Showing more posts with label ewer. Show older posts
Showing more posts with label ewer. Show older posts

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Edward Ewer's Conditional Pardon - 1835

Copy of recently received Conditional Pardon


Edward Ewer Conditional Pardon 1835 - 1

Edward Ewer Conditional Pardon 1835 - 1

Friday, June 13, 2008

Edward Ewer Conditional Pardon

I recently received from the State Archives a copy of Edward EWER's Conditional Pardon. I was unsure what details would be included on his Conditional Pardon, and while it does not give any information regarding his residence or conditions, it does reveal a great deal of him.

Convicts with life sentences in NSW generally received pardons. A 'Conditional pardon' meant that the convict was treated as a free person as long as they remained in the colony. The vast majority of convicts granted pardons were granted a conditional pardon.

Edward had arrived in 1822 with a life sentence, received a conditional pardon (shown below) in 1835, and received a further 'Free Pardon' in 1841 that allowed him to return to England if he wished (he apparently did not). I am yet to receive a copy of the Free Pardon.

Conditional Pardon summary:

Edward Ewer, arrived in Mary (2), ship Master Arckoll, in the year 1822 under sentence of transportation for life. Sentenced at Berkshire on the 28th February 1820. Pardon provided on the condition that Edward Ewer continues to reside within the limits of the government for the period of his original sentence (life).

Native place: Windsor
Trade or calling: Baker and Servant
Sentence: Life
Year of birth: 1796
Height: Five feet, three and one half inches
Complexion: Fair-ruddy
Hair: Light
Eyes: Grey

Given under my hand at Goveevrnment House, Sydneym 14th July 1835
(signed) Richard Bourke
Governor NSW

------------

This is quite a pleasing set of information despite not even stating Edward's abode. It confirms not only Edward's birth place (Windsor - actually Clewer) but his birth year. It also states his occupation as a baker, which he apparently took with him to Bathurst when the family moved there about 1841 (after receiving his free pardon I assume). This is also the first document I've found that describes Edward's appearance.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Mary (II) - convict ship

My ancestor Edward Ewer travelled to Australia as a convict on the Mary (2) - the '2' signifying that it was this ships second voyage to Australia. The surgeon on convict ships normally kept a diary, and that of the Mary (2) has thankfully survived. While John Rodmell's diary begins on 6 Jul 1821, convicts (176 in total) were not taken on board from the hulks 'Leviathan' and 'York' laying in Portsmouth Harbour till 22nd August. Also on board were 37 guards from the 46th Regiment, and three passengers including the Rev. Mr. Hassell who educated convicts on the voyage. The ship set to sea on 9 Sep 1822 and spent 129 days at sea before arriving in Port Jackson (now Sydney) on 23 Jan 1822.

I was lucky enough to receive a transcript of the surgeon's journal summary that appears, along with a summary of the entries transcribed by Di Crystal. I'll start with the 'general remarks', which effectively speak for themselves. It seems that the journey was relatively event-free, with no deaths occuring on board, and some convicts having the opportunity for instruction on how to read.


MARY 2 Surgeon's Journal
AJCP Reel #3203
(general remarks at end of reel)

General Remarks Mary II Surgeon’s Journal

The Mary arrived at Port Jackson on the 23rd of January 1822 with 176 Male convicts on board after a passage of 129 days from Plymouth and which were landed at Sydney together with the guard on the 28th of the same all in the most perfect health. Several cases of sickness, as will be seen by the journal, occurred but which I am happy to say had a favourable termination.

The ship sailed from Portsmouth on the 9th of September but in consequence of strong Westerly winds setting in when off the Lizard it was deemed advisable to put into Plymouth, not being able to make any progress from the state of the weather at that time , but on the contrary had every prospect of losing what had been gained. On our arrival there, a report was made of the circumstance to Sir T B Martin who happened to be at that port investigating the state of the Dockyards. Sir Thomas directed that the ship should be completed with water and that the usual supply of Fresh Beef and Vegetables should be demanded for the prisoners and Guard. These orders were come into effect without lots of time and everything was kept in readiness for our departure the first favourable opportunity. On the 19th we weighed anchor with a light breeze from the Eastward. After we had been at sea a few days the irons were removed from the whole of the convicts taking of course all necessary precautions to counteract any attempt at insubordination which might possibly be contemplated, but which I was not at all apprehensive of. The Mary was constructed with a Poop a circumstance which I conceive of importance , as affording a most commanding position for the guard a part of whom was constantly under arms in that situation during the day. It was from this circumstance principally that we were induced to remove so great a restraint knowing well from my own observations that such a measure would contribute greatly to the healthy condition of the prisoners, and which the event seemed fully to justify and I must not omit to state that they evinced much gratitude for the attention which was shown to their comfort both as regarding personal freedom and the due issue of provisions agreeably to the orders of Government. In order to remove all doubt from their minds as to the proper quantities being issued they were not only furnished with a scale of allowance but two of them were constantly to be present when the Steward made the distribution. With respect to the provisions supplied by His Majesty’s Government for the use of the convicts every possible care was taken to guard against the substitution of an inferior species which might be on board for ships use. In obedience to my instructions I used to attend the opening of provisions for the purpose of taking the mark, number and contents of each cask, and although it happened on two or three occasions that the Steward omitted to acquaint me when such circumstance took place I requested that the heading of the casks might be produced for my satisfaction. When the issue of lemonade first took place it was considered a very grateful and satisfactory beverage but after a time it did not seem to be taken with that avidity which it had been, and bowels complaints had also made their appearance. I certainly attributed it to some irregularity in the mixing of the lemonade and accordingly, without previously suggesting my suspicions, I requested that some might be brought for my tasting the following day, but instead of bringing it from the pot as was intended I ascertained immediately that a portion had been mixed for me in due proportions a tacit acknowledgement that what was about to be issued was not in conformity to the directions which he had received. The steward was reprimanded by the Master and admonished to be more careful in the future, and I have every reason to think that he fulfilled the duties of his station afterwards with correctness. I have omitted to include above in what the irregularity consisted. It was in the with-holding of a portion of the sugar whereby the lemonade was made unpleasantly acid and occasioned in some instances much intestinal irritation. It was seemed advisable to put into Port Praya (?) Island of St Jago on our passage out in order to complete the water, but it was not accomplished with that facility that could be wished owing to the unsettled state of the local government. A supply of fruit and vegetables was procured for the guard and the convicts. We arrived at Port Praya on the 13th of October and sailed for our ultimate destination on the 18th of the same month. Everything went on smoothly during the voyage, indeed much more so than could be expected from the character of those embarked. It was found only necessary to inflict corporal punishment twice in the course of the voyage and that in a moderate degree for thefts amongst themselves. A school was established under the superintendence of the Rev. Mr. Hassell and myself in that part of the ship appropriated to the Boys and which was generally well filled by those desirous of instruction. Many of them who were unacquainted with the alphabet very soon learnt it and at the termination of the voyage could read with tolerable facility. Divine Service was performed every Sunday by the Rev. Mr. Hassell who was a passenger, mostly on deck, but when the state of the weather would not admit of it, the same was performed in the prisons. Although I am directed to perform Divine Service I think the Board will admit the propriety of conceding that point to a professional man when there is one present and desirous so to do. I am unable to point out any changes or attention that would be more conducive to the health and comfort of the convicts. The arrangements at present both with respect to the fitting up of the prisons, the mode of victualling and the comforts and necessaries supplied in ease of sickness are such as to leave apparently no room for improvement, and are fully adequate to attain all that could be wished. It seems right that I should say something respecting the issue of spirits to the guard, but only with reference to quantity, half a pint of rum was issued agreeably to instructions mixed with a proportion of water as is usual in His Majesty’s Navy and sometimes it was made into Punch by the addition of lemon juice and sugar. It was served to them at twice, the first issue took place immediately after dinner and the last late in the afternoon. This was continued for some time but from the intoxication and disorder that frequently took place it was deemed in consultation with the Officer of the Guard and Master of the ship, absolutely necessary to suspend a portion of their allowance of spirits which was accordingly done. In future they performed their duty as became good Soldiers and I believe were very glad that such a resolution had been adopted for they were remunerated for such privation much beyond their expectation on their arrival in the Colony of New South Wales.

