Harriet
Rebecca Barber married William John Nelson, 7 November 1877 at the
Methodist Church in West Kempsey, New South Wales, and their family
is discussed on the separate
webpage I have made, which also discusses his ancestry. She died
3 Oct 1950.This is an effort to add to and summarise what people know about this family tree. An index of related webpages is here: users.skynet.be/lancaster/
Please contact me if you have advice, questions, criticisms, etc, and please be careful about using this information without mentioning the source - not because I want brownie points, but because this information might contain mistakes, and so all people passing it around should be careful to help researchers trace back to the person who made them!
Harriet
Rebecca Barber married William John Nelson, 7 November 1877 at the
Methodist Church in West Kempsey, New South Wales, and their family
is discussed on the separate
webpage I have made, which also discusses his ancestry. She died
3 Oct 1950.
Her own ancestry is one of the most interesting parts of my family tree, at least from the small amounts that we know of it. Her family were in Australia the longest of all my ancestors. No less than three of her four grand parents were convicts, and the other one was the daughter of a convict.
It is also interesting however, that by her lifetime, this history was either forgotten or deliberately avoided. In my time a convict ancestry is not considered a negative thing in Australia. We have all been taught that the convicts were victims of over population and were mostly convicted of very petty crimes, and given such harsh sentences as part of a deliberate government policy. There is a lot of truth in this, as we'll see from the examples of her family. Her obituary therefore describes her grandparents as coming to Australia with governor Macquarie and having their children in Paramatta, which is approximately correct, but there is no mention of them being convicts.
"At Kempsey in September 1877 when 17 years old she married William John Nelson who died three years ago aged 92. [...] Shortly after her marriage Mrs. Harriet Nelson accompanied her husband to the Manning and they spent a year at Taree, before returning to Kempsey. There Mr.Nelson managed a sawmill he for some years. Later he was for many years a building contractor, and had farms at Clybucca and Warrel Creek. Mrs. Nelson retained vivid memories of pioneer days on the Central North Coast . When as a bride of 17 years she went to the Manning from the Macleay with her husband travelling on horseback. The journey took three days. A year later she rode back to Kempsey Mr. Nelson carrying their three months old baby on a cushion. In those days, over 70 years ago, Taree and Kempsey were tiny villages."
Disappointingly however, tracing these convict ancestors back within in England has proven difficult. The main thing I have been able to add to previous efforts has been gathering some of the convict records from Britain. Most of the Australian information I have originally from Nance Curry, Eleanor Lancaster and others, and is widely distributed amongst the very many Australian genealogists with links to this family.
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Harriet's
parents and siblings.Harriet was one of the children of Joseph Rambler Barber and Charlotte Emma Avery. The photo to the right has been passed around family genealogists and came to me courtesy of Jen McLeod.
Joseph Rambler Barber was born May 30th 1821, baptised Jun 24 in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. The documents involved have the following references V18215497 1B/1821 V18211291 148/1821. These are early church records from before official state registration, and Parramatta was at this time one of the main centres of colonial life in Australia, which basically revolved around convicts in various states of freedom. His first marriage was to Agnes Kelly of Tarlow 3/2/1845 at St Saviours Goulburn. She died 1852 age 32. I am not aware of any children from this marriage. He married for the second time to Charlotte Emma Avery, 30 Jun 1853 in Brisbane Waters, New South Wales, Australia. As new lands began to be opened up, and the convict past began to be forgotten, Joseph moved north to the Macleay River region, which was possibly known to him via his wife's family. He finally died 25 Aug 1907 (9487/1907) and was buried at West Kempsey Church of England Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia.
The children of Joseph and Charlotte were:
Andrew Bartley Barber. Born 1854 and married Margaret Cook in 1901 in Kempsey
Emma Barber. Born 1856 in Gosford and married Henry Joseph Thompson in 1875 in the Macleay district.
Charles Barber. Born 1859 in Wollongong.
Harriet Rebecca Barber (sometimes spelled Harriot) was born 17 Sep 1860 in Wollongong.
Matilda Barber. Born 1863 in Gosford and married Joseph Henry Downs in 1879 in Kempsey.
George Henry Barber. Born 1865 in the Macleay River district, and married Sarah Jane Baker in 1887 in Kempsey.
Priscilla Jane "Dolly" Barber. Born 1868 in Macleay River district, and married David H. Nelson, a brother of Harriet's husband, in 1886 in Kempsey.
