Well 26th Jan is quite an important day for me.
It's the day my ancestors arrived in Australia, 219 years ago.
They were Nathaniel Lucas and Olivia Gascoigne and both were convicts.
Nathaniel, a carpenter, was 20 when he was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing some clothes from his neighbour ( six muslin aprons, some towels and handkerchiefs, and muslin shawls and caps).
Olivia, a servant, was said to be 24 when she was convicted of stealing money "by force of arms" . Such a conviction would normally have meant the death sentence, but the sentencing Judge was retiring that day, and he commuted many sentences. So Olivia, like Nathaniel was given transportation for 7 years to Botany Bay.
We have transcripts of the trials, fascinating reading. And there is a letter in the Mitchell Library in Sydney that Nathaniel wrote home to his father in 1796 whilst living on Norfolk Island. It's a beautiful letter, from a proud husband and father. Its tells of his grief when his twin girls were killed by a falling pine tree. Of his amazement in the fertile island and all the crops and livestock it supports. And of his good relationship with Gov. King.
I wonder if I will leave such a well written history behind?
Nathaniel was appointed a superintendent of carpenters in Sydney in 1804. He built the first Mill in Sydney, and many other buildings in Sydney, Parramatta and Liverpool, none of them are still standing unfortunately.
I have read that Lucas Heights, where Australia's only Nuclear Reactor is housed, has a Nathaniel Lucas connection.
Nathaniel died in 1818, his body found in the Georges River near Liverpool, he was said to be "mentally de-ranged" at the time.
Soon after, Olivia moved to Port Dalrymple in Van Diemens Land. She farmed there with some of her children, until her death in 1830, and is buried in the Cypress Cemetery, Launceston.
There are 4 other convicts in my family, all on Mum's Lucas side!
Having convict ancestors was frowned upon until probably the 1980's, and interest was spurred on by the Bicentennial in 1988.
Luckily for us, the Lucas' were quite good at getting their names in the local papers, wherever they lived. The exploits of Richard Lucas fill pages, mostly petty criminal stuff, but I guess it takes a few generations before you can chuckle about it!
I should read more about my history, Mum has some more books, huge ones filled with lists of names, transcripts, obituaries and inquests, births, deaths, and marriages. Rather stark documents, but a framework to imagine what they were really like, and wonder if i'm anything like them?
6 comments:
My Mom always speaks of so many "Scoundrels" in our family that she's always surprised when she runs across one that isn't!:)
you're lucky it's so well documented. one of my great uncles told my mother just before he died "whatever you find out, it's all lies" how tantalising is that! btw thanks for your lovely comments about my little quilts - the arty ones are so freeing to make, you just go with the flow :)
That is an awesome story. You are lucky to have so much documentation. Pretty cool!
How wonderful to know so much about your family and go so far back. I would suggest you scan as much of your mom's books as you can onto a disc for future reference. I would give anything to know about my family's history. Those of them I do know of make me ask myself the same thing you ask, were any of them like me?
If only there had been video in their time so we could see them and hear them too.
Hi my name is Olivia Weeks. I am also a descendant of Olivia Gascoigne. Her daughter, Olivia Lucas married John Hodgetts and my mum's maiden name was Hodgetts. My grandparents still live in Tasmania. Thankyou for the information I am doing a class project on my hero Olivia Gascoigne!
Hi. I am Caitlin Hall and I am also a descendent of Nathaniel Lucas & Olivia Gascoigne. I looked up your name and Olivia’s who had left a comment, in the book ‘A Nation Within A Nation’ ‘The Lucas Clan in Australia’, which has all the know descendents of Nathaniel and Olivia since 2004 and could not find your names. I’m on page 1533 a descendent of the 12th child Mary Ann.
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