John Rodmell
Surgeon and Superintendent.

-------------------

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Ewer's in Colonial NSW

A few previous posts have dealt with Ewer’s in colonial Australia, and thanks to Ron Harper of Australia, Michael Ewer of everywhere and Derek Rogers of Hertfordshire (along with some new bits and pieces I’ve picked up) I’ve been able to expand on this - there's still more to be added but as I find details on each person I'll re-post this. As such, I’ve retained the names and details from my previous post, and expanded it. To learn more of the regimental Ewer’s, I’ll have to find a volunteer at the Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) as living in the US restricts my ability to search those archives!

I’ve learnt a great deal more of Edward Ewer now, but that will predominately be saved for another post.


Colonial Ewer’s in Australia:

Thomas EWER, Private, NSW Corps, SAG pay list 1798, recorded receiving land in 1800. ‘Australia’s free coat settlers’ (http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~garter1/) notes that he was in the 102nd Regiment (Rum Corps), and returned to England. The 102nd (NSW Corps) was raised in 1789 for service in Australia, and returned in 1810.

Thomas Ewer’s regimental discharge papers reveal a great deal:

THOMAS EWER
HERTFORD, Hertfordshire
Served in New South Wales Corps
Discharged aged 40 after 13 years of service

“His Majesty’s New South Wales Corps whereof Francis Grose Esq. Is Colonel. These are to certify, that the Bearer hereof, Thomas Ewer Private in the Regiment aforesaid, aged forty years, five feet three inches high, fair complexion, fair hair, grey eyes, ? visage, born in the Parish of St Stephen’s in or near the Market Town of Hereford in the county of Hereford Kingdom of England and by Trade a Laborer hath served honestly and faithfully for the Space of thirteen years, but on the reduction of the Corps to the Peace Establishment was discharged therefrom at Sydney on the 24th May 1803 and is hereby discharged, and humbly recommended as a proper object of His Majesty’s Royal Bounty of CHELSEA HOSPITAL. He having first received all just Demands of Pay, Cloathing, &c. from his Entry into the said Regiment, to the Date of his Discharge; as appears by receipt on the back hereof.

Given under my Hand and Seal at Parkhurst Barracks, this fourteenth Day of September 1804.”

So Thomas was born in approximately 1863, and enlisted aged 27 in 1890, served 13 years in the NSW Corps and was discharged aged 40 in 1803/4. It appears that after serving in Sydney, Thomas was discharged in Sydney in 1803 prior to sailing for England, receiving his discharge papers at Parkhurst Barracks on the Isle of Wight.

Thomas’ home county is mis-written as ‘Hereford’ on his discharge papers - the covering leaf states it correctly as Hertford. The St Stephen’s Parish in Hertford covers the Presbytarian and Unitarian Chapel, Dagnall Lane, St Albans (in Hertford), and parish transcripts reveal that Thomas Ewer, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Ewer, was baptised ‘near Tenements’, on 18 June 1762 by the minister Jabez Hirons.

Thomas was the eldest child of Thomas EWER and Elizabeth nee WRIGHT (who were married at St Stephens on 6 Nov 1761, both of parish of St Stephens). Their other children, also baptized under the same church, were George (baptized at Searches Farm, 21 March 1765), Elizabeth (baptized at Searches Farm, 30 Sept 1767), John (baptized at Searches Farm, 27 March 1771), James (baptized at Searches Farm, 1 Jun 1773), Joseph (baptized at Whitehouse Farm, St Stephens, 20 Dec 1775) and Rose (baptized at Whitehouse Farm, St Stephens, 10 Feb 1777).

I have not yet determined whether Thomas had a family in England – there are not births of Ewer’s in Australia during the period of the NSW Corps in NSW. As a side-note, given that Thomas was in NSW during the period in which my ancestor Edward and his siblings were born, he cannot be the Thomas Ewer, soldier, living at Clewer, Berkshire during that period.

William EWER, Private, 73rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion. Recorded in 1812 Pay List. The 73rd was sent under Leiut. Gen. Lachlan Macquarie to relieve the NSW Corps, arriving in 1810, and departing in 1814. The NSW Criminal Court records show that William Ewer, along with Joseph Accroid (Akroyd?) and William Grimes were charged with ‘riot and rescue’ on 30 Aug 1813. While the 73rd left in 1814, a William EWER appears on the 1828 general muster having arrived on the Florentia (arrived NSW 1828) as in the employment of the No. 6 Iron Gang – no sentence is entered, nor is a year of arrival. No indication that he remained in Australia.

Joseph EWER, Private, 73rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion, just like William EWER. Recorded in 1812 Pay List. 73rd sent under Leiut. Gen. Lachlan Macquarie to relieve the NSW Corps, arriving in 1810, and departing in 1814. No indication that he remained in Australia. Again, SAG records would reveal more.

Nathaniel EWER, married Sarah PARKER in Islington, Middlesex in 1810 and had a son Clement in 1812 (Clement is such a scarce name that Michael Ewer estimates a connection with Clement EWER b 1755 Kensington, Middlesex who married Elizabeth IRLAM and had at least 7 children). Nathaniel appeared at the Old Bailey charged for simple grand larceny (theft) on 21st June 1815. Prior to his conviction, he was an articulator, employed to put skeletons together at St. Thomas and the London Hospitals. In the trial, the codefendant John SILVESTER attested that he was guilty but that he had never met Nathaniel Ewer before, and that he was not guilty. Nathaniel was nevertheless found guilty and sentenced to be transported for seven years. Nathaniel was transported in July 1816 on the ‘Mary Anne’. In court charged with escaping on ‘Hamet’ in 1818. In 1820, he escaped on the ‘General Gates’ with four other convicts including Francis EWER and made their way to New Zealand before being returned (see NZ Historical Records Vol 1). This shows Nathaniel and Francis knew one another. In December 1820 he was recommended for a pardon, by 1822 had been granted a ticket of leave that allowed him to work for himself and was listed in the 1822 muster as a ‘whitesmith’ (a tin and pewter worker) in Sydney. Nathaniel must have thrived in Sydney from here on, as from 1822 the Colonial Secretary Index shows he testified at a Board of Enquiry into the Engineer Department, assigned convicts, and had offered his services to the government as a tin and copper smith. The 1825 muster shows that Nathaniel was a blacksmith, however no subsequent records have yet been unearthed for Nathaniel.

