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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: dionysus on Saturday 26 October 13 00:26 BST (UK)
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I'm trying to find out what became of John Dennis of Measham, Derbyshire, England, who was sentenced to 14 years transportation (to Van Diemen's Land / Tasmania) on the ship Sarah arriving on 27 Mar 1837.
Apparently, he was appropriated to a William Broadribb, himself a former convict who had gained freedom and who became one of the wealthiest people in Tasmania. The prison records show that John Dennis was penalised for various misdemeanours such as absenteeism and drunk & disorderly with solitary confinement. I can't read it all, but something happened in 1847 and 1863.
What happened to him?
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I'll see if anything else can be found.
Have you seen this?
http://foundersandsurvivors.org/pubsearch/convict/chain/c31a31110124
Also Trove the aussie newspapers online [free] are a good source of info at times.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/search?adv=y
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Looks like he got his Ticket of Leave in 1843 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/8754317
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And a Pardon in 1847 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/8761424
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Might be of interest if you havent already seen it.
DERBYSHIRE OCTOBER SESSIONS .
The Derby Mercury (Derby, England), Wednesday, October 26, 1836
Henry Dennis aged 38 and John Dennis aged 24 inditated for stealing at Appleby two geese the property of Thomas Hall - Both guilty. The prisioner John Dennis had been before convicted at the January sessions in 1835, which was put in evidence. - sentenced to be transported for 14 years. Henry Dennis to be confined in the house of correction for six months hard labour.
I have also found the article on his trial from January 1835 but its a lot longer than the above.
If you would like a copy of these articles pm me your email and i will send them to you.
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Thanks giblet and tedscout!
I had seen the news article about conditional pardon 1847, but there seems to be no other record online. Plus, in the convict record (http://foundersandsurvivors.org//pubsearch-xsl/image/viewer.html?CON31-1-11,206,46) there is an entry that looks like "Cert of freedom C Town 24 February 1863". (C Town = Campbell Town)
The line above this says something like "LL/ ? & 1 m[onth] hard labor FHH [?] / Soss [?] 7.11.46.
In brownish ink there is something about conditional pardon 25/5/46.
Any help with this would be welcome.
The article about ticket of leave was useful in deciphering the handwriting.
I have some credits for the online newspaper archive and I've found the 1836 article - was the 1835 article also in the Derby Mercury? What was the date?
Thanks again
Dion
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Hi,
The other article was in the The Derby mercury dated Wednesday 14 January 1835.
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Thanks again, giblet.
There is a key bit of information in the article - he had a sister named Susannah. Now I should be able to place him in my tree.
Dion
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Your very welcome :)
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I am researching the ship Sarah and all those people who sailed upon her. can I help with any info re the ship and this voyage?
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Thank you for replying. I think I have what I am looking for as regards the ship and process of transportation and appropriation.
I was hoping to find out what happened later. The last reference I can find is a list of people granted conditional pardons in the Launceston Examiner 25 Sep 1847 (via Trove), which includes "John Dennis, Sarah".
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No problems.
As part of my research I am identifying every person who sailed on the Sarah, and have researched all the convicts for the 1837 voyage. I will check my database and see what I can dig up.
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Have had a look at the Convict Indent for John Dennis.
The 1847 entry appears to be a record of his attending a muster.
The entry for 24 Feb 1863 is the date he was granted his "Certificate of Freedom". The place abbreviation of "C. Town" probably relates to Campbelltown, but will follow this up.
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Have found an index entry for a death
John Dennis, died 2 May 1869 in District of Morven (near to Campbell Town), Tas. (VDL)
Age is given as 53 which doesn't quite fit your man, but they are not always accurate, depends on the informant.
In next few days I will have a look at original register entry.
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Thanks again, SarahShip.
27 years is a long time; not all murderers get that long a sentence these days!
Some life. John was baptised in 1810 in Measham, Derbyshire, England the son of a coal miner. His mother died before the 1841 census, possibly in 1822 after the birth of her last child. John descended into a life of crime, mainly poaching, but with incidents of theft and assault, sometimes the accomplice of a cousin Henry, a butcher. In 1835 he was sentenced to six months' hard labour for stealing some bacon from an inn; his sister gave the damning evidence. A year later stealing two geese was apparently the last straw and he was sentenced to transportation. Henry, an accomplice, was also convicted, but sentenced to six months in a house of correction.
Cheers!
Dion
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Had a look at Registrar records of death.
John Dennis, age 53, Labourer. Died from strangulated hernia.
Informant was Thomas Laskey of "Kirkdale" a property just north of Campbell Town, Tasmania.
Laskey was himself a former convict.
Sorry but no other details given. While the age difference is an issue, perhaps Laskey did not not know enough about him. Can find no other details for John Dennis.
Thanks for the earlier bio details on John.
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Thanks, again SarahShip, very generous.
It seems very likely that this was the same John Dennis. I can't find another convict named John Dennis of about the right age who was sent to Tasmania.
I generally pick up posts on Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, so I'm willing to help with records in these areas.
Cheers!
Dion