Yes, we thought he was rather fashion-forward having blue hair!
Thanks for all the responses:
Giblet - Samuel and Ann settled in the Bathurst area, so if Melville is in that region it is likely to be them.
- Eliza, daughter of Samuel and Ann was born in Oct 1829 or 30.
- yes, its the common name problem. However, if he enlisted in 1806 he would be a veteran soldier and I think therefore less likely to desert. My theory is that he was fairly new - the Buffs fought at the Battle of Albuhera in May 1811 in which they sustained heavy losses, so would have been reinforced with new recruits. I hope the Buffs are able to answer this.
Jo - I contacted the Buffs yesterday so haven't had a reply yet. Samuel and Ann's marriage certificate number is V182740773B/1827, with the date of their permission to marry 19/5/1827. They married at St Johns, Parramatta, which was probably the main venue for convict weddings, as the minister was Rev Samuel Marsden who was apparently very interested in the morality of female convicts. They did have other children but I haven't recorded their names. The Buffs were in Australia 1821-27, so it would be a bit ironic if Samuel had to start part 2 of his sentence by rejoining them!
Gail B - thanks for those suggestions; the Bastard was born the year I was looking for so is a strong possibility. The Buffs recruited in the south west, so he is a more likely option than the Samuel I found in Liverpool.
Thanks again for your interest. (I have a few more convicts that I'm following up, if I get stuck I know where to come!)
Jennifer