Arthur John Barber. Born 1871 in the Macleay River district.
Theresa Mary Barber. Born 1873 in the Macleay River district, and married twice: Richard Morgan in 1891 in Kempsey and Robert H Clark in 1905 in Kempsey.
Clara Elizabeth Barber. Born 1876 in the Macleay River district and married Robert Adams in 1902 in Kempsey.
Joseph's father was named John. He worked as a farrier in the Parramatta, South Creek , Windsor and Richmond area in the 1830s then moved to the Goulburn area where he died in 1841. A history of Goulburn lists him as the first vet or horse doctor in Goulburn. He had married Jane "Dwyer" (actually Wyer) 23 April 1821 at Liverpool. I will discuss them in more detail below, but first here are their children:
Joseph Rambler Barber. Born 30/4/1821. See above.
William Barber. Born 22/3/1823. Died 26/4/1826.
Lucy (Louisa) Barber. Born 20/5/1825. Married John Bryan in Goulburn 23 December 1842. Died 17/12/1902.
Andrew Barber. Born 29/2/1828. Married Phoebe Rose in 1849.
Samuel Barber. Born 29/12/1830
Elizabeth Barber. Born 5/4/1833
Henry Barber. Born 25/1/1837. Baptised at St Saviour Argyle, whereupon the father was said to be a Cookbundoon Farrier
John Barber. Born 1/9/1838. Baptised at St Saviour Argyle, 8th Sep, whereupon the father was said to be a Goulburn Horse Farrier. Must have died young.
Mary Ann Barber. Born/baptised 17 or 11? October 1840. Baptised at St Saviour Argyle, whereupon the father was said to be a Goulburn Horse Doctor. Died 1845.
John Barber. Baptised 1 March 1841 in Goulburn Cathedral (father John Barber, 49 year old horse doctor).
John Barber was a convict. His horse credentials were in a sense real, because he had been a Stable Hand when Sentencedto death for stealing a horse 16/2/1814. No parents are ever mentioned in his known records, which is not unusual for convicts, but it is said that he was an orphan. (I am not sure if any record actually refers to him this way.) He was born about 1792 in Suffolk.
Transport "Marquis of Wellington" (or sometimes improperly "Lord Wellington") from London 1st Sep 1814 to NSW 27th Jan 1815 via Madeira and Rio. There seems to be very little record of the details of the trial, but the following report appears in the Cambridge Chronicle and Journal 25 February 1814 p.3.
"At the Isle of Ely assizes last week, John Bentick, for stealing six lambs, the property of Mr T. Cave, of Witchford: and John Barber, for stealing a bay mare, the property of Mr R.Burgess, of Wainfleet: - were both capitally convicted, and received sentence of death, but were afterwards reprieved."
(Wainfleet is in Lincolnshire, but Mr Burgess' name has not yet led to any leads.)
1817, 1818, 1820 musters: servant to Mr Hassell.
1821 muster servant to Sir John Jamieson.
1821 Requests for permission to marry in Parramatta and Liverpool are in NSW state records.
m. Jane Wyer (or Dwyer or Myer) V18212726 3B/1821 Church of England Liverpool, St Luke's 23 APR 1821. Witnesses William and Sophia Burgin.
1822 census A00793 Govt Servant to J Wilde (I. Mills?) at Liverpool.
1825 A0NSW R2I54 Magistrate's book.
Certificate of freedom 15 Apr 1828. Sydney Gazette 21/4/1828.
On the 1828 census: B.0277 Free 38 years (so b abt 1790) Free by servitude Protestant Householder at Parramatta with 60 acres, 1 horse, 6 cattle.
In 1834 he was accused of for selling stolen fence posts and William Bergin his wife's step father wrote a character reference.
Death: 01 MAR 1841 aged 49 (b. abt 1792) "Horse Doctor". Burial 3/3/1841. Parish St Saviour, County of Argyle.
Jane Wyer or Wire was very hard to trace. She came to Australia as the child of a female convict with a different surname (in fact she used two different ones), to be discussed below, and in shipping and records she appears namelessly. What's more, when she is recorded, people frequently got her name wrong, writing Dwyer, Myer or Ware
Jane Barber in 1828 census: B0278 27 years (so b abt 1801) came free on "Experiment" 1802? (but it only arrived once in June 1804?) Protestant. See http://www.blaxland.com/ozships/mk3doc/1804-d01.htm which shows a convict child Elizabeth (or Jane) Wire (or Ware) amongst the free passengers on the 1804 (first) arrival of this boat (from Spithead 6th Dec 1803 to Sydney 24th Jun 1804 via Rio (arr 8th Mar, sail 8th Apr)). (http://users.bigpond.net.au/convicts/page87.html shows that an Elizabeth Ware had been on the ship after a trial in Middlesex in 1803, with a 14 year conviction and seems to propose that Wyer should be Ware, but this seems to be incorrect.)