An infant, Thomas R EWER, died in 1817. I do not have the certificate for this child. Any info welcome.

Francis EWER, born 25 Sep 1797, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, St Sepulchre, London, and a plumber prior to his conviction. Convicted at the Old Bailey (First Middlesex Jury) for breaking and entering a house in St Luke’s, 19th Feb 1817, aged 19 and sentenced to death. Departed for Australia on the ‘Ocean’ in Aug 1818. In 1820, he escaped on the ‘General Gates’ with four other convicts including Nathaniel EWER and made their way to New Zealand before being returned (see NZ Historical Records Vol 1). This shows Nathaniel and Francis knew one another.

On 13th January 1821, the Sydney Gazette reported that Francis Ewer had been sentenced to 25 lashes and transportation for ‘purloining a quantity of lead:

The Sydney Gazette
13 January 1821
At a Bench of Magistrates convened this day at Sydney, Francis Ewer and Robert Ward, prisoners of the Crown, were found guilty of purloining a quantity of lead, the property of the government, and were sentenced to receive 25 lashes each and be transported to Newcastle for two years. Peter Jackson, and Mary Jackson is wife, each possessing the indulgence of a ticket of leave, were convicted of receiving the said lead, knowing to be stolen and sentenced two years to Newcastle’.

He was transported to Newcastle on the 27th of that month. A year later, on the 15th February 1822 the Sydney Gazette reported that Francis had absconded from the Newcastle settlement and he was still considered outstanding on the 29th March when that edition described him as ‘26 yrs old; native of London; 5 ft 8 inches; grey eyes; dark sandy hair; fair ruddy complexion’. However, the Colonial Secretary index indicates that Francis gave himself up under a proclamation of Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane, and he was on a list of convict runaways removed to Port Macquarie per "Newcastle" (and he appears in the 1822 muster as under ‘Govt employ Port Macq’), though he was returned to Sydney to act as witness in a murder trial in December 1822 and may still have been there as there is also correspondence regarding his confinement to the Convict Barracks.

The 1825 general muster again shows Francis to be at the penal colony in Port Macquarie. No subsequent records of Francis have been found, and he does not appear in the 1828 census of NSW. The Port Macquarie settlement was closed in 1834 and convicts were transferred to Norfolk Island.

Edward EWER. Born Clewer, Berkshire, England 1796, died Howick St, Bathurst NSW 20 Sep 1859. Edward was convicted of stealing at the Berkshire Assizes on 28 Feb 1820 and sentenced to hang, but was transported to NSW on the ‘Mary’ (2), departing 28 Aug 1821 and arriving in Jan 1822 and assigned work – in 1822 his muster indicate was working at the Benevolent Asylum. Married Ann EDWARDS in 1825 at Parramatta NSW. The NSW census of 1828 indicates that Edward was a shopkeep in Parramatta, and he appeared in court in relation to a number of matters, including when Alexander Stuart was charged with ‘shooting at Edward Ewer with intent at Parramatta’ in 1829 – Alexander was a servant to Edward Ewer in the 1828 census. Edward was awarded a pardon in Jul 1834, and an absolute pardon in 1841 (after which Edward may have moved to Bathurst). They had 9 children in Parramatta (1827-1839) and the Bathurst district (1843-1848). His wife died in 1854, and Edward died in 1859. His death was noted in the "Bathurst Free Press & Mining Journal" on 21st September 1859 (I’m yet to obtain a copy).

Ann EWER nee EDWARDS, born in colony. Daughter of convicts Rowland EDWARDS and Jan FLETCHER. Married Edward Ewer in Parramatta, 1825. d. Bathurst, 1854.

Edward Jr EWER, b. 1827, Parramatta, first of nine children to Edward EWER and Ann nee EDWARDS. Married Catharine HARAN/AHERN in Carcoar, NSW, 1851 and they had nine children, all born in Bathurst. Confectioner, declared insolvent in 1863, and present in the 1871 and 1878 electoral rolls living in Bathurst. Died 1884 in Bathurst NSW.

Matilda EWER, born about 1813 and convicted in Cambridge on 24 Jul 1840 to be transported for life. She was transported on the ‘Rajah’ which set sail from Woolwich England on 5 Apr 1841 and arrived in Hobart Tasmania later on 19 Jul 1841, aged 27. On this trip, the 180 female convicts produced the ‘Rajah quilt’ (www.nga.gov.au/RajahQuilt/). The 1841 muster describes her employment as ‘Mr Turnbull, New Norfolk’ – there was a James Turnbull, Farmer at New Norfolk, west of Hobart. She applied for marriage with Giles TIMMS (a free person) and this must’ve been approved as the married him in Hobart in 1843. In 1842 she is recorded traveling from Launceston to Melbourne, however given her marriage in 1843 she must have returned. In 1846 the muster notes she has a ticket of leave and In 1847/8 she was granted a pardon in Tasmania, with the comment that ‘There is only one offence, and that of a trifling character recorded against her since she has been in the Colony’. Nothing further is known of her fate.

Richard EWER was born Stoke Poges, Bucks, 26 Oct 1806, the son of William and Sarah. He had 3 children before he was transported and another, Jabez, when he returned. He was convicted at Bucks on 29 Jun 1841 and arrived in Tasmania on ‘Marquis of Hastings’ in 1842. The 1846 muster reveals that Richard had a 3rd Class pass (the lowest of three classes) assigned to Mr Walker of Longford. He departed Tasmania, free of servitude, on ‘City of Melbourne’, 2 Dec 1851. Richard appears in the 1861 England census living in Denham, Bucks with his wife Elizabeth (born Sathall, Middlesex abt 1814) and son Jabez, and again in the 1871 and 1881 censuses.

James Garnet EWER, born abt 1799, arrival date unknown, but the Colonial Secretary letters relating to land reveal correspondence from James Garnett EWER from 1838-1845. Married Louisa HAWKINS in Kelso NSW (essentially a suburb of Bathurst) in 1859. Died in Sydney NSW in 1886. There may be a connection to Edward EWER given that he was living in Bathurst at the time.

Unknown EWER, a Mr. Ewer is shown as an unassisted arrival on four dates between 1847 and 1852, in each case from Moreton Bay (Qld), and is assumed to be a mariner.

I will hopefully expand some of these again in time. Please contact me if you have any information on any of these colonial Ewer’s.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Colonial Ewer's Mk. 2

A previous post dealt with Ewer’s in colonial Australia, and thanks to Ron Harper of Australia, Michael Ewer of everywhere and Derek Rogers of Hertfordshire (along with some new bits and pieces I’ve picked up) I’ve been able to expand on this. As such, I’ve retained the names and details from my previous post, and expanded it. To learn more of the regimental Ewer’s, I’ll have to find a volunteer at the Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) as living in the US restricts my ability to search those archives!

