How to find an ex convict's location in 1840's

[Oneday]

I am researching a relative who is an ex convict.  He was given a Certificate of Freedom in 1842.

I have searched Trove and found he was in the Patrick's Plains area prior to his freedom release.

I would like to know what records I can search to find where he got to between 1842 and 1849 when he was married to locate him.

I've tried census, Trove, Ancestry, Family Search etc for records with nothing showing up for these in between years.  All we have to go on is family rumors.

Are there any other suggestions of where to look?

[maddys52]

A gap of 7 years in a life is not very large - unless he did something noteworthy for a news item, or comitted a crime or the like I would think it unlikely you will find a mention of him. trove is your best hope - have you tried different searches with just surname etc?

There is also the NSW Archives
https://mhnsw.au/collections/state-archives-collection/

Again, I would be happy to have a ticket of leave followed by a marriage 7 years later. 

If you would like to share his name, we could also have  a look for him.

[Neale1961]

He was given a Certificate of Freedom in 1842.

It was, as it says. “Freedom”. He could go wherever, and do whatever he wanted.
If there is no mention of him in the news, then there are no other records to “search” where he was.
His occupation when he married, will tell you what sort of work he may have been doing before marriage.
If he bought land, got married, or had children, there will likely be records of those events.

[Oneday]

Locating this ex convict was an attempt to assist in finding another relative as they were supposed to be mates.  They both married sisters the same year 1849.

We have their marriages.

For the convict we have his convict record, Certificate of Freedom, birth record and parents names.  His name is James Cash b abt 1803 Birmingham.  We don't have record of his first marriage and children coming from that union.

His mate is the mystery - endless people have tried to find him prior to his marriage and how he came to be in Australia - with no success.   His name as we know it is William Boden/Bowden b abt 1818 Cheshire.  Parents are reported as John & Ellen.

We can't find a John and Ellen who had a son, William in the Cheshire at about that time.
We can't find many marriages between John and Ellen.  Those looking, have recorded most of those found.

Short of waiting for an "odd" dna record to show up we think he could have changed names.  If this is the case, name changes were not recorded at this time.

I had thought I found him in Port Macquarie and Brisbane Waters but it was another William.

Any suggestions are welcome as most have been tried.  Hence, the looking into his mate James Cash between those dates.

[wivenhoe]

You are researching the origins of this man - ?

"His name as we know it is William Boden/Bowden b abt 1818 Cheshire.  Parents are reported as John & Ellen."

You need to identify the source of each piece of information you are giving the forum to work with.

Where do you see an approximate birth year?

Where do you see native place/birth place to be Cheshire?

Where do you see parents names?

What is the earliest evidence you have of him?.....a marriage record?.....name as father on a birth record?....what?

[shume]

So William Bowden and James Cash travelled to Brisbane after 1842 and by the time they married the McQueenie sisters in 1849. Queensland separated from NSW in 1859 so their marriages are transcribed as Brisbane NSW.
William did not change his name: he died in 1871 at Laidley Qld: Bridget (Biddy) died Nov 1908 in Roma Qld where they had selected land. (Ancestry.com.au) See also Trove.nla.gov.au
James Cash is a little harder to trace ; this is a possibility ? fo r Qld.
 Name:   James Cash
Death Age:   66
Birth Date:   1804
Death Date:   13 Dec. 1870
Burial Date:   14 Dec. 1870
Burial Cemetery:   Lutwyche Cemetery
Cemetery Plot:   MONUMENTAL-RC1-16-62
Other Name:   E
Mary McQueeny m. 1 James Cash 2. Edward Cain
Name   Mary Cain
Maiden Name   McQueeney
Birth Date   1832
Birth Place   Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, Ireland
Death Date   29 Jun. 1913
Death Place   Petrie, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia
Cemetery   Albany Creek Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place   Albany Creek, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia
Has Bio?   N
Hope this helps.

[maddys52]

shume beat me to it, I was also going to post that the 1849 marriages have the code "LV" which means Roman Catholic, Brisbane.

[maddys52]

There is an item on trove of James CASH accusing Jane CHURTON of stealing, at North Brisbane in Nov 1848:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12913969/1514362 (on page 3)

[Dundee]

Just adding a bit more info from William's death certificate.  William died at Laidley on 3 July 1871.  He was a Carrier, aged 53, parents John BOWDEN (a Miner) and Ellen (maiden surname unknown), place of birth is Cheshire, England, 35 years in Australia (colony/State is not specified).  His wife Bridget was the informant.

Ideally you would need to see a child's birth certificate to confirm William's birthplace.

Debra