Convict Elizabeth Saney/Sieney

[kerrie]

I am trying to find information on Elizabeth Saney who was convicted in Bristol and sentenced to 7 years in Australia, she arrived on the Lady Julianna in 1788 on arrival she was sent to Norfolk Island where she met and married? Joseph Trimby/Elliott also a first fleet convict. They had 2 boys and she disappears in 1813 believed dead. Elizabeth also had a brother James who was transported but never arrived in Australia believed died on the trip but no record. I have no other inforamtion on Elizabeth and James parents or siblings. Any and all help or advice is greatly apprecited.

[susan-y]

Kerrie...

Have you ever found more information on Elizabeth? I have been reading about the conditions on Norfolk Island at that time period. I can only think it would be described as Hell in Paradise. I have a "maybe" ancestor that died on the ship when being sent there and I was just curious about it all. I'm afraid I can't help you...I'm just looking for an end to your story..|oopsredfa

Sue

[ChristineR]

Kerrie, you might like to update your profile with your location - that can help for when someone wants to offer advice in the future. :)

If you know more about Elizabeth and James I am sure we would all love to hear, and perhaps someone can help if you still have loose ends.

I have heard that some convicts were taken off ships at the last minute before sailing - there were fairly rigid health conditions to be met - they had to be expected to survive the trip. So the name could have stayed on the ships records but he didn't sail.

[Hugh Thompson]

Hi Kerrie, there is an Elizabeth Elliot died 1794 , she's more than likely your lady as Norfolk Island was part of New South Wales. I tried all of her names married and single and this was all that came up.
Regards Hugh. :)
NSW BDM's. Reg no.V17941108 2A/1794

[Hugh Thompson]

Have found the two boys born on Norffolk Is.
Joseph and John son's of Joseph Trimby, and it makes me wonder if that last post I gave is the right Eliz Elliott as there is quite a large file on Joseph and sons that I'm looking at, will sort it out and get back to you.
Hugh.:D

[Hugh Thompson]

The full Trimby details from the Colonial Secretary's records are on this page, just scroll down.

http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/indexes/colsec/t/F56c_ti-ty-11.htm#P4919_164060

[kermie62]

Well the Lady Julianna, that is both a blessing and a curse. You are in illustrious company there, it was quite a famous or should I say infamous ship. Because of its significance, there has been a lot of research done on the shiop and its passengers and there was an excellent show on recently.

This link gives a lot of detail on the ship and her passnegers and the story

http://lifebeginsat80.blogspot.com/2009/01/tough-times-in-floating-brothel.html

For those who dont know it, the short version is that the first fleet to Australia contained a lot of men but few women and the word was sent back to the UK to send women as a civilising agent for the men. (Gay old time I expect back in the colony). A group of female prostitutes, con women and thieves were loaded on the Lady Julianna and sent to Australia. Well on the eway a grand old time was had by all and at every stop, the women would exchange thier favours for fresh food and other goods with the salors for the other ships in the harboiurs where they stopped. This was done in a very well and organised manner by one of the women on board. The end results was they ended up in Sydney taking about three times as long as any other ship and with 7 more passengers than what they started with which was also unusual. What truuly makes it remarkable was that there was starvfation in the colony and it was about to fail but because the Lady J because of the trading by its female passengers, had not used many of its stores and I believe it had on more food than when it started and this enabled the colony to survive until the second fleeet arrived and then the colony never looked back. So in a way, Australia was founded on the proceeds of prostitution.

A lot of the Ladies on the Lady J were exceptional people and did very well for themselves, becoming sucessful business people and marrying members of the local aristocracy and upper class. However this is where the curse starts, because these people were so sucessful, a lot of them or thier descendents wanted to hide the fact they were on this ship and a lot of records were destroyed and I believe the indents (or records of the convicts on the ship, the main record of the convict) are lost. I have a friend whose ancestor also came over on the Lady J and she has had lots of problems because of this.

There are a couple of sites I would try, the Natitonal Austraalian library has a collection of early newspapers online and I would search there. http://www.nla.gov.au/. I found one of my ancestors there. The other source would be the site http://www.law.mq.edu.au/scnsw/ contains a searchable data base for the supreme court of NSW from 1788 and if she messed up again U could try there. Other wise try http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/for_family_historians_3634.asp for details of the online resources you can search for archival material from NSW and for BDM in NSW try www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/searchHistoricalRecords.htm.

Here is a search on the NSW governement site that may give other leads
http://www.nsw.gov.au/search.asp?q=family+history&cx=006072668019119945425%3Aygffjantl0y&cof=FORID%3A11

You should be proud to have an ancestor on the Lady Julianna

[Hugh Thompson]

There was one young girl, 15 years old if I remember correctly charged with highway robbery (stole a dress or some other trivial item) and sent on the ship, I think her name was Mary Wade, when she died at a ripe old age she had sired 300 living descendents!!!!!!!!!!|help|
makes my effort look weak:D:D:D

[ChristineR]

Since this thread was actually started in 2005, there is a good chance that Kerrie knows a lot more by now than the original posting. :D

[kermie62]

Gee he must have the slowest internet connection ever if its taken tjhis long for the post to arrive. Whats it using, snails instead of bytes