Category: Menu

New Release.

Revised and updated following recent trip to NZ.

https://chbmuseum.co.nz/

I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Waipawa here in October 2025. (Just missed the duck derby by a week or so.) What an amazing place! Incredibly helpful volunteers and a great opportunity to access original source documents. Entry by donation which is turned back into the museum preserving local history.

I was able to source some fantastic source information for our Hall & Hancock story. Hall & Hancock

Names on the 1867 town census for Waipawa

William London and Matilda Mitchell. (London, Mitchell Family)

John London and Sarah London London Family

William London and Diana Riley London, Riley Family

John Riach (1711-1765)& Janet Stuart – ( )The last Jacobite Uprising

Maternal grandparents of Robert Hay (convict).

John and Janet were the last in their line to enjoy life as simple highlanders before 1745. They would live their lives in Kirkmichael in the remote Cairngorm region of Banffshire. They would not be able to avoid being caught up in the last Jacobite uprising.

Enjoy. And as always if you can fill some gaps? Please reach out .

The blog roll

Web Site Redevelopment 2025

• I’m not really sure after eleven years of designing and operating this website why I though it would be a good idea for me to engage with all the ‘new digital tech’. I think I may have suffered some delusional thinking that I actually was an IT mastermind. I have discovered I most assuredly am not. This has become forensically clear to me over the last month. However, between me, Chat GPT, You Tube, my new friends at WordPress Help, and my cat. We may just knuckle it together. I hope you enjoy the new look and thank you for your patience while I continue to work on my passion project.

Back in December 2019, I was travelling around Tasmania and came across a cemetery with some old graves. It was one of those rather warm days. Some of these might be useful to other researchers in our lines and your welcome to use these if they are of use to you? Whilst I didn’t/couldn’t find any of the particular graves I was looking for on this day, I did find enough connections and no reason not to expect that this was a familiar cemetery to our pioneering ancestors.

These photographs are on card, are quite small and are exactly what you would expect for pre-twentieth century photography. Each of these photographs were taken at the same time at the Stevenson and McNicoll studios at 108 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. From 1885 on-wards Stevenson and McNicoll added the ‘gold border’ around their photographs and this was something common in their work. With this in mind I know that these photographs were taken from 1885 onwards. These photographs originally belonged to Lily Mary Lorkin/Larkin Fowles. I had thought at first that they might be her first three sons and daughter as children however, I can’t corroborate that and the little girl doesn’t look old enough to be the eldest child. So I’m back to the drawing-board and looking for help to identify these children.

This very dapper gent is Frank and I know that because it’s written in pencil in beautiful scrolling script on the back of the card, well actually the more I look at it it could even be Izaak. I’m really not sure anymore. However, if you can help me ID this fellow I would be deeply grateful. This is going to be somehow linked to the Fowles or Lorkin/Larkin family.

Hello everyone,

I’m undertaking a spectacularly large project with photographs that have been given to me. The puzzle is that not all have names or information on the back to serve as clues.

If you know who this fellow is and I suspect he may be linked somehow with the Fowles family? I would dearly like to hear from you. I have the original which is in very good condition on heavy card. There is absolutely nothing to indicate who this came from, not even a photographic studio name.

Any help identifying this fellow would be deeply appreciated.

I can’t believe I missed this.  And thank goodness for eagle-eyes,  I’m going to give full thanks and credit to our cousin Glenda Humes who has made some remarkable discoveries through her research of our Susannah Nairn and Elizabeth Hopper and their dual connection to Mr Twydell, fabric merchant in London.

Both ladies were convicted and transported (at different times) for stealing from the same shopkeeper!  Poor old Mr Twydell was the victim of several light fingered ladies over the years. Two of ours included.

Here is the research/correspondence from Glenda: 

“I have been researching convict Elizabeth Hopper (wife of William Hazlewood, convict) trying to pinpoint the location of her 1787 crime which was the drapery store of Anthony Twydell. From a search on Anthony Twydell on the Old Baileys site, I came across Susannah Nairne who stole fabric from the store of Anthony Twiddle in 1791. More research led to Anthony Twiddle, Twydell, Twedall, all apparently the same person and victim of multiple fabric thefts between 1783 and 1795. The 1791 court transcripts lists a brother Levi Twiddle – a Levi Twidale was listed as a breeches maker – the same person when you search for Twidale under the Old Bailey site as it brings up Susannah Nairn’s proceedings (and there is an Ancestry tree for Levi Twidale which shows Anthony as his brother). It seems the store was located in the Minories, north of the Tower of London and possibly close to John St. now called Crosswall, west of the Minorities road (a Starbucks sits of the east corner now!) The church at the north end of the street is St. Boltoph Church and Twydell was an active member. Both Elizabeth Hopper and Susannah were transported but Mary Snow who stole fabric in 1795 got off with a fine despite stealing more than Elizabeth (Susannah stole 20 shillings worth of handkerchiefs). I thought this back story was an interesting addition to Elizabeth Hopper (my 5th G-Grandmother and Susannah Nairn whom I believe I must be related to distantly but haven’t found the connection yet.”

Here is how I can explain your connection to both ladies. Elizabeth Hopper would have one child on New Norfolk Island.  Susannah would have one child from our (Riley) line, two more with her (Wells) husband and one child presumably Riley left back in London. In effect four children, three fathers.

Elizabeth Hopper of London was convicted and transported in 1789 aboard the Lady Juliana (also known as The Floating Brothel).  Her ship was the first one to arrive in Sydney after the first fleet had landed.  This was in 1790.  Elizabeth was sent to Norfolk Island. She would die there in 1795. She married William Hazelwood.

