Friday 15 May 2015

52 Ancestors week 20 - Black Sheep

My great grandfather John ADAMS  was considered a Black Sheep by the family for deserting his wife who took him to court many times for arrears of maintenance for his two youngest children.

My mum always told me she was the Black Sheep but I have no idea why.  
I thought she was pretty special.

Perhaps another who may have been deemed a  "Black Sheep" for stealing a sheep, would be my 4x great grand uncle, Jeremiah BUSH. He is the only convict I have found so far in my family research.

Jeremiah Bush
Jeremiah was born in 1796 at Hardingham, Norfolk, England, one of nine children of my 5 x great-grandparents, Arthur BUSH and Hepzibah BLACKLING.  

Mary BUSH, their eldest daughter, was my 4th great grandmother.

In 1815, he married Mary FLOOD.  They had eight children.

In 1833, Jeremiah was convicted of stealing a sheep to feed his large family.  The large wether was the property of William Blomfield of Necton.  At first Jeremiah was sentenced to death but on 19 March 1833 at Norwich Assizes this was commuted to transportation for life.  
He was 36 years of age. 

Jeremiah was a convict aboard the ship Aurora which sailed from Portsmouth, England, on Thursday, 4 July 1833 and arrived in Sydney, NSW on 3 November 1833. The Master was Dalrymple Dowson and the surgeon was Alexander Stewart. The prison guards were from the 21st Fusiliers under Major Delisle.

 Jeremiah Bush was assigned to work for James McLeay and worked on properties at Ulladulla and Dalton until his conditional pardon in 1848.

In 1835 Mary his wife, daughter Elizabeth and son in law Richard Howard and their two children arrived in Sydney on board the Canton to join Jeremiah in Jerrawa Creek just near Yass N.S.W.
Accompanying them on the ship were Jeremiah's brother Arthur and his wife Maria and their six children.
They also settled in Jerrawa Creek. 

Jeremiah died in 1881 at Jerrawa New South Wales.

  52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"


2 comments:

  1. I really enjoy reading these types of stories. I would like to find a convict....but no.............all farmers and miners!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I didn't think I'd ever find one either Sharon so don't give up!

    ReplyDelete