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Hi Tony thanks again for all the info on the Kents as far as i know James Kent was born 1806 in Burghfield Berkshire England dad William Mum Ann
idont know if this helps to find a death for him susan

Hi Susan.

Sorry...but cant find anything conclusive regarding James Kent in the death index's.

I know from other findings..many of our early convicts who stayed here, not much was known about them regarding parentage. Also,many records are either missing or lost, from the archives.

Tony

Thankyou Tony for looking for me your most kind susan

n

Hi Tony,

Can you help me find a John Levesque who was convicted and sent to Australia on the Susan for 7 years and afterwards he given a Cert of Freedom?

1334. WILLIAM NEWTON and JOHN LEVESQUE were indicted for stealing, on the 28th of August , 69 handkerchiefs, value 1l. 17s. , the goods of William Loftus.

He was transported to NSW on the ship "Susan" 7th March 1834 and arrived 17th July, destination of John (or how disposed of as per the arrival list) was Wm Innes "H" River (H for Hawkesbury ? my guess)

From State Records NSW -
Cert of Freedom Vessel Year CFNo SR Ref Film
LEVESGUE John Susan 1834 41/1102 14 Aug 1841 4/4368 1009
(Record: Lev Rec 3 027-029) Entered Gaol 5 Sep 1833

We seem to have lost him from there on. Did he stay in Australia or go back to England? The only John of the right age was in the 1841 Census, but if he wasn't release 14 August wouldn't that be too late for the Census?

Gael

Hi Gael.

With just a C.F ( certificate of freedom ) he would not have been allowed to leave the Country...but some records do show,many were allowed to travel to New Zealand.
A....... C.F normally meant he had finished his full term ( 7 years or 14 years )

He would have needed an A.P ( Absolute Pardon ) to be able to return to the U.K....and in most cases, convicts not allowed to leave the Country were able to re-marry, even if they had a spouse waiting back home o/seas


Yes...most likely Hawkesbury River, ( North of Sydney ) and Maitland a bit further North ( by Australian standards )

The surname would have had variable ways of spelling ( at a guess )

N.S.W General Convict Muster ( 1837 )
Name: John Levesque
Arrival Date: 1834
Vessel: Susan
Piece: HO 10/34
Province: New South Wales
Title: General muster L-Q
Year(s): 1837
Estimated birth year: abt 1818


118860 Levesque John Ship:Susan 1834....Date: 1837 Location:Paterson....Aged 16. Assigned to Beresford Hudson


You can see a pattern here.
The town of "Paterson" and "Maitland" are only a stone throw away from each other.

This ( below )could be his marriage in Maitland... N.S.W

Surname:LEVESQUE
Given name:John
Spouse:Mary McD...?
District: Maitland
Year:1862
Reg No:2175/1862


Also, possibly their deaths in N.S.W....and looking at the year of death, and the registration numbers, it seems they could have died together.......Accident perhaps?


Surname:LEVESQUE
Given name:John
Father:UNKNOWN
Mother: UNKNOWN
District: West Maitland
State: N.S.W
Year:1892
Reg No: 7905/1892

Surname:LEVESQUE
Given name:Mary
Father:UNKNOWN
Mother: UNKNOWN
District: West Maitland
State: N.S.W
Year:1892
Reg No: 7907/1892


Cant see any children born to them, but purchasing a death cert ( for either ) would show any children "hopefully"



There was one other John LEVESQUE( could be LEBESQUE? ) in Tasmanian records, but given the date on this Document ( 1914 )....and given the birth year for your John ( circ.1818 ) its more likely your John LEVESQUE is the one in N.S.W.

Tony ( Victoria )

n

Thanks Tony,

That's wonderful news - It could be the John Levesque I've been looking for. However, he could have changed his name and we may never know what happened to him.

Thanks once again

Gael

Hi Tony,

Found more information re burial of John and Mary Levesque on

http://www.maitland.nsw.gov.au/UserFiles/cemeteryL-Z.xls

and on this site a J Levesque under

Greville's Post Office Directory 1872 MAITLAND WEST, E - L
http://www.family.joint.net.au/

Someone else might be interested in these sites for Maitland

Gael

Thanks for the site Gael.

Yes....seems John Levesque was a "Omnibus proprietor" so possibly ran or owned a "Horse and Coach or Buggy" service, transporting folk around.

Best wishes.

Tony...:>))

n

Hi Tony

Could you possibly have a look for Ellis Brooks. He was sentenced to transportation for life in 1833 in Norfolk for sheep stealing.

I believe he may have arrived in Australia on the Hive in early 1834.

Any info would be very much appreciated.

Thanks
Dee

Hi Dee.

Ellis Brooks, one of 250 convicts transported on the Hive, 15 January 1834.

Sentence details: Convicted at Norfolk Assizes on 3 August 1833 for a term of life.
Vessel: Hive.
Date of Departure: 15 January 1834.
Place of Arrival: New South Wales.


Departed Falmouth 8th February and arrived Port Jackson 11 June. Captain Luscombe. Surgeon Superintendent Dr. Fairfowl. 248 male prisoners. Guard consisted of 30 rank and file of 50th regt., accompanied by 8 women and 4 children under command of Lieut. Petit and Ensign Waddy.

