The following account details some research carried out by myself on my relative Godfrey Hartshorn of Stanley. It was published in the Derbyshire Family History Society magazine in March 2009.
I have a Godfrey HARTSHORN in my tree – he is my 2nd cousin 6 times removed, to be precise – and until recently the only information I had on him was as follows:
4th April 1813- baptised at Stanley – parents John & Mary HARTSHORN.
12th Dec 1830 – witness to the marriage of his sister Charlotte HARTSHORN to Joseph HALLAM at St Peter’s, Derby. The other witness was Elizabeth BLOOD.
4th April 1831 – married Elizabeth BLOOD at Duffield. One of the witnesses was Joseph BLOOD.
19th July 1850 – mentioned in the will of his father John HARTSHORN and said to be residing in America.
Early last year, whilst visiting the DRO, I decided to look at the immigration lists on Ancestry to see if Godfrey was there. I was surprised to discover, not a voyage to America, but conviction at Derby Assizes on 23rd October 1833, followed by transportation to Australia the following year. Bracketed with Godfrey’s name was a Joseph BLOOD. I hotfooted it to the Local Studies Library, and found the following report in the Derby Mercury of 30th Oct 1833:
Godfrey Hartshorn age 22 and Joseph Blood age 22, were indicted for stealing in the parish of St Peter, from the person of Edward Harrison, a watch, the property of the said Edward Harrison. Robert Watts said that on the 19th Sept, between ten and eleven at night, the prosecutor was in the corn market tipsy, and several persons were around him. A friend of the prosecutor’s offered two shillings to anyone who would carry him home. The prisoner Blood agreed to this, and carried him a short distance, when he threw him down and picked his pocket of the watch. The watchman was called, the prisoner ran away, and Hartshorn, who appeared an accomplice, called him back. Charles Turner, watchman, deposed to the foregoing facts, and said on going to Blood’s house subsequently for the purpose of taking him into custody, he found Hartshorn with him, and secured both. Edward Harrison, the prosecutor, said he remembered being in St James’ Lane on the night in question, and was robbed of his money and watch. Several witnesses were called for the prisoners. Guilty – seven years transportation.
After posting this information on the Derbyshire internet forum, I was contacted by a couple in Sydney, Laurie and Sally Jackson, who, despite having no connection to either family, offered to do some research for me in local libraries. With their help, plus some purchases of marriage and death certificates by myself, we have put together the following account:
Hartshorn and Blood left for New South Wales on the ship Susan, which carried a total of 300 male convicts, on 7th March 1834. The ship arrived in Sydney on July 9th, and the 292 surviving convicts, including Hartshorn and Blood, were taken to Parramatta district. Godfrey Hartshorn’s prison record reveals that he was a tailor by trade, was married with no children, and had a previous conviction which had resulted in a 3 month sentence. (I have not been able to find out any more details about this). He was 5’ 8” tall, with brown hair, grey eyes, and a ruddy complexion. He committed two further offences whilst in prison – seducing a female prisoner in 1837, and seducing a spinster in 1839, for each of which he was given a further 12 months. He was released on 14th May 1843, after being given 12 months remission. The ship’s arrivals log states that his wife Elizabeth was expected to join him at a later date. In fact, she stayed in Derby and died there of consumption, aged 29, in December 1840.
Joseph Blood (who I believe was Godfrey’s brother in law) was also a tailor. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a sallow complexion, with brown curly hair and chestnut eyes. He was released from prison in November 1840, clearly having behaved better than Godfrey.
Following their release, the two men’s lives followed completely different paths. Joseph Blood, despite having no previous convictions and committing no offences whilst in prison, must have returned to a life of crime as he died in Darlinghurst Gaol, Sydney, in February 1863, aged 50. Cause of death was yellow fever. Australian death certificates have a column for details of wife and children, but these have been left blank.
Godfrey Hartshorn, on the other hand, appears to have become a respectable married man and made a bit of money too. His first marriage in Australia was to a widow, Elizabeth Ann Wright, on 28th October 1844. Elizabeth’s death certificate (1861) reveals that she was born in Sydney about 1811, the daughter of an officer in the merchant service. She had four sons and one daughter from her first marriage, but had no further children with Godfrey. The rate assessment books from this period show that Godfrey Hartshorn, in 1848, owned three adjacent houses on Castlereagh Street, Sydney. He lived in one and rented out the other two. The houses had wooden walls and shingle roofs, and were single storey with two rooms each. The lists for 1852 show that he still owned three houses, whilst in 1861 he only had one house (number 344 Castlereagh Street), but it had four rooms and was made of brick. His wife’s death certificate shows this address as her place of death. Castlereagh Street today is a very wealthy area of Sydney.
Godfrey’s final marriage was in March 1867, to another widow, Mary Ann Peterson, who was born in Cork, Ireland. She was said to be 30 years old. Godfrey would be 55 but claimed to be 40! This marriage certificate is the only one I have that confirms Godfrey as the son of John Hartshorn, farmer, and together with his death certificate which gives his origin as Derby, England, confirms that he is the Godfrey in my tree.
Godfrey Hartshorn died on 22nd April 1897, aged 85, of senile decay. His death certificate states that he had no children. His widow died in 1908. We have not been able to locate a will for either of them.
This research has been a fascinating journey. I could not have achieved half as much without the help of Laurie & Sally, and my heartfelt thanks goes out to them. A few months ago I thought I had a relative lost somewhere in America (I wonder if his father was confused or misled when he wrote that), but now I have a fascinating story of an apparently reformed criminal living a long life in Australia. Family History can certainly lead you down unexpected paths!