The White Family

The White Family

Forward In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution created a generation of urban poor - people who moved from farms to overcrowded cities with no work and money. Crime soared in these squalid Dickensian conditions, as many families were forced to steal to survive. British prisons reached their capacity, so authorities shunted thousands of criminals into hulks - disused ships that shouldn’t sail but could float in harbours housing prisoners. When these hulks filled up, transportation became the answer. Serious crimes like murder and rape were punishable by death, but petty offences - such as stealing anything worth more than one shilling, the average day’s wage - were deemed worthy of a one-way ticket to some foreign corner of the globe. The British first sent prisoners to America, but as the War of Independence reached its conclusion in 1782, the old colonial power was left with nowhere to discard their crooks … until they saw a solution “Down Under”. The east coast of New Holland had been mapped by James Cook on his voyage in 1770, thus the British thought this territory - despite being inhabited by Indigenous people for 60,000 years - was the perfect dumping ground for their excess criminals. An eight-month boat trip of 10,000 miles across the sea, soon became the punishment for thieving a bag of sugar or a loaf of bread. Over the 80 years of transportation more than 608 convict ships transported more than 162,000 convicts - 80% men, 20% women - to Australia from the British Isles. The First Fleet saw the first convict ships arrive in Australia in January 1788, and the last convict ship, Hougounmont, arrived in Western Australia in 1868. The British sent criminals to New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia, but the freed convicts soon spread their footprint across the country, and these days, one in five Australians is the descendant of a convict. The White Family Forward

Tables of Contents Tables of Contents .....................................................................................................1 Joseph and Ann White ...........................................................................................2 Joseph White (1795 - 1860)...................................................................................2 Joseph and Harriett White......................................................................................4 James White and Elizabeth Thorley ......................................................................7 Richard/William White and Ada Francis...............................................................9 Mildred Maud and Percy John Brockel ...............................................................11 The White Family 1

Joseph and Ann White Ann White was born 21st March 1773 in Bisley Sound to Aaron Peglar and Betty Rogers. She married Joseph White (1776 - 1816) on 9th of January 1794 in Stroud Gloucester, England. Their married life was cut short with Ann being tried at Gloucester Assizes in March 1811 and transported to New South Wales on the Minstrel with a life sentence. Ann was one of 183 life sentence convicts out of 330 passengers having left England on 9th May 1812, arrived in Sydney on 19th October 1812. She later married Elijah Lane at Parramatta in 1813. He died in 1826 at Richmond and is buried at St Peters. In 1828 in the Church of England at Castlereagh, Ann then married Joseph Stubbs a time-expired convict who had arrived on the same boat as Elijah and who was probably employed by him. She is shown in the 1828 census at Richmond with Joseph Stubbs. They had 250 acres and 16 cattle. Ann died at Richmond in 1840; aged 54 (probably lied about her age, most likely about 67). Joseph White (1795 - 1860) Ann’s son, Joseph White was her accomplice in various small crimes. On 1st May 1810, Ann White and her son Joseph were tried for stealing half a hundred weight of hay from a rick on 16th March 1810. Then on 23rd May 1811 they were tried for stealing one ewe sheep on 21st December 1810. Both mother and son were condemned and reprieved with no further sentence. Contrary to this, Ann was transported to New South Wales. Joseph was tried at Gloucester Quarter Session in 1819 at the Parish of Stroud for stealing four pounds, the property of Henry Gardner. He was convicted of larceny and sentenced to transportation for seven years. Joseph left England on 18th March for New South Wales on the Neptune along with 155 male convicts, arriving on 16th July 1820. The Neptune, a product of Calcutta shipyards, was built in 1814. The White Family 2