I’ve learnt a great deal more of Edward Ewer now, but that will predominately be saved for another post.


Colonial Ewer’s in Australia:

Thomas EWER, Private, NSW Corps, SAG pay list 1798, recorded receiving land in 1800. ‘Australia’s free coat settlers’ (http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~garter1/) notes that he was in the 102nd Regiment (Rum Corps), and returned to England. The 102nd was raised in 1789 for service in Australia, and returned in 1810. The Society of Australian genealogists has extensive information that would reveal his history.

William EWER, Private, 73rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion. Recorded in 1812 Pay List. The 73rd was sent under Leiut. Gen. Lachlan Macquarie to relieve the NSW Corps, arriving in 1810, and departing in 1814. The NSW Criminal Court records show that William Ewer, along with Joseph Accroid (Akroyd?) and William Grimes were charged with ‘riot and rescue’ on 30 Aug 1813. While the 73rd left in 1814, a William EWER appears on the 1828 general muster having arrived on the Florentia (arrived NSW 1828) as in the employment of the No. 6 Iron Gang – no sentence is entered, nor is a year of arrival. No indication that he remained in Australia.

Joseph EWER, Private, 73rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion, just like William EWER. Recorded in 1812 Pay List. 73rd sent under Leiut. Gen. Lachlan Macquarie to relieve the NSW Corps, arriving in 1810, and departing in 1814. No indication that he remained in Australia. Again, SAG records would reveal more.

Nathaniel EWER, married Sarah PARKER in Islington, Middlesex in 1810 and had a son Clement in 1812 (Clement is such a scarce name that Michael Ewer estimates a connection with Clement EWER b 1755 Kensington, Middlesex who married Elizabeth IRLAM and had at least 7 children). Nathaniel appeared at the Old Bailey charged for simple grand larceny (theft) on 21st June 1815. Prior to his conviction, he was an articulator, employed to put skeletons together at St. Thomas and the London Hospitals. In the trial, the codefendant John SILVESTER attested that he was guilty but that he had never met Nathaniel Ewer before, and that he was not guilty. Nathaniel was nevertheless found guilty and sentenced to be transported for seven years. Nathaniel was transported in July 1816 on the ‘Mary Anne’. In court charged with escaping on ‘Hamet’ in 1818. In 1820, he escaped on the ‘General Gates’ with four other convicts including Francis EWER and made their way to New Zealand before being returned (see NZ Historical Records Vol 1). This shows Nathaniel and Francis knew one another. In December 1820 he was recommended for a pardon, by 1822 had been granted a ticket of leave that allowed him to work for himself and was listed in the 1822 muster as a ‘whitesmith’ (a tin and pewter worker) in Sydney. Nathaniel must have thrived in Sydney from here on, as from 1822 the Colonial Secretary Index shows he testified at a Board of Enquiry into the Engineer Department, assigned convicts, and had offered his services to the government as a tin and copper smith. The 1825 muster shows that Nathaniel was a blacksmith, however no subsequent records have yet been unearthed for Nathaniel.

An infant, Thomas R EWER, died in 1817. I do not have the certificate for this child. Any info welcome.

Francis EWER, born 25 Sep 1797, son of son of Thomas and Jane London St Sepulchre. and a plumber prior to his conviction. Convicted at the Old Bailey (First Middlesex Jury) for breaking and entering a house in St Luke’s, 19th Feb 1817, aged 19 and sentenced to death. Departed for Australia on the ‘Ocean’ in Aug 1818. In 1820, he escaped on the ‘General Gates’ with four other convicts including Nathaniel EWER and made their way to New Zealand before being returned (see NZ Historical Records Vol 1). This shows Nathaniel and Francis knew one another. In 1822 Francis was on a list of convict runaways removed to Port Macquarie per "Newcastle" (and appears in the 1822 muster as under ‘Govt emply Port Macq’), and was returned to Sydney to act as witness in a murder trial late in 1822. The 1825 general muster again shows Francis to be at the penal colony in Port Macquarie. No subsequent records of Francis have been found.


Edward EWER. Born Clewer, Berkshire, England 1796, died Howick St, Bathurst NSW 20 Sep 1859. Edward was convicted of stealing at the Berkshire Assizes on 28 Feb 1820 and sentenced to hang, but was transported to NSW on the ‘Mary’ (2), departing 28 Aug 1821 and arriving in Jan 1822 and assigned work – in 1822 his muster indicate was working at the Benevolent Asylum. Married Ann EDWARDS in 1825 at Parramatta NSW. The NSW census of 1828 indicates that Edward was a shopkeep in Parramatta, and he appeared in court in relation to a number of matters, including when Alexander Stuart was charged with ‘shooting at Edward Ewer with intent at Parramatta’ in 1829 – Alexander was a servant to Edward Ewer in the 1828 census. Edward was awarded a pardon in Jul 1834, and an absolute pardon in 1841 (after which Edward may have moved to Bathurst). They had 9 children in Parramatta (1827-1839) and the Bathurst district (1843-1848). His wife died in 1854, and Edward died in 1859. His death was noted in the "Bathurst Free Press & Mining Journal" on 21st September 1859 (I’m yet to obtain a copy).

Ann EWER nee EDWARDS, born in colony. Daughter of convicts Rowland EDWARDS and Jan FLETCHER. Married Edward Ewer in Parramatta, 1825. d. Bathurst, 1854.

Edward Jr EWER, b. 1827, Parramatta, first of nine children to Edward EWER and Ann nee EDWARDS. Married Catharine HARAN/AHERN in Carcoar, NSW, 1851 and they had nine children, all born in Bathurst. Confectioner, declared insolvent in 1863, and present in the 1871 and 1878 electoral rolls living in Bathurst. Died 1884 in Bathurst NSW.

Matilda EWER, born about 1813 and convicted in Cambridge on 24 Jul 1840 to be transported for life. She was transported on the ‘Rajah’ which set sail from Woolwich England on 5 Apr 1841 and arrived in Hobart Tasmania later on 19 Jul 1841, aged 27. On this trip, the 180 female convicts produced the ‘Rajah quilt’ (www.nga.gov.au/RajahQuilt/). The 1841 muster describes her employment as ‘Mr Turnbull, New Norfolk’ – there was a James Turnbull, Farmer at New Norfolk, west of Hobart. She applied for marriage with Giles TIMMS (a free person) and this must’ve been approved as the married him in Hobart in 1843. In 1842 she is recorded traveling from Launceston to Melbourne, however given her marriage in 1843 she must have returned. In 1846 the muster notes she has a ticket of leave and In 1847/8 she was granted a pardon in Tasmania, with the comment that ‘There is only one offence, and that of a trifling character recorded against her since she has been in the Colony’. Nothing further is known of her fate.

Richard EWER was born Stoke Poges, Bucks, 26 Oct 1806, the son of William and Sarah. He had 3 children before he was transported and another, Jabez, when he returned. He was convicted at Bucks on 29 Jun 1841 and arrived in Tasmania on ‘Marquis of Hastings’ in 1842. The 1846 muster reveals that Richard had a 3rd Class pass (the lowest of three classes) assigned to Mr Walker of Longford. He departed Tasmania, free of servitude, on ‘City of Melbourne’, 2 Dec 1851. Richard appears in the 1861 England census living in Denham, Bucks with his wife Elizabeth (born Sathall, Middlesex abt 1814) and son Jabez, and again in the 1871 and 1881 censuses.

