity of proving quite recently that this method can work in certain circumstances. That's how I found out the exact location of the tavern, The Farmers Home, of my great-great-grandfather Charles Walker. I simply sent off a letter to a person who seemed, according to the phone directory, to be listed in the right vicinity. The results of that discovery appear in the downloadable chapter on my mother's people (see my website).

I'll keep you informed of any results (maybe through this thread, if it doesn't disappear).

Meanwhile, in a forthcoming posting, I'll relate briefly an unbelievable story (already noted in my website) based upon my research concerning the above-mentioned Charles Walker. To understand it, Australian readers might like to look up their school history books to brush up on the exploits of the Henty pioneers.

William

[lozza34]

 Hi william,
              I notice in your posts that you said you have information on The Clarke Brothers, growing up my dad always said we were related to the Clarke brothers so i thought it time to find out, my g.g.g grandmother was Mary Ann Clarke who was born in Braidwood around the same time as the Clarke brothers.Mary Ann married a John Holmes in Bombala on the 12th of august 1875,
          any help would be appreciated thank you
                      Debbie