Family history research is not a finite study. Don’t you just love it when, whilst doing your family research you make a new discovery but, after analysing this new data, you find that you have opened a can of worms! This new knowledge has resulted in an entire new set of questions! An answer to a family history research question often results in more questions. I’m sure you know what I am talking about. It happens so often.
Within my family history there remain many unanswered questions. Recently I made a surprising discovery about my 3 times great grandfather, Thomas Wells which has been tantalisingly revealing however, to my frustration, many of the big questions remain unanswered. Allow me to explain.
In 1815, 16-year-old Thomas found himself on the wrong side of the law in London, after being taken into custody, accused of larceny. Thomas claimed in court at the Old Bailey, that his ailing mother needed medications and so he devised a plan to raise the required money.
Unfortunately for Thomas the jury felt little compassion for his case and so he was found guilty. The judge swiftly passed a sentence of death.[1] Luckily for Thomas the fickle finger of fate intervened, and Thomas’s sentence was commuted to transportation to Sydney for life.
Perhaps, Thomas regarded this sentence as an opportunity for a better life. According to the 1822 Muster, Thomas after only 7 years in the colony had secured a Ticket of Leave and was a landholder in the Windsor district.[2] Things seemed to be progressing well, and I was impressed with that. With a Ticket of Leave, he was eligible to marry. In 1824 Governor Darling granted Thomas permission to marry and so he attended the Female Factory in Parramatta where several eligible ladies selected by the Matron would have been lined up. Thomas and his chosen eligible female, Martha Shaw were married in St John’s Church of England at Parramatta on September 12, 1826 (200 years ago this year).[3] Incidentally, if you ever go to Parramatta, I would recommend a visit to this old church as there are several memorials to prestigious early colonial citizens.
Back to the family saga. Thomas and Martha settled on land at Lower Portland head (1828 census) and by the 1841 census there were 7 children.[4]&[5] This is where things become interesting, to say the least. My research uncovered a baptism record for a James Crawley to father, also James Crawley and mother, Martha Wells. This event occurred in the Mcdonald Colo area, which is geographically in close proximity to Lower Portland head! So it appears that Martha has abandoned Thomas and their children and started a relationship with James Crawley.[6]
This is the very last record I have concerning my Martha Wells. Family folklore claims that she was taken by the blacks. In spite of the innumerable hours I have spent pursuing evidence to support this claim, all my efforts have been in vain thus far.
As for Thomas, the only documented record for his life without Martha, is his death certificate. This record is disappointing as so little information was recorded. The informant of his death was his grandson, the son of Martha Wells, who was a daughter of Thomas and Martha.[7] The brevity of information can be due to many reasons, but I am inclined to think that as his daughter was a highly respected lady in the community of Warialda, she didn’t want others to know that her father was an emancipated convict. However, admittedly this is speculation and there may well be another explanation.[8]
Several years have elapsed since I discovered all this information and reconstructed a rudimentary timeline for poor Thomas. After Martha’s absconding, Thomas moved with his family from the Hawkesbury district to the Wollombi district and from there, he moved onto the Liverpool Plains and eventually to Warialda. A period of roughly 30 years elapsed between the disappearance of Martha Wells and Thomas’s death in 1881, and I have very limited knowledge of Thomas’s life during this time.
Last year, I resumed the hunt for more information. A search on Ancestry.com revealed a new and shocking development. Between 1876 and 1879, my Thomas Wells had been admitted twice to the Liverpool Asylum, which was a hostel for the infirm and destitute. A myriad of questions appeared in my mind. They mainly related to why? It appears from his death certificate that Thomas was alienated from the rest of his family. What were the circumstances that led to his admission to the Liverpool Asylum? Perhaps he was an alcoholic. He was born in 1799, so he was in his late 70’s when he became an inmate of the Liverpool Asylum and he may have been unwell. However, his work at the Asylum as a horse keeper suggests that he was in reasonable health.[9]
In 2023, I visited the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart. Whilst there I mentioned to the staff about Martha’s strange disappearance and the family explanation; that she had been taken by the blacks. The staff, like myself were sceptical about this as a possibility and made a remark that sent shivers down my spine…“ ‘taken by the blacks’ was a term often used to conceal domestic violence!” More questions…was my 3 times great grandfather, Thomas Wells, the perpetrator of domestic violence? Does this explain his alienation from the rest of his family? Could this account for his descent into poverty and destitution? I understand that this remains speculation, and so I now need to delve further to see if I can find any evidence that may validate such an assertion.
So, it’s back to further research. Discovering this incredible information has resulted in more questions to research. Just as well I love all this!
[1] Ancestry.com. England and Wales Criminal registers, 1791-1892.
[2] Ancestry.com. NSW & Tasmania; Australia Convict Musters, 1806-1849, 1822.
[3] Ancestry.com. NSW, Aust., St John’s Parramatta, marriages, 1790-1966, 1826.
[4] Ancestry.com, NSW Census, 1828,( Australian copy)
[5] Ancestry.com, NSW Census, 1841.
[6] Ancestry.com NSW, Births, Deaths, marriages: Baptisms, Vol.31A, 1398. J Crawley.
[7] Death Certificate NSW, 7545/1881.
[8] Death Certificate NSW, 7545/1881.
[9] Ancestry.com, Liverpool Asylum for the Infirm and Destitute; admissions and Discharges 1850-1863, 1852-1874, 1874-1878.
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