The Neptune, built in 1814, was 36 years old when it made its last voyage as a convict ship in 1850. Up to 1820 the prisoners were furnished with 3 shirts, 2 pairs of trousers, a pair of shoes and other warm clothing; a decade later the clothing for a voyage included flannel underclothes and raven duck overalls. As the clothing was of poor quality it was usually worn out by the time Australia was reached, and additional clothing was shipped in each convict ship and the prisoners completely fitted out before being landed at their destinations. Initially, Joseph worked on the construction of Windsor Road. By the time he arrived in Sydney Cove, his mother had remarried, and he was assigned to her husband (his stepfather) convict Elijah Lane. Ann may have still been married or a widow at the time of her marriage to Elijah, as a Joseph White is recorded as dying at the Stroud Poor House on 24th April 1816 aged 40. Elijah must have been quite an operator, having arrived on the Admiral Gambier in 1808; he applied for a conditional pardon in 1817, having already been granted a Ticket of Leave in 1814. By the 1823/25 muster he had perhaps a dozen convicts assigned to him, while he himself employed four time-expired convicts. Elijah petitioned for a conditional pardon for his wife on 12th July 1825. He was a landholder at Richmond and in the 1823/25 muster he was shown to have 300 The White Family 3

acres, 6 horses, 30 cattle and 120 hogs. Court records at the time, mention Elijah receiving stolen pigs and stealing ducks. He appeared to be supplying wheat and fresh pork and other meats to the Government Stores. Joseph and Harriett White On 22nd February 1826, Joseph married fourteen-year-old Harriet Harding (daughter of convict Mary Harding who had arrived on the Grenada on 23rd January 1825), having been granted permission to marry by Reverend Fulton on 28th January 1826. Joseph and Harriet White – Marriage Certificate 4 The White Family

Upon arrival, Mary Harding and her two daughters were placed in the Female Factory. Harriet and her sister Elizabeth were free settlers and travelled with their mother who had been transported for seven years. There were over 200 women and children in a place that could only house 30 at night. The factory was the destination for many of the convict women sent as prisoners to the colony of NSW. Mary’s husband who was a bricklayer and plasterer in London did not travel to Australia. Mary gained permission from the Colonial Secretary on 25th July 1825 and married John Norman a convict who had arrived in Sydney on 19th October 1819 on the ship Atlas. Sometime after they married, they moved to Newcastle. Mary died there on 7th September 1829, still under Bond, meaning she was still serving her sentence of seven years. On 16th November 1826 Joseph White obtained his Certificate of Freedom. Joseph and Harriett went on to have ten children (see following table) between 1827 and 1851 and lived the rest of their lives in the Richmond area. Harriett died at Richmond Bottoms on 25th October 1855 one year prior to the marriage of her son James White. A Coroner’s Inquest at the time ruled accidental burning and intemperance as the cause of her death. She was only 42 years old. Sadly, she left some very young children without a mother. Her youngest, Frances was only 4 years old at the time of her mother's death. Joseph passed away on 19th June 1860. The White Family 5

Name Birth Date Spouse Marriage Date Death Date Hannah & Place & Place & Place John 3rd May 1827 McGinity 2nd May 1843 14th May 1897 Richmond Richmond Mauls Creek, Boggabri Joseph W. 10th August 1829 3rd December 1890 Castlereagh Emmaville 11th February 1888 Elizabeth 21st December 1831 John 14th January 1851 Inverell Castlereagh Sargeant Richmond 19th April 1880 Inverell James 18th October 1834 Elizabeth 9th December 1856 27th September 1919 Richmond Thorley Windsor Mudgee Richard 29th April 1837 Esther Elizabeth 6th June 1859 10th April 1856 Richmond Turner Windsor 17th December 1920 Auckland, New Rebecca 15th December 1839 John Edward 20th February 1860 Zealand Richmond Turner Windsor 1917 Tenterfield Harriet 18th December 1842 Charles 27th February 1864 Richmond Rochester Windsor Charles 1st February 1845 Richmond Ann 4th December 1847 Samuel 25th May 1865 Richmond Littler Richmond Frances 15th August 1851 Charles Andrew 1870 Richmond Heath Inverell Joseph & Harriet White’s Children The White Family 6

James White and Elizabeth Thorley James White and Elizabeth Thorley married in 1856. Their NSW marriage certificate reveals that neither James, Elizabeth nor their witnesses were literate. James White and Elizabeth Thorley – Marriage Certificate 7 The White Family