Jane must have been pregnant with Joseph when she married John Barber in 1821. She had 7 more children with John, the last being Mary Ann b. 17.10.1840, who died in 1845.
After the death of John in 1841 she re-married 22/6/1842 at St Saviour, County Argyle, as Jane "Wire" with Richard Taylor a boatman who had come on the "Layton" 8/11/1829 at the age of 19; after being convicted of Highway Robbery in Lincoln.
They had 2 children in 1844 and 1851.
William Taylor. Born 8/6/1844
Richard Taylor. Born 31/10/1851
Jane Taylor died 1/12/1851 aged 49 years Philip St Parramatta, 2 months after giving birth to a son, Richard, who died 2 months after Jane.
Jane was buried 2/12/1851, and Richard 30/1/1852.
Transported on the Experiment arriving 7/5/1804 (apparently recalled wrongly later as 1802).
She was sentenced at Exeter Feb 1802 (according to AO records) and/or Horsemonger Lane, Guildford, Surrey 16/2/1802 (according to PRO in UK) for 7 years. I could find this record of events:
Calendar of Prisoners
4. Sarah Tandy } Committed the 29th of January, 1802, by G. Fournier, esq., charge on the oath of illegible - probably Samuel Smith) with stealing at Newington, four silver table spoons, two silver punch ladles, three guineas in gold, two or three one-pound Bank of England notes, and divers articles of wearing apparel, his property.
Minute Book
King GL Pl not guilty on trial
agt Guilty Transported for 7 years
Sarah Tandy o'wise West
Indictment file
Surrey } The Jurors for our Lord the King upon their Oath present that Sarah Tandy late of the Parish of St Mary at Newington in the County of Surrey Singlewoman otherwise called Mary West late of the same Singlewoman on the twenty second day of January in the forty second year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King Defender of the Faith with force and arms at the Parish aforesaid in the County aforesaid four silver table spoons of the value of twenty shillings two silver punch ladles of the value of four shillings one laced veil of the value of one shilling one cotton gown of the value of five shillings and one silk cloak of the value of six shillings of the goods and chattels of Samuel Smith then and there being found then and there feloniously did steal take and carry away against the Peace of our said Lord the King his Crown and Dignity
She was living with William Bergin (Burgin, Burgen, Burgan, Bergen) by 1804, not long after arriving in the penal colony. He had come on the Hillsborough 26/7/1799.
Jane Wyer who came with her on the Experiment appears as a child living with her and the Bergins in Musters.
She married as Mary West in 1818, a name which she'd also apparently used in England (LDS have two dates: 1804 and 1818; probably because children are recorded in 1805, 1808, 1811, and 1818) St Johns marriage register, presumably V1818851 147B/1818, V18182210 3A/1818 29 JUN 1818. 1828 living in Paramatta where William was a publican. Their children, Jane's half siblings, were:
Henry Bergin. Born 1805. Married Mary Gowan in 1828, and died in 1846.
Sophia Bergin. Born 1808. Married John Jamieson in 1825, for whom John Barber had worked. She had also been witness at John's wedding.
William Bergin. Born 1811. Died 1831.
Elizabeth Bergin. Born 1818, so the probably the only legitimate child in the family.
William Bergin senior had 18 acres at Prospect, with 30 cleared, 5 horses, 50 cattle and a couple of employees.
In 1825 their second child Sophia married John Jamieson
Death 16 DEC 1838 V18382863 22/1838 Mary Burgan in parish St John's, Parramatta (56 years old, so b. abt 1782). This was only 14 days after the death of William. She was buried 16 Dec 1838.
Speculation from IGI: George Wyer. Married with Mary West: 25 MAY 1800 Saint Luke Old Street, Finsbury, London, England.
