Research Newsletter July 2000
Produced by Pattrick Mould

Research - Thomas Rose – Campbelltown

From: "Robyn McMellon" <[email protected]> May 21, 2000
Recommended Reading/research information: I recently purchased a copy of The Campbelltown Pioneer Register 1800-199 compiled by Esma Hannah. Have found it to be a excellent publication, presented in a very readable format. Price was $30 + $8 p.p. Available from Campbelltown & District Family History Society, PO Box 57,
Campbelltown. 2560. Happy researching Robyn

To: Robyn McMellon <[email protected]> Hi, Thanks for that, I have been thinking about buying the Register, could you give us a brief explanation of it's contents please? Regards, Pattrick

From: "Robyn McMellon" Patrick, Hope the following helps; 278 pages, A4 size pages. Alphabetical entries - giving irth/death/place of birth of original pioneer then lists children. Some have brief note at end of entry- for example it was noted on one of my ancestors that he was witness at the trial of a man for murder. There is a contributor's index listing name and address-Documentation had to be provided to verify information eg. Certificates, land grants, TOL etc. There is also a spouse index and several illustrations/photos throughout the book. No record of MOULD-is there anyone you would liked checked to see if entry is there? Happy to oblige - hope this helps. Robyn

From: "Robyn McMellon" Hello Patrick, You have scored a hit with Thomas ROSE b. circa1773 Shropshire, England. Arrived on Barwell 1798 as convict. Occupation:Landholder, Settler. died Mount Gilead, Appin in 1837. Listed are 3 marriages: 1. Elizabeth BARTLETT 2.Elizabeth WOODHOUSE 3.Sarah PYE 6 children by first marriage 2 children by second (was defacto) 5 children by third marriage All names and locations are listed and in a note at the bottom it states: Thomas ROSE built Mount Gilead Windmill in 1836. The suburb of Rosemeadow was named in honour of Thomas ROSE. Them contributors listed are: Campbelltown Family History Society Mr. Robert Jones, 17 Pindara Avenue, Camden. 2570 Mrs. Shirley L Nelson, 6 Karloo Street, Tamworth. 2340 There are also entries for two sons of Thomas - Charles Henry Jacob ROSE and Reuben Uther Bartlett ROSE Congratulations Patrick, its great when information pops up. Good Searching, Robyn

To: Robert Jones Hi, Haven't heard from you for a while, Did you get overseas? Learn anything? I have lost your URL address, could you give it to me please so that I can see where you are up to and link you to the Rose page. Was speaking to Robyn about the Register below, do you know: Mrs. Shirley L Nelson, 6 Karloo Street, Tamworth. 2340? Would she have any material we haven't got? Regards, Pattrick Mould,

Research - Thomas Rose - Convict
From Rosie Stevens Sydney, 10/4/00
Dear Pattrick Many thanks for all your correspondence. I must apologize for the lack of help from me but I have had a few family problems I have had to attend to, so hopefully after Easter I might be able to go into the State Library and try and research the "English Hulk Returns 1783-1803. I have already phoned and there are twelve Rolls but not in alphabetical order so it might take some time. Are we still looking his for birthplace and date and what else, if you can give me any more details I will try and do it in early May. This last newsletter April certainly seems to be getting closer. Apologies as I don’t type and yet to learn the computer as I only have basic skills, but I can use the fax. Hope you are well and many thanks for all your research. Regards, ROSIE

To Rosie 11 April 2000
Got your fax, great to hear from you! I hope you have resolved your family problems. It would be great if you could do that research for us into the English Hulk Returns, yes we are still looking for his birthplace and date, we would be interested in any information that is on the Returns including why and when they were put together. Judith List in England has volunteered to do this research, but she would have to travel a long way and she doesn’t drive, so it would be great if you could. Judith can do invaluable research for us in her home county; it appears she is hot on the heels of Thomas Rose in Staffordshire, as you have probably already read in the last newsletter. Look forward to hearing from you soon, Regards,
Pattrick Mould N.B. I have attached some information about researching the Hulks.