James and Elizabeth had these children between 1858 and 1883. Name Birth Year & Place Spouse Marriage Date & Death Year & Place Place Charles 1858 Margaret Richmond NSW CURREY 19 Jan 1886 1922 Joseph 1860 Tingha Inverell NSW Petersham NSW Richmond NSW 1903 William 1862 Annandale NSW Richmond NSW James 1862 1865 Richmond NSW Richmond NSW Richard 1865 Richmond NSW 1877 James 1867 Inverell NSW Richmond NSW Donald 1870 Inverell NSW Byron 1872 Inverell NSW Wallace W. 1875 Inverell NSW Maud M. 1877 Inverell NSW Ada 1879 Hannah Inverell NSW Wallace 1883 Wise Inverell NSW James and Elizabeth White’s Children The White Family 8

Richard/William White and Ada Francis James and Elizabeth White’s fifth son Richard/William White married Ada Blanche Francis on 18th August 1894 and they travelled to Queensland in a covered wagon surviving on possums and koalas. William and Ada White – Marriage Certificate 9 The White Family

Richard and Ada’s children included: Eva Lillian White, born in Tenterfield NSW (1891-1964), Richard Francis White, (1892 -1892), Leslie Victor White, (1893-1960), James Richard White, (1896 -1913), Mildred Maud White, birth not registered in NSW (approximately 1897), Clarice Mearle White, born in Tingha NSW (approximately 1907). Richard Francis White (1892 -1892), Leslie Victor White (1893-1960) and James Richard White (1896 -1913) were all probably born in Queensland. James was only 17 when he died. A headstone with the inscription “Your pleasant smiles, your cheerful face, we now no more behold, those lips that spoke so kind to us are now forever cold”, marks his burial site in row 84 in the Taroom Cemetery. Richard White Senior James Richard White – Grave Site Richard died on 18th October 1944 in Rockhampton and was buried in the North Rockhampton Cemetery, Roman Catholic Compartment 4, section 9 Grave #2326. Ada who was born in 1870 died in 1928 and is buried in the Pioneer Memorial Section of the Theodore Cemetery. The White Family 10

Mildred Maud and Percy John Brockel Mildred Maud White, one of 6 children born to Richard White and Ada Francis, (born approximately 1897), married Percy John Brockel in St Luke’s Church of England, Miles on 27th June 1918. Mildred and Percy Brockel – Marriage Certificate 11 The White Family

Percy John and Mildred Maud separated sometime in the 1920’s or early 1930’s, but there is no record of a divorce. At age 68 Percy John died in the District Hospital Barcaldine on 13th January 1962 and was interned in the Barcaldine Cemetery, Plot #727. Mildred Maud worked as a station cook for some time and later lived with “Pop” Thomas at 459 and later 448 Boundary Street Spring Hill Brisbane. They attended the Brisbane Ekka and the local country show circuit with side show entertainment. After Pop died, Mildred Maud sold the house and moved to Mayfield Street Buderim to a house built by Viv and Jim Bryers. Buderim Home Mildred Maud died at her Mayfield Street home Buderim aged 72 on 25th October 1970. The White Family 12

Percy John and Mildred Maud had three children: Valerie was born at “Laurel Villa” in Miles on 14th Novem death was attributed to teething issues which led to convul unmarked grave in the Protestant Section, Grave #83. Valerie Brockel – Birth Registration Valerie Brockel – Death Registration The White Family

mber1918 and died on 1st June 1919 in Taroom. Her lsions and consequently a coma. She was buried in an 13

Their second child Vivian Garnet was born at Juandah on Vivian Garnet Brockel – Birth Registration Vivian played football and socialised with Bill Thomas, th his name from Brockel to Thomas. Vivian lived all his adult life on the Sunshine Coast and pa buried alongside his wife Rita in the Returned Serviceman brother, Gordon’s ashes were interned with Viv. The White Family

6th April 1920. he son of his mother’s then, partner. He legally changed assed away on Christmas Day 2000 in Nambour. Viv is n’s Section of the Nambour Garden Cemetery. Viv’s 14

Vivian Garnet Thomas – Death Certificate 15 The White Family

Gordon Percy, their third child was born on 20th August19 Gordon Percy Brockel – Birth Registration The White Family

921 and died in the Nambour Hospital in 1981. 16

Gordon Percy Brockel – Death Certificate 17 The White Family