Susannah Nairn was transported in 1792 aboard The Kitty to Australia on what is now known as the “fourth fleet”.  Somewhere between being incarcerated and arriving in Australia Susannah became pregnant and the father remains unknown. She had been married twice? in England, to a Tolbert/Talbot and Riley.  She was delivered of a son, John Riley not long before arriving in Sydney. However the father remains unknown as due to time incarcerated and travel could not have been husband.  Once arriving in the colony of New South Wales, Susannah would go to and remain living the rest of her life in the Parramatta area.  She would marry Robert Wells.

Now, here is the connection, Elizabeth Hopper had a daughter named Maria Hopper-Hazelwood in Norfolk Island.  After her death and when the island population was relocated to New Norfolk in Tasmania, Maria went to live there with her father.

Susannan Nairn descendants (my line) 

John Riley (freeborn) went on to marry convict Catherine Latimore (Wanstead). NSW.

Their daughter Diana Riley (freeborn) married William London (freeborn) NSW.

Their son William London married Matilda Ann Mitchell. NSW.

Their daughter Priscilla London married Arthur Helmrich. NSW.

Their daughter, Neva Helmrich would marry Ernest Kingshott Whitehead.

Elizabeth Hopper descendants (my line)

Maria Hopper Hazelwood, (freeborn) married convict Robert Hay. TAS

Their son John Hay (freeborn) married convict Sophia Morgan. TAS

Their daughter Mary Ann Morgan-Hay (freeborn) married Francis Kingshott (freeborn). TAS

Their son Francis Kingshott (freeborn) married Hannah Oakley (freeborn). TAS

Their daughter Edith Kingshott went to NZ and married Ernest Whitehead. NZ

Their son Ernest Kingshott Whitehead would marry Neva Helmrich.

This however is just the connection with my line.  It is likely if not probable that there could be other connections between these families simply because of the close proximity that families had and the limited ‘marrying’ options in those days. We have to remember that for quite a long time NSW and Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) were our earliest settlements.

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.  But here is the first time I have found two convicts who came on the same ship who have ended up having their families marry into each other in our connections.  Catherine Latimore who came out on the Wanstead in 1814 also traveled with fellow convict Maria Coverley from England to Port Jackson (Sydney) on the Wanstead.

 (1)Catherine Latimore would go on and marry John Riley and their daughter (2) Diana Riley married William London.  Diana and William had a son (3) William John London.

(1) Maria Coverley had a daughter Elizabeth Coverley with William Badgood/Bidgood. (2) Elizabeth married Edward Mitchell and they had a daughter  (3)Matilda Ann Mitchell.

William John London and Matilda Ann Mitchell married and went on to have a large family of their own.

So the Wanstead played quite the role in bringing these two families together.

Catherine Latimore England to Port Jackson (Sydney)

b.1797 – d. 1868

Sentenced 7 years

Wanstead (1814) 

Maria Coverley England to Port Jackson (Sydney)

b.1792 – d. 1864

Sentenced 7 years

Wanstead (1814)

http://www.mercurynie.com.au/resources/tasmania%20200/august.htm

It’s a lengthy and comprehensive site that does mention our Robert’s unruly start.  Details of the other settler families who were instrumental in setting up what would become Hobart and New Norfolk.  Normally I put this sort of link in the bibliography but it’s just such a great resource, thought I’d give it front page treatment.  Enjoy.

Here is a terrific response I got from Colleen Baxter.  Might be useful for other family members also. Thanks Colleen.

There are actually 5 books published by Jean Turner on the family.

They are:

Book 1
Title: It Started with Muslin: Elizabeth Hopper’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Openbook Publishers, 1995
ISBN 0646226835, 9780646226835
Length 64 pages

Book 2
Title: Unwilling Tasmanians: William Hazlewood’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Turner, Jean, 1995
ISBN 0646257498, 9780646257495
Length 103 pages

Book 3
Title: A Long Road to Hobart Town: Robert Hay’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Turner, Jean, 1997
ISBN 0646342894, 9780646342894
Length 122 pages

Book 4
Title: The Bushrangers are at Hay’s House: Robert and Maria Hay’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Turner, Jean, 2000
ISBN 0957813600, 9780957813601
Length 140 pages

AND
Book 5
Title: From London to the Bush: George Brooks’ Story
Author Jean Turner
Edition illustrated
Publisher Turner, Jean, 2001
ISBN 0957813619, 9780957813618
Length 104 pages

This book was published in 2000 and records the story of Robert and Maria Hay.  I’ve tried with no real success to get a copy of this book.  If anyone is able to help me secure a copy I would be most appreciative.

Have today received some amazing photographs from our Helmrich cousin, Jan.  Thank you so much for these Jan they are beautiful and your gift heartwarming (check your post box in the next few days :)

I will endeavour to find some time to get these uploaded in the next week.

For my gorgeous cousin Vicky in England, boy have I got some surprises for you from our cousin Jan!

I would like to acknowledge and thank Jim Fiddes of the http://www.skeneheritage.org/ Skene Heritage Org in Skene, Aberdeenshire, Scotland for his immeasurable goodwill and assistance with a longstanding issue for those of us with Helmrich (spell it how you please) bloodlines.

Charles Hellmrech, has been a longstanding brick wall for me for many years and Jim recently answered my queries with some very valuable information.  Namely the correct spelling of Charles Hellmrech’s surname.

If there are other family members out there with information about Charles; I would very much like to hear from you.

Jim has published a book on the Skene area and it’s inhabitants and history.  For more information re acquiring this book please contact Jim.

Thanks again Jim for your help and support!