James Garnett EWER, born abt 1799, arrival date unknown, but the Colonial Secretary letters relating to land reveal correspondence from James Garnett EWER from 1838-1845. Married Louisa HAWKINS in Kelso NSW (essentially a suburb of Bathurst) in 1859. Died in Sydney NSW in 12 Aug 1886 - a will is held in the NSW State Archives, granted on 27 Oct 1886. There may be a connection to Edward EWER given that he was living in Bathurst at the time.

Unknown EWER, a Mr. Ewer is shown as an unassisted arrival on four dates between 1847 and 1852, in each case from Moreton Bay (Qld), and is assumed to be a mariner.

I will hopefully expand some of these again in time. Please contact me if you have any information on any of these colonial Ewer’s.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Edward Ewer re-visited

I've now managed to piece together more of the life of Edward Ewer (1796-1859).

Edwards death certificate in 1859 (NSW Death Certificate 1859/002402) states that Edward was born in Windsor, England. This corresponds with his place of conviction, the Berkshire Assizes. While his place of birth was known by his son Edward, who was informant on his death certificate, the names of his parents was unknown.

A few posts of Ewer pages (ancestry.com.au in particular) revealed that Edward Ewer was, in fact, born in Clewer, Berkshire, in 1796.

Clewer was a small village and parish by Windsor in England. The Clewer indexes up to 1837 show that Edward's father was Thomas EWER, whose marriage is recorded on 27 April 1790. He was described as a bachelor 'of the parish'. Jane COMPTON, a spinster, was also "of this parish". They were married by banns. Witnesses to the marriage were Rosannah Aldridge and John Spencer. No baptism records exist in Clewer for either Thomas or Jane, but it's possible they are from a nearby parish.

This index also records the baptism of six children of the marriage from 1790 to 1800:
1790: William, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, baptised 27 June
1792: Joseph, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, baptised 26 February
1793: Thomas, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, a soldier, baptised 20 October
1796: Edward, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, baptised 3 July
1798: Charles, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, baptised 3 August
1800: Harriett ('over Charlotte'), son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, baptised 19 October

(Note: I found a marriage for Harriett to George CLARKE on 7 Feb 1821 in Clewer, Berkshire on the Familysearch site).

That Thomas was a soldier could be a useful point of information with the UK Archives. My very first entry was on the question of the Ewer’s in Australia early on... there were quite a few Ewer people here. The direct link to that entry is:
http://thehistoryofmatt.blogspot.com/2007/10/ewers-in-colonial-nsw.html#links

Three Ewer’s served in Australia in Regiments early on, and reading that Thomas was a soldier gelled with Thomas EWER of the 102nd Regiment (the Rum Corps) - he received pay as early as 1798 and returned to England in 1810. Given that Thomas and Jane had children in 1798 and 1800 it is probably not our Thomas.

There were also a William and Joseph EWER in Australia with the 73rd Regiment of Foot from 1812 – the names fit and the time fits for William and Joseph, siblings of Edward, however 73rd was primarily Scottish, though did have English among its ranks. So my brilliant idea seems a little weak now. Ultimately I can check regimental records though being in America it’ll take a while!

Clewer burial records show that Thomas Ewer of Clewer Lane was buried on 22 March 1822, aged 52 and a Jane Ewer, of the same address, 10 June 1831, aged 63. The burial records give approximate birth years of 1770 for Thomas and 1768 for Jane.

In summary

1768 (abt): Jane Compton born England
1770 (abt): Thomas Ewer born Eng
27 Apr 1790: Thomas Ewer married Jane Compton by banns, at Clewer
1790: William, son of Thomas and Jane Ewer, baptised 27 June
1792: Joseph baptised 26 February at Clewer
1793: Thomas baptised 20 October at Clewer
1793: Thomas Ewer's occupation recorded as soldier
1796: Edward baptised 3 July at Clewer
1798: Charles baptised 3 August at Clewer
1800: Harriett ('over Charlotte') baptised 19 October at Clewer
1820: Edward convicted to life transportation on 28th February in Berkshire Assizes
1821: Harriett married to George CLARKE on 7 Feb in Clewer
1821: Edward Ewer departed for Australia on 28 Aug aboard Mary (2)
1822: Thomas Ewer (snr.) buried at Clewer on 22 March, aged 52
1822: Address for Thomas and Jane Ewer listed as Clewer Lane, Clewer
1831: Jane Ewer nee Compton buried at Clewer on 10 Jun, aged 63

Next I'll lay out an approximate time-line of known events for Edward in England and Australia.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Jean Hall (nee Staniland) - autobiography

My grandmother Jean Frances Hall (nee Staniland) typed (on a typewriter) a short autobiography at her home, 12 Burns St Croydon NSW, in January 1992, and revised and extended it on April 1998 in pen. I find it interesting - it doesn't include any of the stories I remember hearing from her as a boy, though it is written with the intention of describing her family in detail.


Jean Staniland (1917-2003), only child of Ruby Amelia (nee Ewer, born Wellington NSW 1887, died 1969 Burwood NSW) and William James Staniland (born Glebe NSW 1886, died 1962 Woy Woy NSW).

Her biography:

"BORN ... Jean Frances STANILAND, 10 March 1917 - only child of William James STANILAND and RUBY AMELIA STANILAND (nee Ewer) - at 12 Burns Street, Croydon. As I write this, (January 1992 obliterated) April 1998 I have lived here all my life. I married John Hall, formerly of Burwood on 21 April 1951. On 12 April 1952 a daughter was born to us, Elizabeth Anne Rubelia Hall (Rubelia being a corruption of my mother's name, "Ruby Amelia". On 21 February 1954 a son was born and given the name Andrew James Hall.

My first recollection of life at No. 12 Burns Street, Croydon was a good hard smack from my mother for picking a mandarin off the tree. I could not understand why the punishment was so hard. I can still feel the smack. As an only child I suppose you become introverted to a degree and I made my own amusements. I had a cat which always scratched me. As this infant child I can recall a few incidents which shows up the loneliness of an only child. (I understand my mother would have like more children but it was not to be.)

I should explain my mother was a talented singer and pianist who formerly lived at Annandale Street, Annandale, a suburb of some distinction in those days and she was very much involved with Choral Societies as well as the Philharmonic Choir of Sydney. As a member of the Sydney Phil. Choir she sang in the choir as a backdrop to Dame Nellie Melba and the Italian singer, Totti Del Monte (Italian). Also Hunter Bailey Presbyterian Choir where she was a featured soloist. To be transplanted to an outer suburb with little transport denied her of many of her activities.

. . . . . . . . . . .

I was married to John Hall in 1951. He was a Clerk (Base Grade in the Personnel Branch. I was appointed as Typist Gr.1 in 1940, the war as at its worst and we use to have air-raid drill to the basement of the new portion of the GPO.

