Chapter 2 - In Consideration of His Regard and Affection : The Story of Elizabeth Southernwood and her Parents

My great, great, great grandmother, Elizabeth Southernwood was born in June 1835 at Rothbury, a colonial estate located on the Isis River near Launceston. She married William Adams in Perth, Tasmania at the age of sixteen in 1853. In this chapter I reveal the identity of Elizabeth’s alleged natural father, Robert Thirkell. I also tell the story of Catherine Southernwood nee Mack, Elizabeth’s mother and Francis Robbins Southernwood, her (step) father, both of whom were convicts assigned to settlers in the Tasmanian Midlands during the early 19th century. Elizabeth died at the age of fifty-five and is buried with William and one of their sons in Perth’s St. Andrew’s cemetery. Six other Adams children lay buried in adjoining graves.

Chapter 1 - William Adams and the Tingewick Labourers : A Reflection on an Ancestral Crime and Conviction

In this Chapter I review the history of my great, great, great grandfather, William Adams who was convicted and transported to Australia to serve a life sentence for assault and abetting in a rape in 1843. He was transported on ‘The Agincourt’ which sailed on the 28th of June, 1844 from Downs and landed at Norfolk Island on the 9th of November that same year. William was transferred to Van Diemen’s Land in 1847 and worked as a labourer on the famous Woolmers Estate at Longford until 1850. He was given a Ticket of Leave on the 7th of March 1854 and was conditionally pardoned on the 22nd of April, 1856. William married Elizabeth Southernwood in 1853 and sired thirteen children including my great grandmother, Mabel Ruth Howard nee Adams.

UPDATES

21/05/2010 - Info about Knighton Adams, William's Father

An Adams descendant today contacted me with some new information about Knighton Adams, Williams father. Readers of this family history might recall that William Adams fathered a child (also named William) to Ann Key in 1843. This was just six months before his involvement in the crimes perpetrated on the Peppers. The astonishing upshot to this episode with Ann is that William's father, Knighton married Ann in 1846 shortly after the death of his wife, Sarah Horwood. Knighton Adams and Ann raised William's son as their own and also had two more children of their own - John in 1848 and James in 1851. The descendant who contacted me is related to John. In a short message asks:

Are you aware of Knighton's miltary career? He served in the 98 Foot Regiment from 1825-1841. From 1829-1837 he was stationed in the Cape of Good Hope. 1838-1841 in Dublin.

I look forward to providing more information soon

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