#52Ancetorsin52weeks Wk36/52 Thomas Case 1818-1860


Thomas Case

Ahnentafel Number 54

Context for discovery:

This biography was written as part of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks exercise devised by Amy Johnson Crow.  You can join in too here. The theme for this week is Exploration.

Amy says:

Where did your ancestors explore? Who moved around a lot? You could also share records, libraries, or archives that you've explored in. Remember, there's no wrong way to interpret the theme! Feel free to post your links and stories in the comments.

Thomas was my 3rd great-grandfather on my maternal side of the family. I am ashamed to say that I have written next to nil about the Case family on my blog. “Why is that?”, I wonder. I suspect it is because others had done quite a bit of research already and shared it with me, so I didn’t think any more needed to be done. When I check my vital records for him, I only have a marriage certificate so I think I will order the death certificate.  I have found a baptism on Ancestry which should be sufficient.

Mary Shelley publishes Frankenstein 1818

Peterloo Massacre 1819

Singapore established by British East India Company 1819

 

Childhood

Birth Date/Place:

Thomas Case was born Sunday (Sunday’s child is bonny and blithe, and good and gay) 15 November 1818 in Bishopstone, Wiltshire, England to Harry and Ann Case.[i]

He seems to have been the last of the children born to this marriage according to notes from a cousin.  Other children were:

Mary Case 17 Feb 1799

John Case                 20 Sept 1801

Susanna Case          9 Nov 1806 who married John GIBB

Henry                        22 May 1809

Anne                          25 Feb 1811 who married William LANHAM

James                        26 Feb 1815

 

Baptism Date/Place:

He was baptized in the parish church on 17 January 1819 by Thomas Bromley Rector.[ii] I am imagining that it was at the Church of St John the Baptist.



St John the Baptist Church in Bishopstone by Michael Day on Flickr https://flic.kr/p/pjbp7p


These sites look useful if you want to do further research in Wiltshire

https://www.wshc.org.uk/gateway.html

https://apps.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityhistory

https://www.wiltshirefhs.co.uk/

 

Greece breaks away from Ottoman Empire 1821

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony premiered 1824

Cadbury opens a shop in Birmigham 1824

Internal combustion engine patented 1826

 

Of course, I had to look at my beloved British Newspaper Archives and see if I could dig up anything there and I think I may have found Thomas’ elder brother Henry being transported in 1830 as per the newspaper articles below.

 

1829 12 21 Salisbury and Winchester Journal Henry Case charged







1829 12 24 Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette committed to jail



1830 03 13 Morning Herald London judgement




1830 03 27 Berkshire Chronicle committed to life




I subsequently found a convict record for a Henry Case ploughman from Wiltshire tried on 6 March in 1830 for Life at Salisbury.  There is a good description of him. He was 5ft 9 ½ inches with dark brown hair and blue eyes.  He was 22 years old and had a tattoo HC on the inside of his left arm.  He was transported on the Clyde to Tasmania.[iii] It look like he was pardoned in 1841/2.[iv]

 

Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened 1830

Great Reform Act passed 1832

Slavery Aboliton Act 1833

Queen Victoria comes to the throne 1837

Oliver Twist published 1837

Chartist movement 1838 - 1857

Emigration

Thomas came out to Australia on the “Woodbridge” with two of his sisters and many of his neighbours.  They left Portsmouth 4th May and arrived in Sydney on 18th September 1838. My father transcribed the Surgeon’s report of the voyage and went through the return of the disposal of Immigrants with a fine tooth comb to identify friends and family 😊

Thomas was one of the unmarried men on the ship and described as a farm servant aged 20.  He was engaged to a Mr C Smith of Sydney for £25 per annum.  

Here is a quote from the surgeon’s report:

On 4th May embarked 130 emigrants from Wiltshire the greater number of these were also Farm Servants and married with families; the day after the last came aboard I found out that some of the children were suffering from hooping cough, but with one exception, of a mid character, no means could be adopted for their separation from the healthy, and I am happy to say no serious consequence followed, only a few cases susbsequently occurred and these very mild requiring some medical treatment. 

Maria Mussel/Muzzlewhite (Thomas's future wife) was also on board The Woodbridge.  She was described as a Maid of all work aged 20 and was engaged by Mr E Borley of Sydney @ £12 per annum.

The voyage was well documented in the papers at home and abroad.