. . . . . . . . . . .

After war service John Hall continued to see me and we talked of marriage. The question of religion was a problem to us - not us but to family. My family made me very miserable and I would have liked to go away and never be seen again. But John Hall hung in and on 20 April 1951 we were married at a Catholic Church, St Therese, Ryde Rd., Ryde. My parents would not come to the wedding, nor would Jack's father, altho' the boys and Marie would have liked to. Miriam, Phil and Sylvia came as witnesses. We came back to Croydon where we had tea in a marquee then set out for Pt. Macquarie by train. Lorna has told me she and her mother wanted to come to the church but "they were not allowed". We bought the house from Dad and I must say from then on there was harmony about religion.

From the time I married Jack I never looked back.

2.
He looked after me, nurtured me, gave me courage - he adored me!

As a postscript I cannot fail to mention the wonderful celebration for our 40th wedding anniversary. If our wedding celebration was stinted and without warmth, the efforts made by Andrew/Clare and children and Elizabeth and Mark were overwhelming.

(Following in handwriting, probably written in 1998):
I must add that my mother, just prior to her death, apologized to for any hurt he had suffered. My mother spent the last few months of her life here at No.12 while Jack and I looked after her. His concern for her was outstanding and he bathed her every day - always with the usual instruction - "jump in the bath, Mill!" (He always lifted her in!).

3.
(on her aunt and uncle:)
Ethel Staniland (Pa's sister) married Frank Crane and they had 3 children - John Crane now living in Melbourne, Olive Moulang (nee Crane) (lived at Lane Cove), William (Bill Crane, now living out of Port Macquarie (Wauchope).

Albert to me was a mystery. He had the appearance of a Chinaman - but not slanted eyes. His skin was yellow with straight black hair which came to a point at the side of his ears - like Asians. Just where the features came from I will never know. Just for the record I must say when Andrew was born at ---- Hospital, Stanmore, Dr Christoph held him on his arm wrapped in a blankie and said "Here he is!" I thought "My goodness it's Albert"! However, ever since that day I have not seen any evidence of the likeliness. Albert did all the wrong things and did not worry about his mother. Ethel, I am sure got a tongue bashing from her mother so it fell upon Jim (Pa) to look after his mother. She was very demanding and there were many times whe my mother and and grandmother were at each other's throats. As grandmother became aged Mum was very caring of her. One night she had a heart attack and died in a private hospital in Burwood. It was a happy ending for everyone.

4.
My early years were spent at Five Dock Public School. From there I went to Burwood Domestic Science School - passed my Intermediate Cert Examination and passed an exam to proceed on to Metrop Business College, I made application to sit for the Public Service Entrance Exam. Within a short period I was instructed to proceed to the P.M.G. Dept as a sternographer. All this was done on my own initiative. I had help from nobody.

I was appointed to the Personnel Branch P.M.G. Dept and my ability as a sternographer was always given praise. John Hall was a Clerk in te Personnel Branch and I became aware that he was always close by! There were times when I wished him further, particularly when there was a new Clerk in the Branch.

War was in full swing. John Hall was conscripted into the Army - or I should say "was swept into the Army" and just prior to the evidence of the Japanese invasion he was transferred to the Air Force.

5.
They were terrible years - years I would not like to see my son or grandson's have to endure.

I was regarded as a good member of the Personnel Branch P.M.G. Dept. I had to undertake very responsible missions not the least being spending the night at the G.P.O. typing information on the condition of the Ausrtalian troops in New Guinea which had to be handed to General McArthur - United States then in Sydney and which we handed in to his quarters on his arrival in Sydney and his accommodation in a very secret area.

(2 pages of family notes followed)

Jeremiah Joseph EWER (father) - born at Bathurst
Mary nee TREVITHICK (mother) born Grenfell (Wellington obliterated)
Married 8 June 1885 at Sydney
(BORN WELLINGTON)
18-10-1887 RUBY AMELIA EWER - WILLIAM JAMES STANILAND
HILDA FLORENCE EWER - ATHOL BRYAN
CLYDE EWER -
DORIS LORNA MARY EWER - EDWARD BONES

(next page)
STANILAND - WILLIAM
Born Lincolnshire, England 1860

STANILAND - ANNIE - nee SNAPE
Born Staffordshire, England 1861
(ANNIE SNAPE - arrived as Assisted Migrant on SS. Illawarra in 1883 with sister Lucy - Annie 23 Lucy 15

ISSUE
1 ALBERT STANILAND - MARRIED EILEEN
2 WILLIAM JAMES STANILAND MARRIED RUBY AMELIA EWER
3 ETHEL STANILAND - MARRIED FRANK CRANE

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The General Gate

In researching the Ewer's of early NSW, one of my primary interests was whether I could establish a family connection between any of them. Given the limited information available (convict musters, 1828 census of NSW, and maybe death certificiates) I was intrigued to find that two of the Ewer convicts, Nathaniel and Francis, most certainly knew of each other. The stole away together on the 'General Gate', a ship that left Boston, MA in 1818, captained by the wonderfully name Abimeleck Riggs that was heading to NZ to collect 11,000 seal skins. The 'General Gate' needed men, and the captain offered to take convicts and free men out of the colony of Sydney (even free men needed a permit to leave). Those who stole away met with nothing but misery, and the regular crews of the ship also suffered, some being cannibalised.

The following timeline is patched together from several sources, mainly those available at the New Zealn Elecronic Text Centre (www.nzetc.org). The Ewer's here are not relaed to me (as far as I know) but this is an amazing story.

The 'General Gate' spent some time in Sydney before leaving for New Zealand. After being fitted for the voyage she sailed on 29th June 1819 for the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. Among her passengers were the Revd. S. Marsden and several other clergymen, with some Maoris, all accredited to the Church Missionary Society. But she had on board other than legitimate passengers.

The Deposition of Francis Ewer (prisoner):
"I, Francis Ewer, state that I met Captain Riggs in Sydnoy about three weeks prior to the General Gates sailing from Port Jackson, and asked him if he wanted any man in my line, meaning a painter and glazier, or to do any work on board his vessel. He told me he wanted a head pump fixed, and asked what I would do it for. I told him twenty pounds. He said it was too much money, and that he could not have it done. I then said I was a prisoner for life, and wanted to make my escape. On hearing that he told me he would consider of it. After that he met me near Mr. Middleton’s house, and asked me if I was willing he was agreeable to take me. I told him, Yes. I had no other conversation with him until I met him by appointment at Mr. Storer’s. On my arrival at Mr. Storer’s I met Captain Riggs, Nat Ewer, Thos. Lewe, Henry Gordon, James McDonald, alias McDaniel, and a man named Smith. Mr. Storer came frequently in the room, attending to his business, bringing liquor, when the subject was dropped. I settled nothing finally that evening, but was requested to meet him again at Mr. Storer’s the next day (Saturday) for the purpose of finally settling and arranging about being taken away. Having met and arranged, he desired me to go down to Campbell’s wharf, and that he would bring his boat and take us off. After waiting about an hour Captain Riggs came with his boat and took us to the North Shore; landed us there, gave us provisions, and said he would use us as his own ship’s company. He said the reason for his not taking us then on board was he was afraid the ship would be smoked, but that he would come and take us off; and as a signal for us to know it was him he would have a light in the boat. We remained in the bush from Saturday night until late on Wednesday or early on Thursday morning, when he came and took us all on board his vessel, with the exception of Smith."