From Rosie Stevens 14th April 2000, Dear Pattrick,
Herein the enclosed cheque ($150.00) to help with photocopying us all the Rose Research you have been doing. Looking forward to hearing from you re the ‘Hulks’ and I will try and do my bit after Easter. Hope you have a happy Easter. Regards Rosie.
NB Thank you very much Rosie, putting the last Newsletter together (a whopper) cost $50 just to copy and mail out to those people not on the Internet! – Pattrick.

To Rosie Stevens 7^th May 2000 Please find below details on researching the hulks and info about T Roses’s trial etc. I don’t know how you would go with Bartlett with the limited information we have about him. Regards Pattrick Mould
RESEARCHING THE HULKS
Branded guilty by the court, your convict ancestor was then probably confined on one of the hulks, those ailing 'chambers of horror' described by W. Branch Johnson. ~ His book is a valuable reference work to this unfamiliar part of a convict's life, as it describes the conditions that convicts endured on board the hulks. Many famous old warships, or hulks, moored in the Thames Estuary or Plymouth Harbour were used as floating prisons. A first-hand account by James Hardy Vaux, a 'gentleman- thief on board the hulk Retribution, provides us with a vivid, almost unbelievable, description of the life. He claimed that most convicts were double-ironed and dressed in coarse slop clothing. They were expected to work, and early each morning were taken ashore to labour in iron-gangs, overseen by 'guards of the lowest class of human beings wretches devoid of all feeling; ignorant in the extreme, brutal by nature..: The guards had some authority and a truncheon for protection and punishment; they mercilessly kept the convicts at work. Contractors supplied food, which was rationed. Each week each convict was supposedly allotted a pound (500g.) of beef on four days and 4 oz (125g.) of cheese on three days, with a daily bread allowance of 20-oz (600g.) Vaux claimed the food was inedible and unwholesome. Many convict ancestors may have been imprisoned on these hulks and suffered similar deprivations. The State Archives Office of New South Wales (SAONSW) has a microfilmed collection of the English Hulk Returns from 1783 to 1803, which contain a detailed statement of costs and a return of prisoners on board awaiting transportation. The hulk returns give name, age, when and where the person was convicted, sentence, and occasionally state of health and when and where the discharge took place. These are also on microfilm at the Mitchell Library (ML) (Reels 3549-3561). The Phoenix hulk, which was moored in Sydney Harbour, was similarly used as a prison ship from 1825 to 18237. Entrance books covering the time period 1825-18237 are recorded on microfilm 819 at the SAONSW. The volumes record the name, ship and year of arrival; free or bond -- on arrival and on entering hulk; native place; religion; trade or calling; details of admission (when, where, purpose); disposal (how, when); and an occasional note on behavior in the hulk. Description books (1833-1837) and discharge books (1825- 18233) are also kept. The entrance books are partly indexed. So, from the dreary hulks another chapter opens in your convict's life - the actual transportation to Botany Bay.

From Rosie Stevens. Dear Pattrick, Apologies for such a poor communication. I have at long last started to read the "hulks’ So far I have searched 8 out of 12, and so far there are records of any of the convicts births or were they come from. He has been mentioned on three of the reels as ‘Shrewsbury 19^th March 1793’. The contents are mainly lists of convicts who have been employed at the dockyards when health and weather permitted in Woolwich or the navy. (Hard to read Rosie, use black biro when faxing please). Hopefully there will be more on the following 4 reels, but I have my doubts as there is no order or date order. Each reel can cover over a three-year period. I will continue, thought you might like an update. Regards Rosie

To Rosie Stevens. 9th July 20000. Dear Rosie, Great to hear from you again, and exciting to hear you have been into the 'hulks'. Thanks for the update. I thought we might have found something out about the 'baker', I suspected that, that may have been where he started his trade. Good luck with the last four reels. Regards - Pattrick