William Swadling and his family

came to NSW via the James Pattison in December 1838. He had been born in a small village called Sedlescombe, in Sussex, England, the son of Stephen SWADLING and Lydia STAPLEY. He married Elizabeth WATSON on 19 January 1830 at Ardingley in Sussex. They were living in London when their first child William Stephen was born there on 30 November 1830, although he was taken 'home' to Sedlescombe to be baptised on 13 February 1831. The ship's list shows a family of five people:

• William SWADLING, native of Sedlescombe, Sussex, son of Stephen SWADLING, sawyer, and Lydia his wife of the same place, a sawyer, 31 years on 21 December 1837, protestant, reads and writes.

• Elizabeth SWADLING, native of Kirklington, Nottingham, daughter of William WATSON, butler, and Sarah his wife, 27 years on 7 October 1838, a nurse, protestant, reads and writes.

and their children:

1. William, 8 years on 30 November 1838
2. Abraham, 4 years on 14 January 1838, baptised 16 February 1834
3. Mary Ann, 2 years on 6 September 1838, baptised 29 May 1836

Also accompanying the family was William's sister,

• Sarah SWADLING, native of Sedlescombe, Sussex, daughter of Stephen SWADLING and his wife Lydia of the same place, dressmaker, 26 years on 8 March 1838, protestant, reads and writes.

They had nine more children in NSW, naming the first of them after the ship they arrived in:

4. James Pattison, b. 12 Feb 1839
5. George, b. 11 Dec 1841
6. Cornelius, b. 22 May 1844
7. Margaret, b. 18 Nov 1846
8. Charles, b. 21 Dec 1848
9. Henry, b. 16 Mar 1851
10. Stephen Patrick, b. 21 Sep 1853
11. Sarah, b. 12 May 1855
12. Alfred Watson, b. 2 Mar 1862

They lived for the first two years or so in Princes Street, Sydney, near the Wesleyan Methodist chapel which they would have attended. By the time of Cornelius' birth they were at Lane Cove, on the north side of Sydney Harbour, probably following the cedar-cutting of the time. By the time of Margaret's birth they had moved further north, to the Central Coast of NSW, where the rest of the children were born.

Elizabeth died on 14 December 1863 at the infirmary in Sydney, so had probably travelled back there when she became sick, and was buried at Camperdown. William had been suffering fits for some time, and died at Tarban Creek Asylum on 26 April 1865, where he was buried.

There were other SWADLINGs who came to NSW, as well as some to Queensland. John SWADDLING arrived in NSW as a convict, aged fourteen years!