John WARD - Wellington NSW

[sarah]

Aussie Jack is still receiving email notifications to this topic and others but they although they have logged in recently they have  not made any replies since May, Maybe they have been poorly ?

Regards

Sarah

[Jack2023a]

John Ward who married Judith Reece in Parramatta - is still a mystery.   
While I do not believe he walked out on Judith and remarried - I do believe he walked out on her (or maybe she turfed him out), which may have been best for both parties involved.  A death certificate has never been found, which beyond doubt, connects him with Judith or his family.    The John Ward (alias Maxwell) who died in 1853, sounds promising, but is there a connection leading him back to Judith or the Wellington area?    The newspaper article: the chap who knew him for 12yrs or so, did state he was married, but he doesn't state if he had children, nor did he state where this John was from. Maybe he only know him when he was in the Parramatta area around the time of his marriage to Judith.       

I don't think we can rule him out completely, but I doubt if a connection can be made back to Judith.       

[majm]

Good to hear from you 

Earlier in the thread there is a discussion about that John MAXWELL 1853 death, and that there's no mention in NSW police gazettes re any enquiries by Judith re being deserted by John WARD.   I gently mention that the NSW police gazettes available online do NOT commence until .... 1854. 

The 1850s is a critical decade in NSW history ... it lost much of its territory,  it gained huge populations due to gold fever,  and it gained parliamentary democracy with a written constitution,  ... and all the legislative instruments that give the foundations to governing NSW in this 21st century are developing back  then.

JM

[Jack2023a]

Thanks, it's been too long.
There was no mention in the newspapers either, which is odd, as there were
four children under the age of 7.  It's just a mystery. 

[majm]

Yes, 

Trove continues to digitise many newspapers and I notice their digitised version of the Wellington newspapers is 'sparse'  err ... 1899 - 1954 for the Wellington Times. 

Have you contacted NSW state library to ask what newspapers they may have in their archives that may cover the Wellington district in the 1850 - 1854 years?

Do you have an image of the parish register for Judith's second marriage?

JM

[Jack2023a]

I haven't looked through the entire newspapers of that area.   I do have her second marriage - where she was written down as widow - when she re-married in January 1856.    I don't have an actual parish register image.

[majm]

Have you checked for the background for the witnesses  to 2nd marriage ... were they long term locals ...

JM

[Jack2023a]

Not really - although one was Joseph Haywood - who's family had property - in the
area and he was licensee of a hotel in Montefiores from 1855 where the Wards/McKenna were from.  the other is listed only as R. Evans - didn't look for him/her as of yet.

[majm]

Re Joseph HAYWOOD

He was the licencee of the Wellington Inn, Montefiores, at least as early as April 1853, to at least April 1860.    As yet, I have not confirmed who was the licencee from June 1849 to April 1853, BUT I think I have figured the connection with the horse branded 'JM' and John WARD  in 1854.   

Joseph MATTHEWS is listed as the publican of the Wellington Inn, Montefiores from 1 November 1847 (or perhaps from June 1847) until at least June 1849.   His initials are 'JM' and it is likely a transfer of licence could include handing over the pub's cart and the horse that goes with the cart.

Re R. EVANS
I have not made much headway as yet, BUT ... a Joseph Samuel EVANS back in 1841 was the publican of the Wellington Inn, on the then 'Wellington Road' in the then 'District of Bathurst' ... which from my own recollections of earlier researches was in the 1840s basically 'anywhere' west of the Blue Mountains...  along the Macquarie and the rivers/creeks/catchments feeding into the Macquarie.     

Here is the live link to the NSW archives guide and index etc for the Publicans' Licences:
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/publicans-licenses-guide

JM