Looking for James DAVIDSON arriving in OZ

[majm]

  for pondering

22 Sept 1819 at St Johns Parramatta (C of E) a marriage ceremony, twice indexed at NSW BDM (one would be the transmitted record sent through to the Principal Chaplain)  (the exact date is found at this link : https://www.familysearch.org/  )

One index gives James Davison and Elizabeth Sutter (Vol 3A line 2420)
One index gives James Davison and Elizabeth Suttor (Vol 147B line 915)

I could be wrong, but I think SUTTOR  would be the family surname rather than SUTTER.  So, could well be that the groom's surname has also been mangled in the transcription process. 

Here's the link to St Johns http://english.stjohnscathedral.org.au/index.php/about-us-/our-heritage

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

  from your summary  ... an aside        what makes you think that is an aside 

http://www.stgeorgespcea.org.au/about.html

To tell the truth, I have been eyeing off a James Davidson who was a clerk working for a firm called Hughes & Hosking in Sydney.  There are a number of mentions of this clerk James Davidson on trove from about 1838 until 1845 - particularly in the supreme court where this chap is a witness.  It is quite interesting to follow as in  the depression of 1843 Hughes & Hosking became insolvent and brought down the Bank of Australia.  This James Davidson also gave money to "erect in the south end of Sydney, a Presbyterian Church, in connexion (sic) with the Established Church of Scotland" ..... (as an aside).
 

Please consider contacting them and asking for any info particularly about the PCEA funding circa 1846 and your knowledge about your James Davidson    My fingers are crossing themselves again 

Cheers,  JM

[~MERLIN~]

James DAVIDSON convict of the Minstrel married another lady in 1840 who arrived as a 'free person'.
His death is in the records as drowning in 1844.

Marriage:

DAVIDSON James age 37 arrived - Minstrel (2) Life TOL married SHEEHAN Theresa age 33 arrived - Alfred CF Free
Revd. Cross 1840 at St. Thomas, Church of England Port Macquarie, (Co. Ayr) #V1840128 44B

Death:

DAVIDSON James Minstrel (2) 1844 Port Macquarie - Drowned.
REF: Principal Superintendent of Convicts - Convict Death Register 1828-1879

[~MERLIN~]

In answer to Merlin first:
1.  James Davidson had no siblings that I have been able to find in Laurencekirk (James was christened 15 Nov 1800 Laurencekirk - obviously a premature birth - refer 3.  below). 

Thanks, I asked because I found a family of immigrants on the 1828 census which probably isn't your family.
George DAVISON, wife Isabella & children who are listed as arriving 1824 on the 'Hugh Crawford'.
The children's names were Mary, Elizabeth, James & George plus a daughter Isabella who was born in the colony in 1827.
They were protestant & living at Cumberland St, Sydney.

[majm]

James DAVIDSON convict of the Minstrel married another lady in 1840 who arrived as a 'free person'.
His death is in the records as drowning in 1844.

Marriage:

DAVIDSON James age 37 arrived - Minstrel (2) Life TOL married SHEEHAN Theresa age 33 arrived - Alfred CF Free
Revd. Cross 1840 at St. Thomas, Church of England Port Macquarie, (Co. Ayr) #V1840128 44B

Death:

DAVIDSON James Minstrel (2) 1844 Port Macquarie - Drowned.
REF: Principal Superintendent of Convicts - Convict Death Register 1828-1879

Wow, so there was a chap who was 5 ft 11 and 3/4" who was impersonating that chap who drowned at Port Macquarie.     Well now, that's stumped me !    I know there were many whose names were mangled to avoid the "taint" of their convict heritage, but the chap who entered Darlinghurst Gaol under a conviction in 1845 seems to have avoided being charged with impersonation, even though he chose the name of a convict who had recently and tragically died.

JM is shocked  Merlin your discovery well ... it simply goes to the top of my list of "oddities" for NSW in the 1840s.

[~MERLIN~]

Well, it had me scouring around for the records when I found his convict records showed this:

DAVIDSON James *M*D*CP 1825 Minstrel (2) Carlisle 1824 Life 22

Which translated in full is:
James DAVIDSON age 22yrs tried at Carlisle in 1824 given a life sentence arrived 1825 on the Minstrel (2) *M=Married *D=Death *CP=Conditional Pardon.
Then his marriage & death are also recorded in the Superintendent of Convicts records as per above post.

His CP states this:

DAVIDSON James - Minstrel (2) 302 1844, May 1
Recommended to Sec. of State by Sir George Gipps' Despatch No. 96 dated 3 May 1844.

So, I haven't a clue. I can only report what appears in the records 

[majm]

Umm...

I think we could be on WRONG tack

Try looking at the following :

James Davies, one of 120 convicts transported on the Minstrel, 05 April 1825. Convicted at Glasgow Court of Justiciary for a term of 14 years on 29 September 1824 Transported to New South Wales.

OR to a lessor extent (Glamorgan being a long way from Scotland) 

Joseph Davies, one of 120 convicts transported on the Minstrel, 05 April 1825. Convicted at Glamorgan Great Sessions for a term of life on 04 September 1824 Transported to New South Wales.

Instead of

James Davidson, one of 120 convicts transported on the Minstrel, 05 April 1825. Convicted at Cumberland Assizes for a term of life on 24 August 1824 Transported to New South Wales.

The link :
http://www.conviz.info/convicts?boat=Minstrel&page=1

The "heads up"  .... NSW SRO James Davison CONVICT DEATH REGISTER online 

Fingers crossed for cocksie 
Cheers,  JM 

[~MERLIN~]

The "heads up"  .... NSW SRO James Davison CONVICT DEATH REGISTER online 

The microfiche shows his name as DAVIDSON so I guess a transcriber got it wrong 

I'm pretty sure the James DAVIES sentenced at Glasgow - Minstrel (2) 1825 was sent to Moreton Bay & married there, but I will check & see 

[cocksie]

majm & merlin
Have just got in very late from work and seen what you busy people have posted.  Am too tired now to assess all the info right now (without getting totally confused) but will do so at my earliest clear headed opportunity.

I have just been rereading a book "Van Diemen's Land" by James Boyce.  Very interesting - the data and information the author has collated and assessed make me wonder if my James Davidson might have  arrived in Tasmania in the 1820s (convict or free man) and later moved to NSW. 

I highly recommend this book - it completely changes what I thought I knew about Tassie (and to some extent NSW and VIC) in the early 1800s.


Will be back asap