William Nash was a Private Marine in the 58TH (Plymouth Company). He had served in 1784-86 on the Plymouth guard ship Bombay Castle, before embarking aboard Prince of Wales. William served at Port Jackson in the company of John Shea, Captain of the Marines. Maria Haynes / Nash accompanied William as his ‘common law wife, despite not being legally married to him at that time. As the baptismal record for their son William on 25 May 1788 indicate that she fell pregnant to William during the Continue Reading »
Philip Gidley King
was born at Launceston Cornwall on 23 April 1758. He was commissioned lieutenant in the navy on 25 November 1778, having served in the East Indies and in American waters since 1770. In October 1786 he went on Sirius as 2nd lieutenant for the voyage to NSW. On arrival at Port Jackson King was appointed commandant of a group going to settle Norfolk Island. On the Island he formed an association with Ann Inett by whom he had two sons, Norfolk and Sydney. Both boys received a good education in Continue Reading »
Thomas Lucas : Zachary Clark
On the First Fleet was Zachary Clark (sometimes Zacharia and sometimes Clarke). He embarked on the Scarborough and transferred to the Alexander during the voyage. He was engaged by the agent who provisioned the First Fleet to represent that agent’s interests. At Port Jackson he was made responsible for the weekly issue of provisions. Later he went to Norfolk Island. Clark had a daughter named Ann who married Thomas Hibbins on Norfolk Island on 9 October 1803. The previous wife of Hibbins Continue Reading »
John : Hannah Beresford
The Berefords and Undine In December 2004, my husband Peter and I were very fortunate to be able to travel to Tasmania and stay in a bed and breakfast accommodation called Undine Colonial Accommodation. This is just out of Hobart in the suburb of Glenorchy. The right side of Undine, which appears to be the single storey, had been built about 1817 by my ancestors John and Hannah Beresford. The Continue Reading »
Marines
The First Fleet Marines Marines were first raised in England in 1664 as the Lord Admiral’s Regiment. In 1703 three Marine regiments were raised, becoming the 30th, 31st and 32nd Regiments of Foot. Between 1740 and 1748, ten regiments of the line were detailed for marine service as the 1st and 10th Regiments of Marines. From 1755 and 1802, there were fifty independent companies of marines permanently in service. In 1802, the Marines became a Royal Corps and tradition has it that this honour Continue Reading »
John Palmer
The Colony’s First Principal Commissary John Palmer (1760 – 1833) the first Commissary-General of New South Wales, was born in England. Entering the navy, he had experience in the War of American Independence, during which he was for some time a prisoner, and while in New York in 1783 he married an American. In October 1786 he joined HMS Sirius as purser, voyaged in her to New South Wales with the First Fleet, and continued to serve in her until she was wrecked on Norfolk Island in 1790. Continue Reading »
Norfolk Island Settlement
Some Facts about Norfolk Island Norfolk Island is an Australian Dependency, located at 28 deg. 58 min S., 168 deg. 03 min E. Consequently is about the same latitude as Lismore, NSW and several hundred kilometres east of the Australian coast, making it nearer to New Zealand than Australia by air. It sets its time 1 ½ hours ahead of East. Its area is 34 square kilometres and it is quite undulating with peaks 318 metres high. The population is mainly descendants of the Pitcairn Islanders who Continue Reading »
Shortland Naval Family
members, of which served in Australasia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries John Shortland (1739 – 1803) was born near Plymouth, son of John Shortland, senior member of a Devonshire family, six members of whom were associated with colonisation of Australia and New Zealand. In 1755 he entered the Navy as Midshipman and served under Admiral Edward Boscawen off Newfoundland, under Admiral John Byng off Minorca and under Admiral Sir George Rodney in the West Indies, being Continue Reading »
Philip Gidley King
Governor King's Headstone 180 years Later The Kings have played an eminent part in Australian history since the very early days of the colony. Many of them became closely linked with the district around St May's. It is now wonder, therefore, that some of their most distinguished family members, who included the Lethbridges and the Goldfinches, are buried in the graveyard of St Mary Magdalen's Anglican Church. The Church itself owes its very existence to the Kings. Dating back to 1840, it Continue Reading »
Broughton Family
Public servant and settler William Broughton arrived in the transport Charlotte accompanying Surgeon White as a servant. Son of Sarah and Henry Broughton, he was born in Chatham, Kent in the year 1768. On arrival in Sydney Cove, William became a storekeeper at Rose Hill (Parramatta) and in 1800 was appointed Acting Deputy Commissary of Norfolk Island and later Deputy Commissary of stores in Sydney Town. He worked diligently in these positions and was praised by Governor Continue Reading »