James Jefferies and Edward Bryant in Australia?

[Merry]

In March 1848, Edward Bryant, 30, and his brother-in-law James Jefferies. 43, were charged with stealing an iron chest containing gold, silver and copper to the value of £80.

James (my relative) was acquitted but Edward was transported on the convict ship Adelaide in 1849. Having googled, I have found various bits of information about the voyage and that he was given a ticket of leave in 1850, but I don't know what happened to him after that.

Meanwhile, James and his wife Lydia (nee Bryant) also vanish after the trial (or at least they don't appear on any later census records). These are their children:

1841: Soundwell, Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire

Name....Age....All Yes

James Jefferies 35 land surveyor
Lydia Jefferies 30
Jane Jefferies 10
William Jefferies 8
Robert Jefferies 4
Elizabeth Jefferies 1

and these after 1841:

Ellen bap 3 Jul 1842
Martha bap 25 Apr 1847, but probably b 1845
Joseph bap 25 Apr 1847

I wondered if the Jefferies family also went to Australia? (The eldest dau Jane may have stayed here as there's a Jane Jefferies of the right age living as a servant in her Bryant grandparents house in 1851).

Can anyone find anything? ( I don't have any subs that cover Australia)

[kiterunner]

What are the names of Edward and Lydia's parents, please, Merry? (Australian death records sometimes give parents' names.)
Oh, and James's parents?

[kiterunner]

Ooh, FamilySearch has the marriage of a Joseph Jeffries, 19 Dec 1883 at Iroquois, Illinois, USA, to a Sadie C Woodson. Joseph is supposedly age 28, born Gloucestershire, England, father James Jeffries, mother Lydia Bryant.

[Merry]

Thanks Kate.

Edward and Lydia's parents are William and Elizabeth Bryant.

James and Lydia's son, Joseph was baptised:


Joseph Jeffries Christening 25 Apr 1847 Mangotsfield, St James, Gloucestershire, England

he seems to have lost a few years!!

[kiterunner]

1880 US census:
Peoria, Illinois
Frazer Alexander 44 Machinist born Scotland
Elisabeth 41 Wife born England
John 16 Son Cigar Maker born Illinois
Ellen 14 Daughter born Illinois
Catharine 14 Daughter born Massachusetts
John 12 Son born Illinois
Joseph 5 Son born Illinois
Jeffries Joseph 31 Brother in Law Boiler Maker born England
Lydia 73 Mother born England

[Merry]

That's great, thanks!!

[kiterunner]

1870
Peoria, Illinois
Jeffiers Joseph 22 Machinist born England
Lydia 63 Keeping House born England

1860 Mount Savage, Alleghany County, Maryland
James Jeffries 55 Surveyor born England
Lydia 53 born England
William 27 Engine Driver born England
Robert 22 Engine Driver born England
Elizabeth 20 Dress maker born England
Joseph 12 born England

[kiterunner]

New York Passenger Lists
"City of Washington" arriving New York 3 Jun 1857
Jas Jefferies 52 Surveyor from England, intending to live in Canada
Lydia 50 Wife
Wm 24 Engineer
Robt 20 "
Eliz 17 Spinster
Joseph 10 Child

[Merry]

Oooh that's really interesting - I wonder where they were in 1851??

[marquette]

I wonder if this is Edward's death -
12830/1897 BRYANT EDWARD UNKNOWN UNKNOWN NEWTOWN

I often find that when convicts died their parents were unknown to who-ever did the registering. Especially if they never married - and there does not seem to be any marriage for him, and no death or funeral notice.

His ticket of leave was issued in Maitland, but people often moved to inner Sydney as they got older (now we retire to the country, or up the coast).

If he just lived quietly and worked in a menial job, there may not be many traces of him in the public records.

If you really want to know you could get a transcription of the death registration - it might say how long he had been here, or even name of ship he came on (convicts often did). It should also say where he is buried - I think probably Rookwood Cemetery, but the CofE records are not on-line.

[Mary from Italy]

They were online for a while, but the search facility on the website hasn't been working for ages.

[Mary from Italy]

I had a look for a pardon for him, but I haven't found anything.

[marquette]

Pardons were more for Life transportees, I think. Maybe he did not need one and just served out his sentence.

The Rookwood CofE search facility has been off-line for perhaps 2 years, it crashed because so many people wanted to use it. The Catholic and Independent/Jewish have separate websites. Apparently "they" are trying to combine all the offices into one search facility, but there's never any news or progress.

[Merry]

I saw the Newtown death and also this one:

9424/1889 BRYANT EDWARD AGE 70 YEARS DIED MORUYA

which is right for age.

I won't be getting any certificates for him as I don't think they will help with my tree and he isn't my relative. However, I did feel sorry for him when I read the newspaper report about the theft as it sounded to me as if they were in it together, just that some of the evidence against Jefferies was circumstantial and he produced two 'respectable' character witnesses for himself. Jefferies was also charged with embezzlement, but he was found not guilty of that too.

Thanks everyone for your help with this.