1838 05 07 Hampshire Telegraph departure Woodridge







1839 04 08 Salisbury and Winchester Journal Overseer Jos Sheppard plate

 


Married Life

Marriage Dates/Places:

On Monday 1st October 1838 Thomas married Maria Muzzlewhite/Mussel at St Andrew’s Church in Sydney according to the rites of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.  Uriah and Elizabeth West were witnesses. None of the parties to the marriage or the witnesses could sign their name.  Rev John McGarvie was presiding. [v]

Children’s Birth Dates/Places:

Thomas and Maria had the following children:

1.     Mary Ann b 1840

2.     Henry b. 13 Oct 1842

3.     Louisa b 8 Nov 1845

4.     James b 21 Oct 1847

5.     Susan b 21 Oct 1849

6.     Sarah b 4 April 1852

7.     Emma b 2 Jan 1855 (my 2nd great-grandmother)

8.     Charlotte b. 2 Oct 1856

9.     Maria b 1858 d 1858[vi]

10.Thomas b 28 Oct 1860

Unfortunately, I don’t know much more about Thomas and Maria’s life than these hard facts.  However, I feel confident that if I wrote to Yass & District Historical Society, they may be able to dig up some stuff for me.  They have been very helpful in the past. Also, the Gundaroo and District Historical Society may have some records.

The only other records that I found that may be of interest are a Thomas Case going to Tasmania on the Julia in 1846.[vii] Was he going to see his older brother or was this a different Thomas Case?

There is a record of a Thomas Case in the Hue and Cry Police Gazette for 27 April 1839 in Lambeth Street Volume 13 Page 51 Column C3 which I might send off to the AIGS and see if they can look that up for me. I found a reference to it on FindMyPast.

I did find Henry Case’s convict record on FindMyPast – unfortunately much of the ink is very faded and difficult to read. What I can read of it says March 7 1832 – Laurence/Neglect of duty and threatening to destroy his??  ?6? months Imprisonment. Hard labor in Bridgwater Chain Gang and returned to the ?? Crown/W Lyttleton &WK. Aug. 26 1834 Buchall/Insolence disobedience of orders and being absent without leave, Grafetree??? Gang 2 months and recommended to be returned to his master/PM/TL 7.12.38

Conditional Pardon 3652 22 Dec 1841[viii] The transcript says he arrived in Tasmania on 18 December 1830 and departed 30 August 1830 from Portsmouth.

 

Date and place of Death

Thomas died 8 April 1860 at Gundaroo in New South Wales, Australia at the age of only 41.

It is the second time this week that I have seen the word “furious” associated with an ancestor.  Here is the newspaper report of his death.

 










1860 04 14 Yass Courier furious riding


 

Burial Place

St Luke’s Church Cemetery Upper Gundaroo[ix]

 

Estate

Unable to find any evidence of probate etc

Conclusion

The theme this week is exploration and I feel like I have been the one doing the exploration rather than my ancestor!  He certainly explored this great old globe traveling from England to Australia. Many cousins have assisted me with research over the years so a big thank you to them: Bernadean Noakes, Carol Nix and cousin Veronica.  And of course to my dear parents who infected me with their enthusiasm for family history :) Please forgive me if I have forgotten to acknowledge anyone in particular.  The geneaworld is full of generous souls.

 

References

 



[i] Ancestry.com. Australia and New Zealand, Find a Grave Index, 1800s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[ii] Ancestry.com, Wil  tshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1916, Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre; Chippenham, Wiltshire, England; Reference Number: 577/8

[iii] Ancestry.com. New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia, Convict Pardons and Tickets of Leave, 1834-1859 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Original data: Home Office: Settlers and Convicts, New South Wales and Tasmania; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication HO10, Pieces 31, 52-64); The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England.

[iv] Ancestry.com. New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia, Convict Pardons and Tickets of Leave, 1834-1859 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Original data: Home Office: Settlers and Convicts, New South Wales and Tasmania; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication HO10, Pieces 31, 52-64); The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England.

[v] NSW Registry Office, Marriage Parish of St Andrew in the County of Cumberland Number 3121 Vol. 74

[vi] FindMyPast Civil Deaths and Burials Australia Registration Number 5207

[vii] FindMyPast, Tasmania Departures 1817-1863

[viii] FindMyPast, Tasmania Convict Records 1800-1893 Appropriation List CON27/1/4; Appropriation List MM33/6; Conduct Record CON31/1/7; Description List CON18/1/2 Page 10; Description List CON23/1/1; Indent MM33/2; Muster Roll CSO1/1/482 Page 10711; Muster Roll MM33/7; Remarks CSO1/1/482 Page 10711

[ix] https://austcemindex.com/



Comments

Finding oneself through our ancestors can be a daunting thing. Thanks for sharing!

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