Hi,
I think the James Peevor and William Clark enigma is going to continue to whirl until the sun goes nova !!
The speculation about James Peevor Clark has been rife the last few years and its all gotten more confused especially with people accepting a particular theory as being gospel and it flooding into online family trees ??.
When they released the book "Clarks of Ellendale" back in 1996 the researchers seem to have glossed over some of the specific aspects of James Peevor Clarks life. The burglary he was involved in 1832 was, paraphrasing - "not known where it took place but probably the Pittwater".
My research has found the event took place on the Macquarie River, near Kirklands and the property that became known as St Johnstone's. I found in the Campbell Town Goal record (Mitchell Library) that James Pevers, Free, native this colony, was committed for trial on suspicion of a felony. His employer is referred to as Rum John Coun (or Rum John Conn as more commonly known) Also listed are Richard and William Newport and Margaret Gardiner.
The property that Conn had on the Macquarie River was in fact a 600 acre stock run that Bartholomew Reardon of the Pittwater owned. It was a legal fiction that Conn was the real owner until things turned bad for Reardon. Rum John Conn had been stock keeper for the Reardons for over 22 years. In 1828 Conn applied for more land and stated he had 4 free men working for on his 600 acre spread. I believe 3 of those men were James Pevers and the 2 Newport brothers plus a "free" convict, William Coventry.
Reardon also had had land at the Eastern Marshes around Lake Tobias (1824) until he sold it to R Loane. If your think back to the interview you mentioned from 1908, James Clark said - "He well knew the two blacks, Mosquita and Black Jack, and saw them the day they commenced their plundering". This could be factual. The aboriginal group lead by them attacked James Hobbs stock hut at the Eastern Marshes in 1824 and killed a man named Doyle. This event took place just south of Reardon's land. I suspect Conn and Pevers like Doyle were tending stock in the area. He also mentions - "In the days of the bushrangers he lost his bedding- as often as 13 times in one year, and at last took to sleeping in wool bags...". The Eastern Marshes were notorious hangouts for bushrangers in mid 1820's so again this may be fact.
The one thing in the interview I view with suspicion is - He remembered Hobart when it had only three thatched huts, in one of which he lived with the people by whom he had been reared, he having lost his parents in his infancy.He had a small garden, where Walch's Corner is now.
Hobart had more than three thatched huts even by late 1804 at the start of settlement. James wasn't born until 1808 (?) and I doubt he could remember anything until he was 5 years old plus, at least. His death certificate says he was born in Launceston so if he was reared by a family in Hobart he must have come down from Port Dalrymple as a infant. Again this is a minefield of speculation. He could have had a small garden on Walches corner but it had to have been there before 1813 because a building covered that site in that year. The Walches site was just outside the boundaries of the military compound where the likes of Sgt William Gangell (later his father in law) had occupancy.
All the above highlights why James Peevor has been so elusive. He had ties with people like the Reardons, the Gangells, the Newports at the Pittwater but was away most of the time on isolated stock runs in the interior owned by the Reardons.
It also links with the Norfolk Islanders. Bartholomew Reardon, Sr and Rum John Conn both coming from there. Conn also had land originally at New Norfolk and this harks to the mystery of the James Clark bapt. in 1813 who may have been a son of Charles and Catherine (Yearley) Clark who also had land further up the Back River. Is there some sort of unknown link?
Part 1
