Family of convict James Kiss

[fonziepage]

Good morning,
Is anyone researching James Kiss a convict who arrived in New South Wales circa 1797 on the ship Ganges, it is believed he had 2 children, William/James and Ann probably with another convict woman Elizibeth Ruse nee Perry/Parry. William moved to the Monaroo area in southern area of NSW and married Elizibeth Kennedy, it is from this line that I descend.Many thanks.
Regards Fonzie

[warncoort]

Have you checked "claimaconvict" or "convictrecords"?

[helachau]

I googled "james kiss convict 1793" and a number of items returned eg
https://towambavalleyhistory.webhive...famhistory.htm

[Megan Roberts]

Claimaconvict has s lot of people researching James Kiss, including a large scale DNA project so it would be well worth connecting with them.

https://www.hawkesbury.net.au/claima...convictId=7970

James was convicted of Highway Robbery at Warwickshire summer assizes. I think from reading the few papers that have survived that it was probably what we today would call a street robbery, and the victim was a Benjamin Jones, and he may have committed the crime in conjunction with a Mrs Mary Howarth. The surviving records see to mention them in the same breath so I am assuming that they were working together. Initially sentenced to death (the mandatory sentence for this offence), this was commuted to transportation for life a few weeks later on the recommendation of the judge. James appealed that sentence or at least must have appealed to the King for further clemency, because on 14 Sept 1793 a letter was sent to the trial judge asking whether or not further clemency should be shown and he responded on 23 Sept effectively saying no.But only half of that letter seems to have survived. These records are available from Findmypast.

The actual trial records, if they exist, will be at the National Archives, but won't be on line.

I suspect that in the intervening years between his conviction and his departure he would have been held on a prison hulk moored on the Thames, and forced to worked in chains on arduous tasks such as dredging the river or building dock infrastructure like the Woolwich Arsenal. The death rate of convicts on the hulk was very high.

[fonziepage]

Thank you all for your responses to my post, I have been on the Kiss trail for a long time and have viewed most of what is available online line, however this line does contain the brickwall in my research, namely my paternal great grand father. The line to my grandfather William Haynes ( believed to be born in November 1896) seems to be James Kiss (the convict) his son William, his son John Joseph, then John's daughter Adeline. There is only one William Haynes registered in the online NSW BD&M and that is to an ANNIE HAYNES at the Benevolent Society in Sydney, I have searched there records and think that this is most likely my grandfather, as my grandfather grew up in the care of the Sisters of St Joseph Home in Kincumber NSW from around age 4-16 when he left and soon after when to WW1. On his death certificate it states his father as William Haynes Labourer, in letters Adeline wrote to the army she states his father was an army captain. Kincumber Records are very scant and do not state his fathers name.
In Benevlolent Society records ANNIE HAYNES lists the father as a casual teacher named BECK. In Adelines later marriage many of the wedding party carry the HAYNES name. I suspect my only is to see if DNA shows any thing. Thank you, while this is probably the correct forum for this post, there seems to be some very good researches who may come up with an idea that may provide the chink I need.
Regards Fonzie