N.S.W Archives: ( Ellis BROOKS )
T.O.L ( Ticket of Leave "passports" ) 1834 District: Berrima....Tried: Norfolk
T.O.L.........21st Mar 1843 on recommendation of Berrima bench
T.O.L.........12th July 1844 on recommendation of Berrima bench
T.O.L ........20th Sept 1845 on recommendation of Berrima bench
T.O.L ........16th Oct 1845 on recommendation of Berrima bench

Received C.P ( Conditional Pardon ) 1st Nov 1848


A,,,,,, C.P ( Conditional Pardon ) normally meant, he was not alowed to leave the Colony.
Cant find an A.P ( Absolute Pardon ) for him,which meant he could return to England

To order Transcriptions ( Docs ) see:
http://www.transcriptions.com.au/pages/transervdoc.php


On the off chance he was at Berrima Gaol .
BERRIMA:..N.S.W

Berrima is Situated in the NSW Southern Highlands, the town is a living example of Australia's rich colonial heritage. Established in 1831, it was planned in the manner of a typical English village. Today many of the grand old sandstone buildings - Berrima Gaol, Courthouse, Berrima House, Surveyor General Inn, Holy Trinity Church and St Francis Xavier Church - are preserved, providing a unique atmosphere to the town.History Services NSW has extensive historical information in our databases relating to the Berrima district including:643 records of convicts who were at Berrima at some time;


http://historyservicesnswblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/historic-berrima.html


Cant see a marriage or re-marriage for him in N.S.W
Cant see a death in N.S.W (1844 to 1979 )

Did he have a second name?

Forename Thesauras tells me "Ellis" can also be Elijah and Eli.

Just on the off chance...there is a death in Tasmania for a Elijah Brooks, but i cant be 100% positive he is your Ellis.

Death Tasmania Archives:
BROOKS, ELIJAH
Gender: Male
Birth 1815 - ENGLAND,
Marriage/Relationship:
Death: 1861 - HOBART



Tony

Wow!!! Thank you Tony.

I'm pretty sure Ellis didn't have a second name - at least there isn't one mentioned on the marriage record and I haven't found a baptism for him yet - still wading through the Norfolk images on the IGI.

What does ticket of leave mean?

So, if he had a conditional pardon he would have stayed in Australia but not necessarily in NSW?

The Elijah death certainly looks interesting. I take it he would have been allowed to travel to Tasmania after 1848?

I really appreciate the help and will check out the link to Berrima Goal - love looking at things like that. Funny, I hated history when I was at school and now I can't get enough.
Dee

Hi Dee.

A Ticket of Leave (TOL) was a document given to convicts when granting them freedom to work and live within a given district of the colony before their sentence expired or they were pardoned. TOL convicts could hire themselves out or be self-employed. They could also acquire property. Church attendance was compulsory, as was appearing before a Magistrate when required. Permission was needed before moving to another district and 'passports' were issued to those convicts whose work required regular travel between districts. Convicts applied through their masters to the Bench Magistrates for a TOL and needed to have served a stipulated portion of their sentence.
Lifers needed 8 years with 1 master......... 10 years with 2 or....... 12 years with 3 masters


Conditional Pardons
Conditional Pardons (CP) freed convicts and were granted on the condition that convicts did not return to England or Ireland. Original copies of the pardons were sent to England and duplicates remained in Australia. Copies were also given to convicts as a proof of pardon.

Cheers. Tony
ps. I hated History at school too.....lol

Thanks again Tony. I didn't realise that some convicts were allowed to work for gain. I suppose I'd imagined them all shut up in a prison much like the British ones - only much, much hotter!!

So, if a convict were prepared to obey the rules and work hard it was just possible to carve out a better life for themselves in Australia than would ever have been possible in England? The opportunity for someone like Ellis to own property would never happen in a million years in England at the time.

I know his wife died in the UK in 1849 but I'll have to see if his son joined him once he was pardoned. His 'daughter' (my 2x gt grandmother) certainly didn't - I'd always thought she was the daughter of Ellis but her baptism record has a notation by the vicar that the father had been 'abroad' for the past four years so he CAN'T be her father. Nevertheless, Ellis has me fascinated now.

Yes......most of Australia's convicts were put to work. Around 1834 ( and only around 50 years old ) as a very young new European colony, there was much to do to get the country up and running. Many were sent out to free settlers..... as convict labour.

Only the hardened crims ( Murderers ect, ) would have been locked away most of the time.

In my own tree a young 14 year old from Dublin was sent to Tasmania ( Point Puer ) boys reformatory. Picked up of the streets in Dublin Ireland in 1832 for nicking a silver spoon.
When he arrived in Tasmania, he could neither read nor write, but was taught ...... and also taught Masonary and Boot making. When he received his CP and then AP...he was granted land by the government of the time. He opened a Bootmakers in Hobart town. So why return to Ireland?

Married a convict woman ( which reduced her term ) and had 14 kids, and bought up acres and acres of land.
So why return to the streets of Dublin, even if he could?


Most convicts were the backbone of this country, and many sentenced for just nicking a potato or peice of bread....to which most would have been starving i'm sure.

If he would have returned...i wouldnt have my grandkids...lol

Tony.....:>))

x

b