200 years in Australia

The Indefatigable sailed into the Derwent River on 19 Oct 1812 with 199 convicts on board (one of the 200 had died during the journey). The voyage had taken over four months, having departed England on the 4 Jun 1812.

This was the first ship to bring convicts direct to Van Diemen’s Land.

One of these convicts was John MARSDEN (c1767 – 1827) from Nottingham, my 4x great grandfather.

At Nottingham Assizes on 9 Aug 1810, John was sentenced to death for sheep stealing, later commuted to transportation for life. This was not his first conviction – in 1808 he had spent one month in prison for larceny.

John spent some time on the prison hulk Laurel before sailing for Australia.

John left his wife, Jane and five children behind, the eldest being Jane MARSDEN (c1800 – Feb 1838), my 3x great grandmother.

the first part of John jnr's obituary

His eldest son, another John MARSDEN (c1802 – 1882), was also transported to Australia, arriving in Sydney on board the Shipley 3 on 26 Sep 1820. He was convicted for larceny at the Nottingham Assizes on 10 Mar 1820. His obituary has an interesting twist to how he arrived in Australia: emigrated to Sydney with his father when only 19 years of age, then later in the same obituary: His father arrived in the colony before him…

Two other sons, Thomas MARSDEN (c1804 – Oct 1839) and Benjamin MARSDEN (c1810 – Jan 1889) also came to Australia. I haven’t yet determined whether the fifth child, Mary Ann joined them.

later in the same obituary

Jane was already in Van Diemen’s Land before her brother John was even convicted. She married Robert STONEHOUSE (c1794 – Nov 1855) and had her first child Thomas in Mar 1818. My great great grandfather William STONEHOUSE (1826 – 1904) was her 5th child.

John Marsden died in 1827, put to death by black natives with a hostile disposition.

John snr's obituary