For this part of the family tree I must mention that I have been helped by Rex and Yvonne Toomey and Helene Cronin, who have both done a lot more work on the Australian part of this family tree. Anyone interested for the right reasons should feel free to contact me about getting in contact with them (or any other genealogists relevant). Although this webpage is mainly trying to describe the outlines of this family tree, and especially to ask how much we can learn about the roots in England, I've taken the liberty of using some of the detailed dates that Yvonne has accumulated...
Charlotte's parents were John Abel Avery and Charlotte Emma Davis, both convicts, who married by permission on 24 May 1830 at St Johns Church Parramatta. The children were as follows. Most had children aplenty so there were an enormous number of grandchildren!
Charles Avery. Born 19 Jul 1830, Windsor. Baptized 19 Sep 1830. St Johns Parramatta. Married Ruth Kemp in Grafton in 1852, and also Louisa Philp, 29 Oct 1874 in Grafton. He died 14 Dec 1911 Lower Ulmarra, and was buried 15 Dec 1911 Ulmarra NSW. He had an amazing 14 and 15 children respectively from each wife.
Mary Ann Avery. Born 6 Mar 1832 in Sydney and baptised 7 July 1833 St Philips Sydney. She married John Henry McMahon, 26 Jun 1848 at Sydney, Holy Trinity. She died 28 May 1878 Harrington Place, Sydney, and was buried the next day in the Sydney Necropolis. She had four children.
Charlotte Emma Avery. My ancestor was born 9 Nov 1833 in Parramatta and baptised 12 Jan 1834 at St Phillips Sydney. She died 11 Aug 1908 in West Kempsey and was buried the next day. They had 11 children as mentioned above.
Edward Ernest Avery. Born 12 Dec 1835, Sydney, and baptised 17 Jan 1836, St Philips Sydney. Married Catherine Reilly in 1855. Said to have died young?
John Avery. Born 12 Jan 1837, Goulburn and baptised 24 Sep 1837 at Sutton Forrest. Married Ellen Butler in 1855. Died 10 Jul 1886 and was buried the next day in West Kempsey Cemetery.
Robert Henry Avery. Born 28 Jul 1839 Sydney and baptised 8 Sep 1839 St Phillips Sydney. Married Rosetta Helps 20 Sep 1864 St Johns Stroud NSW. Was buried 29 Apr 1893 West Kempsey Cemetery, after having died the day before.
William Avery. Born 14 Oct 1841 Clarence River NSW. Married Margaretta Gill, 3 Sep 1863 Stroud NSW. Was buried 17 Nov 1910, Tuncurry NSW, after having died the day before.
Eliza Florence Avery. Born 4 Dec 1843 Clarence River NSW, and baptised 17 Mar 1844 Grafton C.E. Married John Clarke 14 Nov 1864 Myall River NSW. Died 17 Feb 1919 in Drummoyne NSW, and was buried soon after in Rookwood Cemetery NSW.
Sarah Avery. Born 26 Nov 1845 Sydney, and baptised 14 Mar 1846 St Andrews Sydney. Married George Bramble 18 Apr 1864, St John's Port Stephen's NSW. Died 5 Apr 1928, Gloucester NSW.
George Henry Avery. Born 23 Nov 1847 and baptised 6 Jan 1848, Clarence R Grafton. Married twice: Rachel Cook, 24 Sep 1873, Kempsey, and Ellen Baker 13 Dec 1898 Kempsey. Was buried 18 Sep 1928 in West Kempsey Cemetery, after having died two days earlier.
Matilda Ann Avery. Born 23 Mar 1850, Swan Creek Grafton, and baptised 2 Jun 1850 in Grafton Church of England. Married James Robinson in 1871, and died 1872 in Sydney.
Richard Avery. Born 22 Oct 1852 Sussex St Sydney and baptised 5 Dec 1852 St Phillips Sydney. Married Sophia Dorrington in Euroka 22 August 1875, and then Elizabeth Baker, 9 July 1892. Was buried 7 Jun 1908, W.Kempsey Church of England, after dieing the day before.
Called an orphan on his death certificate 80.7660.
I could find record of his trial at the Old Bailey 3 Sep 1821:
Sessions Papers
JOHN AVERY was indicted for stealing, on the 4th August, one silver spoon, value 3s., the goods of Thomas Welch Hunt.
WILLIAM WRIGHT. I am servant to Mr T.W. Hunt, who lives at Clarges-street, Piccadilly. On the 4th of August, I saw the prisoner going up the area steps. I missed a spoon from the window, of the housekeeper's room, which was there three minutes before. I followed and took him at the end of the street, and found it on him.
