Hi and Greetings to the list...Rick Cragg Tasmania.
Researching for my elderly neighbour his GGgrandfather Thomas Richards.
from the convict records he got 7 years...convict 5352 Thomas Richards arrived on the EDEN
July 1842 Tasmania after being tried in Ruthin assize's 4 August 1840
records show he was Protestant and could read, a Labourer....Thomas was 26 in 1840 = born
abt 1814 ..Thomas was all done and dusted by Jan 1846
Thomas had a wife Elizabeth and two kids before he left.
one section refers to his Native Place...with poor spelling and hard to read it looks
something like these
Cesioestry or
Oesioestry ..followed by Denbighshire
I took it to mean Oswestry.???
The records go on to say Wife Elizabeth
Father Thomas Richards.. Mother Gwen
3 brothers William, Joseph and Richard 4 sisters Kitty,Elizabeth, Mary and Ann.
Hoping this is a clue of the 7 Thomas Richards convicts transported from the UK at this
time,this one is from Wales
Family stories say their relation Thomas came from Wales and born around 1821,
In those years 1830-1860’s the ratio of men to women was 7-1 in Tasmania.Scotland was
suffering,for example tail end of Potatoe famine etc,The immigration Societies helped
sponsor the fare,The deal was you had to agree to stay four years,if not you had to pay
the fare back to the society... so just in 1855 three ship loads of young educated
Scottish Ladies set off for Tasmania to become servants and eventually wives which in the
hope would also help to lift the education standards.
Rosina Currie arrived August 1855 married Thomas in December 1855 [now a land owner] and
proceeded to have 9 kids [no tv in those days]
I though maybe there is a clue in the naming of their Children.
Elizabeth Robson Richards
John Richards
Mary Smith Richards
Thomas Richards
Jane Richards
Clara Richards
James Richards
Reuban Richards...often wondered if Reuban was a clue being a place in Denbighshire??
William Richards
Having searched the usual genealogy sites,can any of the members Please offer any
suggestions or tips
so we can continue our search.....we’re at a bit of a brick wall
Thankyou and Kind Regards
Rick........daffodil's are coming out Spring is near