In fact, all the convicts Riggs lured to join his ship were accomplished 'mechanics' in the colony. Given that the clergymen were on board, the convicts had to be hidden on the ship as it sailed to New Zealand, as several convicts were known to the clergymen. And so they were hidden in the ship for the most part till it arrived in New Zealand.

The Deposition of Thomas Lewe (prisoner):
"On our arrival on board he gave us something to eat, and a glass of grog each. Being forward, I saw the carpenter, and second mate assisting him, holding a candle while he made a hole in the bulkhead. When the hole was finished, he, Captn. Riggs, ordered us in, and the bulkhead was again nailed up. After being clear of the harbour the carpenter came down and said to Henry Gordon, “The Captn. has ordered me to take you out of irons, steward,“ and told him he must go aft and do his duty as usual. Henry Gordon went aft, and we remained under the forecastle until Captn. Riggs came to us, when he said he should give us the same rations as his own ship’s company, and treat us as such, and asked us personally if Mr. Marsden knew any of us. Some answered “Yes,“ some “No,“ and those that Mr. Marsden did not know were sent on deck to work. On our arrival at New Zealand he called us aft, read his articles, and asked us to sign them, put us on equally with his own men, and I, as one, signed the articles."

On 15th September, she sailed from the Bay of Islands on a sealing expedition which took her in due course to Dusky Sound. There the frightful character of the captain manifested itself in imprisoning the men, placing them in irons, tying them up to the rigging, flogging them and then rubbing brine into the wounds caused by his punishment. The chief objects of his brutality were the prisoners he had smuggled on board while in Sydney and he put forward the pretext that the men were going to steal one of his boats.

Thomas Lewe again:
"The next morning he called us all up, and tied Francis Ewer and James Johnson up in the rigging, and flogged them himself. He then liberated Purcell, but sent me with the other three in the hold, and there kept us, without allowing us any provisions, for five weeks, and only granted one hour per day for each man to come up and catch fish, but if we did not catch fish we must starve. Sometimes he sent us bread which was not fit to be issued to the crew, and has continued since that time to keep us on that kind of bread until we were taken out of the vessel by the Captn. of the Dromedary."

On 12th April, 1820, H.M.S. Dromedary was in the Bay of Islands returning from Sydney, and on the look out for a cargo of spars to take to England for the Navy. The General Gates was there too. Having received information of the condition of affairs that prevailed on the American ship, Captain Skinner paid her a visit, and found, as had been represented, that a large number of Sydney convicts were on board. These were all gathered together and taken on board the Dromedary. Then it became known that they had been enticed away, concealed and cruelly treated. Riggs, the captain, was therefore placed under arrest, and with the ship, and convicts, sent to Sydney where he arrived on 12th May, 1820, in charge of a British crew.

In due course, the captain was brought before the Sydney Court, upon the charge of having violated the usual bond under the Port Regulations not to take away a convict without the Governor's permission, and fined in 12 penalties of £500 each. However, while all this was occurring, teams of sealers had been left behind on New Zealand to work, some for over a year.

They suffered horrendously at the hands of the Maori tribes of the area, including cannibalism. The following was published in the “Columbian Sentinel” (Boston), August 18, 1824:

In the Sultana from London arrived Mr. Joseph Price of Wilmington, Del., who was one of the crew of the brig General Gates of Boston. He furnishes the following account of the capture and butchery of most of the boats crew that landed on the coast of New Zealand.

“Sailed from Hobart Town, Van Dieman's Land, August 10, 1821, and on the 21st myself and 5 others, viz.: Thomas Router of London; James Webster; William Rawson of N. London; William Smith and James West both of New York, were landed on the coast of New Zealand in a whale boat with provisions, for the purpose of procuring seal skins.

“In six weeks we procured 3563 skins and the 11th of October we were taken by the natives of New Zealand between 10 and 11 o'clock at night. They set fire to our huts, burnt our skins, and the provisions we had left. They tied our hands behind our backs and we were marched by them to Lookinglass Bay which was upwards of 150 miles. During the whole of this time we had nothing to eat but roasted fish which the natives subsist on themselves:—Thence to Sandy Bay which is better than 200 miles; —when we arrived here, there was a tribe of savages who took us before their King and Queen, and the moment we were brought before them John Router, of London, was ordered to be killed. They tied him to a tree, and two Savages one before and one behind him, with a club each, knocked him on the head. They then cut off his head and buried it; the rest of the body these inhuman people deposited in a kind of oven, under ground, and roasted it as a person would roast an animal—of this they gave us to eat, and having nothing else we partook of it, which tasted very much like roasted pork. Consider dear reader, what a state our mind must be in at those awful moments. They tied the remaining five of us to a tree with fifty to guard us; the next day James Webster was killed and roasted; the day after this William Rawson of New London was killed and roasted; and the following day William Smith of New York, shared the fate of his unhappy companions. On the next day from what we could understand from the chief, James West, of New York, was to die; but fortunately for us, the night previous to his intended fate, a heavy squall rose from the east with rain, thunder and lightning, which so frightened the natives that they all ran away towards the west, making such a yelling noise as I never heard before, leaving us under the tree. We now untied each other, and walked away towards the beach where our boat was laying, which was about seven miles as nigh as we could guess. We now found our boat, two oars and the steer-oar, with her masts and sails. At the joy of finding our boat, I thought I was so strong as to carry her myself; we immediately launched her into the surf, and happy for us that Providence directed us to depart so soon as we did; for we were not thirty yards from the beach when 700 of the New Zealanders came in search of us. We were in the boat three days, having nothing to eat when we were picked up by the brig Maguary, captain White, belonging to Sydney, New South Wales, where we were landed on the 10th of November 1821.—Thence I sailed in English ship Admiral Cockburn to the Isle of France:—thence in the ship Julia-Ann of Calcutta to London. West was left in Sydney Hospital, sick.”

And on two other occassions, it appears that sealing parties dropped by the 'General Gates' suffered at the hands of cannibals. Indeed, the entire trip of the 'General Gate' seems ill fated. Captain Riggs smuggled convicts out of Sydney, then treated his crew terribly, left sealing teams to be cannibalised. One of these occassions, the only survivor left to tell the tale was an Australian aboriginal woman and her child, taken from Kangaroo Island by Captain Riggs and left with a sealing crew in New Zealand. Surely one of the first instances of contact between the Australian and New Zealand indigenous cultures.