(Property produced and sworn to)
GUILTY. Aged 20
Transported for Seven Years
First Middlesex Jury, before Mr Baron Graham
Newgate Prison Calendars
Wednesday, September 12th 1821
Name Age Trade Committed by, and when Offence charged with
John Avery 20 Labourer H.M.Dyer, Esq Aug 4 Stealing a silver spoon, the Property of Thomas Welch Hunt, Esq
Wednesday, October 24th 1821
(listed under Middlesex Prisoners on orders)
Wednesday, December 5th 1821
(listed under Middlesex Prisoners on orders)
Wednesday, January 9th 1822
(not listed - therefore delivered)
Cert. of Freedom - Notes: No.: 29/657 Date: 30th June 1829.
Ship : Asia (2); Master : Reid; Year : 1822; Native Place : High Wickham, Buckinghamshire; Trade or Calling : Chimney Sweep; Offence : ---------; Place of Trial : Middlesex Goal Delivery; Date of Trial : 12 Sept 1821; Sentence : Seven Years; Year of Birth : 1802; 5 feet 5 inches; Complexion : Swarthy; Hair : Dark Brown; Eyes : Hazel. Note : the following was written across the face of the Certificate of Freedom Butt -
"Torn up 23rd Jan 1832 on receipt from the Supt. of Police at Campbell Town in his letter of the 21st instant .... that it was found on the person of Joshua Rose Talbone (?) per Asia. A runaway from No 2 gang."
As I understand it, John had assignments in the north of NSW, land which was still being explored. He later settled there. He is therefore amongst the first generation of Europeans involved in that area for a living.
This is the one case where we could at least find a record of this family before conviction for a crime. It seems certain that John Abel Avery is the baptism of 19 Jun 1802 in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. His parents were therefore William Avery and Frances.
Peter Rowe informed me that the unusual name Abel had been used by the Averys of Bix in nearby Oxfordshire.
In older records, the combination of Abel and Avery appears several times in Yatton in Somerset, in the late 1600s. I suspect a family of Averys had moved to the London region from South West England and brought this name with them. (And another branch perhaps went to Connecticut?) The surname Avery seems to come from South West England.
Indeed, we can speculate that the parents were the William Avery and Frances Woodbridge who married 3 Jan 1791 in Hillingdon in Middlesex, so it is possible that John's family moved around within the London area, and that they might one day be traced.
Session Papers. Before Mr Justice Park
1833. CHARLOTTE DAVIS was indicted for stealing, on the 22nd of October, at St John at Hackney, 1 bag, value 1s, 16 half-crown, 30 shillings, and 7 sixpences, the property of Henry Pelling, her master, in his dwelling-house.
HENRY PELLING. I keep the Green Dragon public-house, in Well-street, in the Parish St John at Hackney. The prisoner was two months in my service. On Sunday, the 22nd of October, about three o'clock in the afternoon, my brother called me from the adjoining room to the bar; I searched the drawer where my money was kept, and missed it - it was not locked. I cannot say how much I had there; there were more than twenty half-crowns, some shillings, and sixpences --I went to the prisoner and accused her of it; she denied it - I requested to know where it was, as it had been in a bag; she still denied it; I told somebody to fetch a constable - she then said "Pray, sir, forgive me, I will never do so any more", and pointed to a corner in the wash-house, where the bag lay, covered up; it was my bag, and contained 3l 13s 6d in half-crowns, shillings and sixpences. Her box was searched, and nothing found but new clothes, worth about 3l; there were gowns, stockings, caps, thimbles, and a pair of scissors.
JOHN PELLING. I am the prosecutor's brother. At nine o'clock on Sunday morning, the 22nd of October, I saw this bag of silver in a drawer at the further end of the bar - I was in an adjoining room at three o'clock that afternoon; and saw the prisoner pass the door and go to the further end of the bar; I heard the drawer open; she passed the door, returned into the kitchen, came back, went to the further end of the bar again, and I heard another drawer opening, and silver rattling; she then returned into the kitchen, and I went into the bar, and sat by the drawer until my brother returned - I informed him - he afterwards called me, and showed me the bag.
JOHN WOODS. I am a constable. I took the prisoner in charge, with the bag, at Mr Pelling's house.
GUILTY - DEATH. Aged 17
We know from various records in Australia that her parents were William Davis, a wheelwright, and Charlotte. The names are unfortunately quite common.