Riggs though, had his revenge against the Maori, as related by the Revd. J. F. H. Wohlers, who resided in Ruapuke, Stewart Island, from 1844 until his death in 1885.:

"It must have been about 1820–1830—I knew a few who were present—when the Maoris in the south first came into touch with the Europeans. The captain of a whaling vessel placed a few of her people in an uninhabited bay in Stewart

Island to catch fur seals, whilst he went whale-fishing with the rest of the crew. The natives, however, did not approve of this. Soon a number of men and women went across from Ruapuke to Stewart Island, fell upon the sealers, and killed and cooked them. They then looked for their provisions. At that time they were quite unacquainted with European things. They took the flour for white ash, and amused themselves with throwing it at one another and watching the white dust fly. Then they found something that looked like provisions, and they chewed it till foam came out of their mouths (it was soap), but it was not to their taste. Still worse did the tobacco taste, which they, therefore, called Heaven's gall (Aurangi). A vessel held some black seed (gunpowder), which they scattered about as a useless thing. Then when they had satisfied themselves with the flesh of the dead men and in the evening sat around a bright fire—oh! what a fright—lightning and flames of fire suddenly broke out amongst them. The fire had lit the powder they had thrown away. Some time afterwards some canoes with all their crews were lost, and no one knew for a long time what had become of them, until later some whale fishers came from Australia, who became friendly with the natives, and these brought the news that an American whaling captain known to them, when he found that the men he had left on Stewart Island had been killed and eaten, whilst sailing about, meeting some canoes, had sailed them down.

And as Robert McNabb eloquently concludes in his chapter on the 'General Gate' in 'Murihiku: A History of the South Island of New Zealand and the Islands Adjacent and Lying to the South, from 1642 to 1835':

'As further recording the movements of the General Gates, it may be mentioned that in March, 1824, she sailed from Waihoa for Manila, and in February, 1825, was coasting out of that port. What became of this vessel that commenced by stealing convicts, that experienced arrest by a man of war, that found her officers imprisoned, that ultimately had her gangs plundered and eaten by the Maoris or kidnapped by captains of sealing vessels, and what was the end of the inhuman monster who commanded her, remains a mystery. Diligent search by the author in the shipping files of the Boston papers failed to throw any light upon the question, and the burning of the Customs records of that port seems to close up all avenues to further information.'

I've checked US and UK censuses, even the 1828 Australian census. The 'General Gate' and her captain appear nowhere else in records after this time. Given the amazing (and dramatic) connection this boat had with the early history of Australia and New Zealand, I hope that further light can be shed on this boat and this man some day.

To bring this long blog full circle, I'm intrigued that these two Ewer convicts knew one another. Both returned to Sydney, and while I can not find a NSW, Qld, WA, SA or Tas record for the death of either, they certainly were in the colony for a few years afterwards, according to Colonial records. Nathaniel received a Certificate of Freedom by 1925, and Francis was in Port Macquarie for a number of years, apparently after again making his escape from the colony.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Ewer's in colonial NSW

I have been doing some hunting around or evidence of the EARLY Ewer’s in Sydney/NSW, as my ancestor Edward Ewer arrived in NSW in 1822 as a convict after being convicted in the Berkshire Assizes (I'm yet to find a way to get transcripts of his hearing).

I know little of his family in England, so am looking at other Ewer's in early Australia to see if there are any family connections. The most likely is James Garnet Ewer, who married in Kelso (a suburb of Bathurst NSW) when Edward and his wife Ann EDWARDS were living in Bathurst. I am intrigued that for so many of these Ewer's, I've not found death entries yet.

I looked at the 1828 census, state archives entries, and NSW BDM entries. I also checked Vic, Tas and SA arrival and census entries lest there be some movement – though I’m yet to check Vic and Qld BDM. If I get a chance to look at these, I’m sure the list will expand somewhat.

I’ll leave it at this for now, and write on Edward’s past next.


They are:

Thomas EWER, Private, NSW Corps, SAG pay list 1798, recorded receiving land in 1800.
Australia’s free coat settlers ( http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~garter1/) notes that he was in the 102nd Regiment (Rum Corps), and returned to England. The 102nd was raised in 1789 for service in England, and returned in 1810. The Society of Australian genealogists has extensive information that would reveal his history.

William EWER, Private, 73rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion. Recorded in 1812 Pay List. 73rd sent under Leiut. Gen. Lachlan Macquarie to relieve the NSW Corps, arriving in 1810, and departing in 1814. He appears on the 1828 census as a member of the No. 6 Iron Gang – which one would expect of a convict?. No indication that he remained in Australia. Again, SAG searching would reveal more.

Joseph EWER, Private, 73rd Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion. Recorded in 1812 Pay List. 73rd sent under Leiut. Gen. Lachlan Macquarie to relieve the NSW Corps, arriving in 1810, and departing in 1814. No indication that he remained in Australia. Again, SAG records would reveal more.

Nathaniel EWER, Convicted at the Old Bailey for grand larceny 21st June 1815 (http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/html_units/1810s/t18150621-40.html). Arrived as a convict on ‘Fanny’ 1816 (Convicted London). In court charge with escaping on ‘Hamet’ in 1818. In 1820, was on the ‘General Gates’ with four other convicts including Francis EWER and made their way to New Zealand before return – read details in NZ Historical Records Vol 1 (http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-McN01Hist.html). Has certificate of freedom by 1825. This shows Nathaniel and Francis knew one another.

An infant, Thomas R, died in 1817.

Francis EWER, Convicted at the Old Bailey (First Middlesex Jury) for burglary 19th Feb 1817 ( http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/html_units/1810s/t18170219-32.html), sentenced to death. Arrived as a convict on the ‘Ocean’ in 1818 (Convicted Middlesex). In 1820, was on the ‘General Gates’ with four other convicts including Nathaniel EWER and made their way to New Zealand before return – read details in NZ Historical Records Vol 1 (http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-McN01Hist.html). This shows Nathaniel and Francis knew one another.

Edward EWER, arrived as a convict on the ‘Mary’ in 1822 (Berks Assizes). d. Bathurst NSW, 1859.
Ann EWER nee EDWARDS, born in colony, married in Parramatta, 1825. d. Bathurst, 1854.
Edward Jr EWER, b. 1827. Married Catharine HARAN/AHERN in Carcoar, NSW, 1851. Confectioner, declared insolvent in 1863. d. 1884.

Matilda EWER, b.1813, arrived in Tasmania on ‘Rajah’ in 1841 (convicted Cambridge) aged 27, associated with the creation of the Rajah quilt made on the voyage, and held by the National Gallery of Australia (http://www.nga.gov.au/RajahQuilt/). m. Giles TIMMS (free) in Hobart, 1843. Dep. Tasmania with conditional pardon for Melbourne on ‘City of Melbourne’ on 18 Apr 1852.

Richard EWER, arrived in Tasmania on ‘Marquis of Hastings’ in 1842 (Convicted Bucks). Dep. Tasmania, free of servitude, on ‘City of Melbourne’, 2 Dec 1851.

James Garnet EWER, arrival date unknown. Born abt 1799. Married Louisa Hawkins in Kelso NSW (essentially a suburb of Bathurst) in 1859. d. Sydney NSW 1886.

Unknown EWER, a Mr. Ewer is shown as an unassisted arrival on four dates between 1847 and 1852, in each case from Moreton Bay (Qld), and is assumed to be a mariner.

W EWER, arrived in South Australia by 1840-12-31.
Harry EWER, South Australia cemetery index for 1861.